text: Although there is a lot of talk about elites and elitism, it's rare to find people trying to say exactly what these words mean.  But if people are unable to say what they are talking about they are risking confusion as they accuse one another of elitism.  
  
  I suppose that elitism is roughly some form of arrogance or a false sense of superiority in those who have great influence (the elites).  Obviously we should be against arrogance in the powerful, but we should also be wary of people who try to arrogate power to themselves by whipping up resentment and manipulating mass anger.  Strong democratic institutions and a vigourous media are the best defences.
  
  The CBC has its biases, as any thoughtful person must admit.  Nevertheless it still has many intelligent journalists good at raising questions about public policy.  It needs to be supplemented by independent sources, not abolished.