Building a Conservative Elite
A guest post by Nordic Nixon
Hierarchy is embedded into every society. Any sufficiently large group of somewhat organized human beings will have a top and a bottom. There will be an elite, a ruling class that exercises more authority and influence than the rest. In America, the left has successfully dominated the upper stratum for nearly a century.
Right-wingers often fail to find their way into elite circles. However, elite dynamics are universal. Conservatives must understand them. This is critical for them to form a counter-elite of their own.
First, a durable elite must value competence. Too many people on the right seek elite status solely to put up their feet. However, sinecures symbolize decadence. If individuals desire free lunches, they should look elsewhere.
Competent people pursue excellence. If you are satisfied with B or C grades and consistently try to avoid work, you likely lack the arete necessary to join an elite group. Nobody wants a slacker who aims for the bare minimum to get by. They want spirited individuals brimming with ideas. A person coasting through will ignore subconscious prompts to improve a situation or assist their friends because it means more effort. In contrast, a person pursuing excellence will see opportunities for themselves and others.
Competent individuals reject cynicism. Realism offers a solid framework for assessing a situation. Idealists often either dismiss strategy or ignore reality. In contrast, cynics frequently view situations as doomed or perceive the odds as extremely unfavorable. This mindset diminishes their own enthusiasm and stifles the creativity of those around them. These “Johnny rainclouds” or “Debbie Downers” can make for dull companions and reduce the effectiveness of others. Some people naturally have a more melancholic disposition. That’s okay, but it's important to be aware of your perspective and strive to identify opportunities.
Second, the conservative elite must support their own. This may seem fundamental, but many naturally conservative individuals possess a flawed belief that, since they achieved success independently, the next generation should do the same. The left leverages a network of fellowships and nonprofits to simplify life for their most talented members. Assisting your friends can be as straightforward as connecting a friend seeking to enter a certain field with another friend already established in it. Wisdom is gained through experience, and experience takes time. By connecting a college student with a seasoned professional, you provide them with years of wisdom, greatly enhancing their potential.
Conversely, conservatives who aspire to be elite often accept help. Many wish to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” This impulse stems from pride. They don’t want to succeed because someone assisted them, but rather because they achieved it on their own. When reflecting on your accomplishments, you often want to disregard the people who contributed to your success. When Obama said, “If you got a business, you didn’t build that,” he spoke a harsh truth. His speech emphasized that talent alone does not ensure success; people require support along the journey.
If you want to be a successful lawyer, how naive must you be to navigate the process on your own? Mastering the LSAT, applying to law schools, and choosing between competing institutions is a complex journey that will affect your life in ways you won’t fully grasp until well into your career. You can attempt to manage that process alone as a 22-year-old who lacks experience, or you can reach out to friends who are lawyers and ask insightful questions about their experiences to determine if your path makes sense or if you’re headed for a dead end.
Conservative elites should create opportunities for other conservatives without falling into purity spirals. You don’t want to advance the career of someone who holds progressive values, but generally, individuals on the right should assist others on the right, even if they do not completely align. A notable exception would be those with traitorous dispositions.
Third, conservatives expect a lot from their friends. Elites are aware of their friends' actions, but they avoid undermining others through rumors and slights. They do not attempt to cancel those who hold controversial views. Furthermore, they must not tolerate individuals who would sacrifice fellow conservatives to please the left.
Because most educated individuals hold liberal views, conservatives generally feel like outsiders. Being on the outside feels unpleasant. However, some conservatives approach leftists and criticize other conservatives because it gives them the impression of being one of the cool kids. Just like in middle school, where individuals critique their friends to impress the popular kids, some conservatives undermine others to demonstrate that they aren’t like the “Bad Conservatives™” who truly deserve to be on the outside. Interestingly, those conservatives most likely to attack others on the right for racism, sexism, or antisemitism never seem to find the courage to criticize those on the left for the same vices or for the actual killing of the unborn.
The conservatives who will build the next generation of elites do not care what leftists have to say about their friends. They really know their friends and will trust their own eyes before the words of a deranged leftist hell-bent on cancellation. They understand that the leftists who would try to cancel someone are either Godless sociopaths who would kill their unborn offspring to maintain their earning potential or spiritless sycophants who live in fear of those in the first category. Only cowards or fools heed those who hold fundamentally contrary views about whom they should befriend.
Conservative elites should spend leisure time together. They can play golf and host sporting events for their children while fostering connections. Building these family ties cultivates essential trust. Someone with whom you share a few mutual friends and only know through professional networks deserves far less trust than someone who worships at the same church or whose family you know well. These nonprofessional ties contribute to loyalty and camaraderie over time, reinforcing the previous factors.
Building an elite does not require getting into Harvard or another prestigious school, purchasing a tuxedo, or adopting the external trappings of what you perceive to be elite. That would be completely performative. Conversely, building an elite begins on a small scale with the direct relationships you cultivate with others, and you can start today with your own network.
Extend hospitality to your friends. If you have a guest bedroom or a spare couch, offer it to friends and their acquaintances. If you have like-minded friends, you will likely enjoy meeting their friends as well. Hosting someone overnight costs you nearly nothing. You will have done your friend a favor, and you may even make a new friend. If you have safety concerns, assess the character of your friends. If it is a matter of generosity, you might possess a miserly mindset that seems somewhat low-class.
Community is not just a button we can press and say, “Okay, all done!” It is a process that takes time. It involves investing in relationships in the real world, not just scrolling through Twitter. You can build those relationships with people you have met on Twitter, but crossing the boundary from the internet to the real world is essential for a true community to form.
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In "Conversely, conservatives who aspire to be elite often accept help. Many wish to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” it seems like there is a "do not" missing prior to the "accept".