In his 1997 memoir Drawing Life: Surviving the Unabomber, Yale University professor David Gelernter tells us of the mail bomb that exploded in his hands and forever changed his life. In this account of his long period of treatment and recovery, Gelernter caused a stir with his criticisms of American culture, at least one of which remains a hot topic today: the place of the elite in our society.

After giving readers a brief history of the old elite, which he views favorably for the commonalities they shared with their fellow citizens, Gelernter writes, “Today’s elite loathes the public. Nothing personal, just a fundamental difference in world views, but the hatred is unmistakable. Occasionally it escapes in scorching geysers.”

These days we hear quite a bit about the elite. In “The Elite 1 Percent Behind the Cultural Civil War,” we find that pollster Scott Rasmussen and his team have done the rest of us a great service. First, they have officially identified those who may consider themselves or are considered by others as “the elite.” Rasmussen and his team discovered that a tiny minority of those polled on various topics tended to have more radical progressive positions.

Further investigation revealed that these people have graduate-level degrees, earn more than $150,000 annually, and live in large cities. They are overwhelmingly white, the majority are middle-aged, and whereas others taking the survey gave President Biden a 41 percent approval rating, these folks gave him an approval rating of 82 percent. Over three quarters of these people favor rationing meat and electricity, 72 percent favor banning gas-powered vehicles, and 53 percent favor banning private air conditioning.

Many of these “elite” are undoubtedly working for our government, our large corporations, major universities, and the media, positions which give them the power to advocate for causes that most Americans would reject out-of-hand.

But here’s some good news: Those average Americans are waking up to the policies being shoved down their throats.

In “An Open Letter to the Davos Crowd,” Rob Jenkins writes: “Anyone who describes themselves as an ‘elite’ betrays a breathtaking egotism. They are openly acknowledging that they think themselves better than the rest of us—smarter, more knowledgeable, morally superior, better equipped to lead.”

After primarily referencing the COVID pandemic and the corruption and authoritarianism surrounding it, Jenkins concludes:

If the past four years have taught us anything, it is that you ‘elites’ are awful people. Your ideas are awful. Your vision for the future is awful. The society you wish to create, with yourselves in charge, would be unspeakably awful. We reject it, and we reject you. So go away and leave us alone—or else suffer the consequences.

Jeffrey Tucker, founder of the Brownstone Institute, adds weight and optimism to Jenkins’ declaration. He examines in broad terms the growth of the dissident movement here in the United States following the COVID debacle, men and women who “have chosen the path of fighting, and they are doing it with intelligence, discipline, and moral courage.” He points out, for instance, the massive protests by farmers in European countries against the severe restrictions and regulations of the climate change crew. He concludes:

The new institutions and events that are growing up around this movement are in for the long haul. It’s because the infrastructure being built here is comprehensive. It involves media, law, medicine, research, education, therapeutics and health, and every area of life. There is a long-term commitment here to rebuild the civilization that the bad guys are trying to destroy.

These developments mark a sea change from the gloom-and-doom days we faced four years ago. A healthy skepticism regarding dictatorial authority; the courage to take a stand against deception, manipulation, and illicit mandates; and comradery with those who see these evils through the same pair of glasses is not only a resistance movement. At its core, it is a revolution of restoration, a rehabilitation of our natural rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness.

To be alive in such a time as ours is not a curse but a blessing. We have the great opportunity, in small ways and large, to join in this fight, push back against the self-proclaimed and smug minority who would steal our liberties, and keep the fires of freedom burning bright as the sun.

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