The bizarre logic of the Anti-Elite Crowd

I know it would be a little bit late for me to complain about how the term 'liberal' has been used as a pejorative in our culture so I might as well let it go; but to use the term 'elite' that way is just a bit too much.

Can you imagine this? Here we are, trying to elect the next President of the United States, and the last thing we are supposed to do is select someone who is 'elite'?

According to Wikipedia, just what defines the characteristics of someone who is elite?

Attributes that identify an elite vary; personal achievement may not be essential. Elite usually denotes a person or group who is the best in a class. Elite attributes include:

• Rigorous study of, or great accomplishment within, a particular field of study
• A long track record of competence in a demanding field
• An extensive history of dedication and effort in service to a specific discipline (e.g., medicine or martial arts)
• A high degree of accomplishment, training or wisdom within a given field

Who wants a non-elite President? Haven't we suffered enough the past eight years with a man who doesn't even have a good command of the English language?

Now, I do understand that 'elite' can be used in a negative context as it refers to social standing or personal wealth; those we consider 'elite' not through personal excellence or accomplishment but rather due to their financial standing or the family they were born into.

I get this, I really do. But 'elite' as it refers to someone who excels, someone who has great skills needed to do a job, that is the kind of person I want.

I want an 'elite' Doctor and surgeon.
I want an 'elite' dentist.
I want an 'elite' airline pilot.
And, dammit, I want an 'elite' President.

Ok, now that I have that rant out of my system I would like to address the issue of elitism as it refers to Freemasonry.

Does Freemasonry suffer from elitism? I would have so say yes, yes it most certainly does.

We often talk about 'guarding the west gate'. What that phrase means is that we don't want to let just anybody join Freemasonry, only those 'elite' who meet the admission requirements.

Now, we are hardly the only private club in the world to have admission requirements. I cannot partake of Mass at a Catholic Church unless I have gone through their ceremonies and sworn their oath. Don't the followers of pretty much all Christian religions believe they are 'elite' compared to every non-Christian in the world? After all, they believe they are 'saved in Christ' and everyone else is...well..let's just say 'not saved'. That sounds pretty elitist to me.

I just don't see what is wrong with being 'elite' in terms of setting high standards for yourself or others you associate with or depend on. As I said beforeI want an elite President an elite Doctor and, yes you heard me right, I want elite friends.

So what elite qualities are required to become a Freemason? You must be of good character, be vouched for by others, and be willing to dedicate yourself to becoming a better man.

These are the kind of elite qualities I expect to find among my brethren and in my friends.

I hope in this little rambling post I have made a distinction between those who are 'elite' through merit and those who are 'elite' through circumstance and position.

Now, to be honest, there absolutely is a strong whiff of this negative kind of elitism in Freemasonry. An aspect that I am not comfortable with and I too find a bit distasteful. You do find Freemasons who gives themselves gaudy and ostentatious fake titles. They wear sashes, medals, and adorn themselves with bits of flair that seem to serve little purpose other than self-puffery.

There are some who, when given a political position of some small 'power' within the bureaucracy of the organization, put on airs and act as if they are better than everyone else around them.

I find this kind of behavior just as abhorant as the next guy.

We have a phrase in Freemasonry which is that we 'meet upon the level'. It is something I really believe strongly in. The phrase to 'meet upon the level' means that all Freemasons are treated as equals regardless of their worldly wealth or position outside of the lodge.

There are times in Freemasonry when I see behavior which doesn't look very 'level' to me, and this concerns me.

Then again, there are other times, like when I met the Grand Master of the State of Missouri and discovered that he is the most down to earth and friendly guy you could wish to meet. It makes me proud when I see evidence that not everyone has forgotten this important lesson. I chuckle when my friends and I attend the 'Sword of Bunker Hill' degree which, at its heart, teaches the lesson that we can all be made a fool of from time to time and demonstrates the importance of not taking ourselves too seriously.

I remember the anecdote I have heard about how when Harry Truman was on a whistle-stop tour through Missouri he heard that a young man was being made Mason in a little town. He got off the train and went into the lodge just to see this young man admitted into the Fraternity. Of course everyone wanted to make a big fuss about him but President Truman would have none of it and insisted that everyone simply call him Brother, with no greater honorific than that.

At the end of the day Freemasonry is an organization populated by men who, hopefully, aspire to conduct themselves by a high standard of morality. In the end though we all fail to live up to our highest goals and aspirations from time to time. Such is life and we must all struggle to do the best we can.