Charles Murray of the American Enterprise Institute wrote in the Washington Post that the Tea Party is right to warn America about the New Elite.

With geographical clustering goes cultural clustering. Get into a conversation about television with members of the New Elite, and they can probably talk about a few trendy shows — “Mad Men” now, “The Sopranos” a few years ago. But they haven’t any idea who replaced Bob Barker on “The Price Is Right.” They know who Oprah is, but they’ve never watched one of her shows from beginning to end.

Talk to them about sports, and you may get an animated discussion of yoga, pilates, skiing or mountain biking, but they are unlikely to know who Jimmie Johnson is (the really famous Jimmie Johnson, not the former Dallas Cowboys coach), and the acronym MMA means nothing to them.

They can talk about books endlessly, but they’ve never read a “Left Behind” novel (65 million copies sold) or a Harlequin romance (part of a genre with a core readership of 29 million Americans).

They take interesting vacations and can tell you all about a great backpacking spot in the Sierra Nevada or an exquisite B&B overlooking Boothbay Harbor, but they wouldn’t be caught dead in an RV or on a cruise ship (unless it was a small one going to the Galapagos). They have never heard of Branson, Mo.

There so many quintessentially American things that few members of the New Elite have experienced. They probably haven’t ever attended a meeting of a Kiwanis Club or Rotary Club, or lived for at least a year in a small town (college doesn’t count) or in an urban neighborhood in which most of their neighbors did not have college degrees (gentrifying neighborhoods don’t count). They are unlikely to have spent at least a year with a family income less than twice the poverty line (graduate school doesn’t count) or to have a close friend who is an evangelical Christian. They are unlikely to have even visited a factory floor, let alone worked on one.

I think anyone who spins out a bunch of stereotypes about people or a community and labels superficial things such as vacation habits or reading material as a talisman of elitism is an elitist himself. “Elitism” is in the eye of the beholder; the Tea Party by its very definition comes across as elitist in their own fashion.

But who can resist a challenge like that, and Claire Berlinski at Richochet put up the inevitable internet meme:

How Plebe Are You?

1. Can you talk about “Mad Men?”

2. Can you talk about the “The Sopranos?”

3. Do you know who replaced Bob Barker on “The Price Is Right?”

4. Have you watched an Oprah show from beginning to end?

5. Can you hold forth animatedly about yoga?

5. How about pilates?

5. How about skiing?

6. Mountain biking?

7. Do you know who Jimmie Johnson is?

8. Does the acronym MMA mean nothing to you?

9. Can you talk about books endlessly?

10. Have you ever read a “Left Behind” novel?

11. How about a Harlequin romance?

12. Do you take interesting vacations?

13. Do you know a great backpacking spot in the Sierra Nevada?

14. What about an exquisite B&B overlooking Boothbay Harbor?

15. Would you be caught dead in an RV?

16. Would you be caught dead on a cruise ship?

17. Have you ever heard of of Branson, Mo?

18. Have you ever attended a meeting of a Kiwanis Club?

19. How about the Rotary Club?

20. Have you lived for at least a year in a small town?

21. Have you lived for a year in an urban neighborhood in which most of your neighbors did not have college degrees?

22. Have you spent at least a year with a family income less than twice the poverty line?

23. Do you have a close friend who is an evangelical Christian?

24. Have you ever visited a factory floor?

25. Have you worked on one?

My answers are below the fold. Put yours in the comments.

1. Can you talk about “Mad Men?” No.

2. Can you talk about the “The Sopranos?” Yes.

3. Do you know who replaced Bob Barker on “The Price Is Right?” Yes.

4. Have you watched an Oprah show from beginning to end? Yes, but I was at Tire Kingdom waiting for my car.

5. Can you hold forth animatedly about yoga? No.

6. How about pilates? No.

7. How about skiing? Yes, including how to run a chairlift and ski for free in Santa Fe.

8. Mountain biking? I didn’t know mountains could ride bikes.

9. Do you know who Jimmie Johnson is? Yes.

10. Does the acronym MMA mean anything to you? Yes, but I’m a pacifist so I don’t watch it.

11. Can you talk about books endlessly? Yes.

12. Have you ever read a “Left Behind” novel? No.

13. How about a Harlequin romance? No, but I wrote a play where the main character writes them.

14. Do you take interesting vacations? I live an hour from Key Largo, so yes.

15. Do you know a great backpacking spot in the Sierra Nevada? No, but if you’re talking about Rocky Mountain National Park, yes.

16. What about an exquisite B&B overlooking Boothbay Harbor? Feh.

17. Would you be caught dead in an RV? If I was dead, how would I know? (Yes, I have no problem with RV’s.)

18. Would you be caught dead on a cruise ship? Depends on what you mean by “cruise.”

19. Have you ever heard of Branson, Mo? Yes.

20. Have you ever attended a meeting of a Kiwanis Club? No.

21. How about the Rotary Club? Yes.

22. Have you lived for at least a year in a small town? I grew up in one.

23. Have you lived for a year in an urban neighborhood in which most of your neighbors did not have college degrees? Yes.

24. Have you spent at least a year with a family income less than twice the poverty line? Yes.

25. Do you have a close friend who is an evangelical Christian? Yes, and he’s as gay as pink shoes.

26. Have you ever visited a factory floor? Yes.

27. Have you worked on one? Yes.