Certainly I respect them as human beings, and (if we are friends) as friends. There are not many in the village with degrees: locally the educated "elite" tends to be Parisian second home owners, for whom I have the same respect as I do for my nearest neighbour who lives here all year 'round (a not-very-competent jobbing builder) or the man we sit next to at the old folks' dinners (a retired postman).
My closest friends in the UK -- the sort of people you eat and drink with, or stay with and have to stay with you -- include a retired carpenter, a hairdresser, a police analyst, a small builder, a production engineer and someone who used to run a restaurant. Not a degree among them. Some have quite a lot of money (inherited, except in the case of the hairdresser -- the carpenter had a rich godmother who left him a house): some, next to none.
This is what I find so vile about the casual use of "elite" as an insult, just as you do. What makes anyone "elite"?
Respecting people, though, does not necessarily mean respecting their views; and if enough their views are extreme enough and vile enough (especially racism and bigotry) then it probably means I don't respect the person either. If I do respect them, and disagree, I'll try to change their minds. If I don't respect them, then at least on the forum, I find the "ignore" function useful.
Cheers,
R.
"The Elite" tends to be used as shorthand for the corrupt political class/politically influence peddling business men/women and their connections in the media etc.
We have the situation here in the UK (I'm aware you know this Roger, it's for anyone who doesn't) that the Prime Minister, Chancellor, and Leader of the leave campaign are not only from the same public school, but also all from the same yobbish club within that school.
The head of one of the premier political broadcasting shows in the country is also an alumni.
The former BBC Politics editor, was a member of the Young Conservatives at university.
The Health Secretary who has consistently put out lies about the NHS, was moved from a previous Government job after it came out he was doing Rupert Murdoch favours, rather than putting him through due process.
Murdoch says his papers are a reflection of his views, (evidently not setting out to be just a "newspaper" then, but admittedly right wing.
The editor of one of Murdoch's flaghship titles had to answer embarrassing questions in court about the cosy relationship she has with the Prime Minister.
And then there's making the Chief strategist of the party a Lord, when there's questions about his connections to his former job in tobacco lobbying, and torpedoing the push for plain packaging.
There's very clearly a class of people at the "top" of society who are, for lack of a better term, utterly crooked.
"The Elite" tends to refer to this kind of group of people. I can see why you might object to a term which is usually a positive being used in that way, but it seems to be a fitting term because of the positions they hold.
The only other term I can think of that would be suitable would be taken from Lord Mountbatten's account of being sunk aboard HMS Kipling
"At this moment up bobbed one of our stoker petty officers, a great character and a bit of a humorist. He looked at the ‘pilot’ and then at me and then produced a typically cheery crack. ‘Extraordinary how the scum always comes to the top, isn’t it, sir?"
