I think about it as individualism or "I" (democratic) vs collectivism or "we" (aristocratic)
If you tend to think about "the greater good" or "the group" like a team when working w an organization, believe hierarchy + respecting authority figures, and being a good citizen to "move up" into a more noble class u are aristocratic.
Examples:
Attending a meeting that's not required, for the sake of the "group morale"
With ur arab terrorist example... saying "not all arabs (the group) are terrorists" can be an aristocratic statement in itself
"You are my friend, but my friends don't steal toilet paper from McDonalds!"
"you don't know shit and you need to learn your place" - hierarchical attribution ("your place").
Democratic individuals tend to be more individualistic (on a relative basis), and emphasize themselves ("I") vs society ("we")Aristocratic types operate with the assumption that certain people are either inherently similar or different. With people to whom they feel they relate or share certain things, they speak easily of experiences that they assume to be mutual, omitting things that the other is assumed to know and making statements or judgments based on what is taken for granted as common knowledge without drawing any attention to it; they assume that people either speak their language, or don't.
Examples:
"I am a representative only of my own ideas" "I notice groups, but it's just a game (they are not real, the groups are pretended)"
"You know how when you shower for too long..." "Have you ever noticed..." "Is x like this for you too?"
Basically Democrats will assert an experience and put it "to the jury" as to whether or not this is commonplace, expected, mutual, etc.



Reply With Quote