MPU guest a tad elitist

Love you and the show - ever since Katie - today’s guest was a tad elitist for my taste.

Do you want to provide some context? Person, Episode number and Episode name?

I’ve not listened yet, but what made you feel that way?

Just as importantly, I’d be interested in how “elitist” is being defined. There is more than one definition and not all elitism is bad, in fact, we need elites and in some situations, e.g., in academics, the arts, and athletes, we desire them. The Cardinals are in bad need of a few elite pitchers! :rofl:

I certainly want my surgeon to be elite and I have no objection if he or she uses vocabulary that reflects that elitism. Snobbery, is a different matter, one that nearly everyone finds objectionable.

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I’m just guessing the OP is referring to this weeks episode with Shahid Kamal Ahmad. I didn’t think he was elitist by any definition I could find. However he does have higher class English accent that some people might find as “elitist” although hardly his fault.

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I have a very working class English accent and am terribly elitist, so I wouldn’t judge him for his accent.

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I enjoyed the episode but Shahid may have exceeded MPU’s 2023 quota for the use of the word rubicon. :grinning: And I suspect the word Obsidian went over some time ago.

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Are you implying that all the other guests are a bit thick?

(Or am I intentionally misinterpreting your comment, and wondering why you bothered sharing it?)

If you are talking about Shahid Kamal Ahmad, I don’t agree with your assessment.

This was one of my favourite shows in a while.

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Elitist is an extremely loaded word and has become increasingly weaponised (where extremely rich and powerful people rail against and wish to overthrow the “elite”).

I once heard a brilliant speech by the President of the Royal College of Surgeons (London) who said that the College (which issues qualifications and advances the study and practice of surgery) was proud to be elitist if that meant being unashamedly and uncompromisingly committed to excellence, but it was equally proud to believe passionately that achieving excellence has nothing to do with where you were born, who your parents are, where you went to school, what colour your skin is, what gender you are etc…

He was wise enough to go on to talk about how many people face structural obstacles in seeking to achieve excellence and outline what work the College was doing to try to remove some of these.

Incidentally, I only detected enthusiasm, confidence and energy from Shahid Kamal Ahmad. As a Brit, I’d say his accent and way of speech came across as typical of youngish, London, graduate working as a creative with a strong dose of tech, which is exactly who he is. It wasn’t remotely upper class, though I do realise some Brits often sound “posh” to Americans.

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Have to say when I saw over 2 hours I hesitated as to so much longer than my Monday commute. Liked every minute of it and made my commute longer to fit as I wanted to listen to the very end. Think Shahid is spot on with his observations and has the experience to account for it. I am with @SteveMac. One of my fav shows for a while

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As someone who often skips the interview/guest episodes, I’d like to thank everyone for chiming in. As an elite myself, it will be nice to hear from one of my brethren that the majority here appear to respect.

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I agree with everything you said. You stated far more eloquently what I was trying to communicate. :slightly_smiling_face:

And, having listened to half of the episode, I found nothing elitist (i.e., snobbish) about it.

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Not every episode is for everyone, but there’s no need to be negative about someone who volunteered their time to join us :smiley:

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Of course you’re entitled to your opinion, but having just listened, I didn’t recognise any elitism.

A few years ago, Shahid and a friend started a podcast about Imposter Syndrome (Sorry I can’t remember the name), it only ran for 2 or 3 episodes unfortunately but it chimed with me immensely.

I’ve heard Shahid on a few other shows and have nothing but respect for him.

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I saw your post before I listened so I was expecting something different than I interpreted. I think he’s a smart guy with a really cool voice that is proud of some of his accomplishments.
Really enjoyed the show.

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I like the way you put this. Shahid reminds me a lot of a buddy of mine who is not afraid to speak highly of himself but can also back it up completely. I enjoyed Shahid and the show!

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