In Defence of Elitism

Anti-elitism has become a common staple of media commentary and political rhetoric. But we are taking aim at the wrong enemy. The populist right have marshalled public anger against the real elites - corporate and financial power - and turned it onto those who treat us when we are sick, uphold our rights in court, represent our interests in Parliament, and create and curate the best books, art and ideas. Culture and education have been made to function as merely symbolic arenas of democratisation, while gross inequality remains intact. This book argues that the real elites escape scrutiny, while everything that makes our lives worth living becomes worthy and dumbed down.