[freudling]

Meaning, someone who thinks they are overly special and smart because they did a Graduate or Doctorate Degree. I have had to work with a few guys over the past few weeks on some projects and they meet the aforementioned definition. They seem to have some sort of Elitist complex, like everyone is less of a person, even though one may have the same education or better than them...

One guy last week... He TALKS DOWN TO YOU. He TALKS OVER YOU. Guess what his Doc is in? Psychology.

[Amorya]

But... that's the only reason I'm doing my PhD! You can't take away the sense of smug self-satisfaction, or what would be the point?

Amorya

[MacosNerd]

I think you can run into Elitists in any sector, or segment of life. I've run into a number of them, where they look down at you if you voted for a certain candidate, or come from a certain section of the country. They believe that if your not from the northeast or the west coast, you must be an uneducated ignorant sop who has no right to vote.

[OreoCookie]

I don't want to be nitpicky here, but nobody holds a `post doc degree', a being a post doc simply means he was conducting more research after his PhD.

On the other hand, elitists are not necessarily people with PhDs, it's something that can happen in any group where you need experts of kind. Auto shops, IT support, lawyers, etc.

[design219]

It's relative.

[mindwaves]

My coworker constantly brags about his PhD in material science. I don't like him for that very reason.

[osiris]

My ex was a wise ass hot ass MBA from the #1 biz school in America where she graduated #2 in her class. And everyday she made me aware of it.

[Jawbone54]

Academic elitists have a way of talking down to everyone they encounter. Not everyone with a master's or doctorate are snobs, but quite a few believe their education lifts them to some plane of awareness that anyone with a simple bachelors or no college degree at all are incapable of comprehending.

There's a family I'm fairly close to that constantly have this smirk on their faces when I speak about educational issues, especially the irrelevance of college in particular fields. They always kind of smile and start their response with, "Well, it'd be nice if it worked that way, but..."

I've learned to ignore it, but every once in a while it does grate on the nerves.

[Chuckit]

Heck, I've known people who were that way with bachelor's degrees. That's just downright weird. "Oh, I've got a BA in art history. I bet none of the rest of you have anything like that. Oh, you do? Uh…well…mine's better."

[Dakar the Fourth]

I like to get Elitist about my Bachelors in Art.

[Railroader]

My brother-in-law was quite the elitist after earning his doctorate in clinical psychology and then interning/fellowshipping at Dartmouth University. He'd attempt to play mind games with everyone. Eventually everyone simply ignored him. Then, when he went actual job hunting and seeing what his final wages were going to be, including his job insecurity... let's just say he's a bit more humble than most "educated" people.

EDIT: Regarding what people said about elitism in everything. Near where I grew up, there's a high school district that for years has been bragging about their "far superior" education for decades. Someone did an semi-informal check on post-HS education degree attainment and it came out that the number of people earning doctorates was three times higher at a school that was long considered "inferior". People can be elitist in ANYTHING. Your liable to see it far more than is prudent. I mean, c'mon, I use a MAC, not a winblow$ peecee.

[Chongo]

Education≠ Intelligence
Some of the stupidest people I have worked with have PHDs.

[osiris]

I get all elitist with my high school equivalency diploma from DeVry.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Chongo 

Education≠ Intelligence
Some of the stupidest people I have worked with have PHDs.

And Jobs, Wozniak and Gates were dropouts.

[osiris]

That is one amazing fact. The world pretty much changed because of those three.

[Dakar the Fourth]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

And Jobs, Wozniak and Gates were dropouts.

Of course, look where they dropped out from.

[wolfen]

I think we can all relate to the elitism trait in some way. I think I'm better than anyone who watches the Jerry Springer Show, for example. BECAUSE I AM!

But seriously, I've found the best way to bring academic elitism down a notch is to recognize that these guys typically have a narrow window of expertise, and everything else is just opinion. You call them on it by simply asking "Oh? What kind of research have you done on that?" whenever they start going on about their opinions. It's polite, non threatening, and makes it clear that you respect their views only so far as they are INFORMED views and not just opinion.

I ask that a few times, and they stop boasting around me because they don't wanna be called on it. If they start to talk about how they haven't done research "But I know what I'm talking about" then they set the bar for you nice and low. And your opinions become as reasonable as theirs. The most important thing that irks such people is if you stay really calm and inquisitive.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by wolfen 

I think we can all relate to the elitism trait in some way. I think I'm better than anyone who watches the Jerry Springer Show, for example. BECAUSE I AM!

But seriously, I've found the best way to bring academic elitism down a notch is to recognize that these guys typically have a narrow window of expertise, and everything else is just opinion. You call them on it by simply asking "Oh? What kind of research have you done on that?" whenever they start going on about their opinions. It's polite, non threatening, and makes it clear that you respect their views only so far as they are INFORMED views and not just opinion.

Indeed. My way of handling them when they go on and on about how great they are is to sometimes ask them what they think of some topic that is far removed from their education. For example, if I am talking with a MBA, I ask what they think about the research on cellular structures of steel involving various alloys and resulting strengths or weaknesses for one over the other (or some other such nonsense, not that I know anything about the topic, hopefully they never call my bluff.) I usually just get the blank stare.

[Jawbone54]

This is probably going to receive a TL;DR from someone, but you get the point.

Famous college dropouts:
Steve Jobs
Steve Wozniak
Bill Gates
Rush Limbaugh
Michael Dell
Ted Turner
Woody Allen

Look HERE for some billionaire dropouts.

Famous elementary or high school dropouts:
Ansel Adams
Jane Austen
William Blake
Humphrey Bogart
Sonny Bono
Marlon Brando
Simon Cowell
Princess Diana
Celine Dion
Nick Faldo
Henry Ford
Benjamin Franklin
Laird Hamilton
J.B. Hunt
Louis L'Amour
Jerry Lewis
Dean Martin
Frank Sinatra
Herman Melville
Florence Nightingale
Pele
Nora Roberts
Quentin Tarantino
Walt Whitman
Peter Jennings

Not all of them are noted for their intellectual prowess, but at least they were successful. There are MASSIVE lists to be found out there.

[Dakar the Fourth]

Can you really count people from before the turn of the 20th century, artists, or athletes?

[lexapro]

PhDs know more about their topic then most. Calling them smug elitists when they don't entertain your pseudo-science position is just you going back into your cave and licking your wounds.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by Dakar the Fourth 

Can you really count people from before the turn of the 20th century, artists, or athletes?

Sure.