source file: mills2.txt Date: Sat, 27 Jul 1996 20:29:32 -0700 Subject: the elite From: Paul Rapoport Although I admire what Neil Haverstick is doing for xenh music out there, I take issue over his comments on elitism. This concept is often confused with unfair exclusion or discrimination, which are not good. But elitism that comes from excellence, profundity, difficulty, and similar concepts, especially when they are together, is not only unavoidable but desirable. There must always be things done by and for a small number of people. The notion that everything must be available to and understood by everyone who wants it has led to some of the difficulties we now face in education, for example, where students demand degrees, jobs, and money simply because they exist, whether or not they have qualifications or know how to think, work, or relate to others. I hope my point is understood. Even though Neil isn't saying any of these things, there are many who do or at least imply them. I would argue that there is room for both popular and elite (unpopular?) art, there always has been, and there always will be. Without an artistic elite, important elements of culture cannot thrive, and without an educated elite, the major professions would collapse, and with it most of democratic society. I can't talk much about the popular, unelite side; but nothing above should be taken to mean it is lesser or negative, for without it, other, equally important principles and structures collapse too. Paul Rapoport Received: from eartha.mills.edu [144.91.3.20] by vbv40.ezh.nl with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Sun, 28 Jul 1996 08:04 +0100 Received: from by eartha.mills.edu via SMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI) for id XAA00086; Sat, 27 Jul 1996 23:04:47 -0700 Date: Sat, 27 Jul 1996 23:04:47 -0700 Message-Id: <960728060320_71670.2576_HHB57-4@CompuServe.COM> Errors-To: madole@ella.mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu