The discourse of elite vs. people in a social welfare society

Lisa Storm Villadsen

The discourse of elite vs. people in a social welfare society

Department of Communication

Abstract

Denmark is known as a social welfare society with a very high degree of social trust and an even higher ranking in happiness ratings. Nevertheless the classic populist topos of ‘elite’ versus ‘people’ has entered public Danish discourse in recent years. This paper explores how and where the notion of ‘the elite’ has emerged and attempts to establish its meaning and the rhetorical work its used to perform. In particular, I examine a recently published book by a Social Democractic member of the Danish Parliament bearing a title that translates to: “The Tyranni of the Educated – How the Creative Class Creates Inequality and Undermines the World’s Best Society”. I then discuss examples of public discourse that seeks to challenge the notion of the elite and its negative connotations and discuss their prospects of succeeding in this endeavor in a summarizing theoretization of rhetoric’s potential as a source for resisting populist discourse.

Original language	English
Publication date	2017
Publication status	Accepted/In press - 2017
Event	Rhetoric Society of America 2018: Celebrating the Past. Building the Future - Minneapolis, United States Duration: 31 May 2018 → 3 Jun 2018

Conference

Conference	Rhetoric Society of America 2018
Country/Territory	United States
City	Minneapolis
Period	31/05/2018 → 03/06/2018

Cite this

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title = "The discourse of elite vs. people in a social welfare society",

abstract = "Denmark is known as a social welfare society with a very high degree of social trust and an even higher ranking in happiness ratings. Nevertheless the classic populist topos of {\textquoteleft}elite{\textquoteright} versus {\textquoteleft}people{\textquoteright} has entered public Danish discourse in recent years. This paper explores how and where the notion of {\textquoteleft}the elite{\textquoteright} has emerged and attempts to establish its meaning and the rhetorical work its used to perform. In particular, I examine a recently published book by a Social Democractic member of the Danish Parliament bearing a title that translates to: “The Tyranni of the Educated – How the Creative Class Creates Inequality and Undermines the World{\textquoteright}s Best Society”. I then discuss examples of public discourse that seeks to challenge the notion of the elite and its negative connotations and discuss their prospects of succeeding in this endeavor in a summarizing theoretization of rhetoric{\textquoteright}s potential as a source for resisting populist discourse. ",

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N2 - Denmark is known as a social welfare society with a very high degree of social trust and an even higher ranking in happiness ratings. Nevertheless the classic populist topos of ‘elite’ versus ‘people’ has entered public Danish discourse in recent years. This paper explores how and where the notion of ‘the elite’ has emerged and attempts to establish its meaning and the rhetorical work its used to perform. In particular, I examine a recently published book by a Social Democractic member of the Danish Parliament bearing a title that translates to: “The Tyranni of the Educated – How the Creative Class Creates Inequality and Undermines the World’s Best Society”. I then discuss examples of public discourse that seeks to challenge the notion of the elite and its negative connotations and discuss their prospects of succeeding in this endeavor in a summarizing theoretization of rhetoric’s potential as a source for resisting populist discourse.

AB - Denmark is known as a social welfare society with a very high degree of social trust and an even higher ranking in happiness ratings. Nevertheless the classic populist topos of ‘elite’ versus ‘people’ has entered public Danish discourse in recent years. This paper explores how and where the notion of ‘the elite’ has emerged and attempts to establish its meaning and the rhetorical work its used to perform. In particular, I examine a recently published book by a Social Democractic member of the Danish Parliament bearing a title that translates to: “The Tyranni of the Educated – How the Creative Class Creates Inequality and Undermines the World’s Best Society”. I then discuss examples of public discourse that seeks to challenge the notion of the elite and its negative connotations and discuss their prospects of succeeding in this endeavor in a summarizing theoretization of rhetoric’s potential as a source for resisting populist discourse.

M3 - Conference abstract for conference

T2 - Rhetoric Society of America 2018

Y2 - 31 May 2018 through 3 June 2018

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