Elitism

The following is taken from an interview with Justice Antonin Scalia (my absolute favorite Supreme Court Justice).  I think that his points are utterly fascinating, and in need of attention... by all.

"The thing that I most worry about; we will never be a distinguished age if we do not believe in excellence, if we have a hostility towards 'elitism.' the very notion that there some modes of behavior, some usages of language that are better than others.  The very notion that anything is better than anything else.  Once you reject that notion you're never gonna improve.  I'm afraid we've bought into that in a lot of fields.  'One man's vulgarity is another man's lyric.'  I mean, that is terrible.  What do you expect your language to come to if you believe in that.  But, its not true.  There are dignified and excellent ways to behave.  And there are undignified and base ways to behave. And people who regularly do the former are better than people who regularly do the latter.  And unless you believe that you're gonna have a vulgar society."