I think it's fine to be elitist about certain subjects if you really are that intelligent and know what you're talking about--when you're around other "legitimate elitists." But I don't think you should be elitist around people who don't know as much about that particular topic, and I especially don't think teachers should be elitist around their students. Obviously a) it makes the less-knowledgeable feel bad, but in addition b) it makes them strive to be elitist too.
I have a teacher (unnamed) who is very intelligent and well-informed in many subjects. He's someone I'd choose as one of my three lifelines on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire." He certainly has a right to be elitist on a plethora of matters, because he knows so much, and I imagine it's frustrating for him to be around people of lesser intellect. However, he's a teacher...and purposefully or not, he definitely affects his (perhaps more pretentious) students to adopt a similar elitist attitude. Yesterday, he was talking about poetry, and how there is a lot of Bad Poetry these days...mostly about "love, being lonely, and cute puppies." Okay, I suppose that's true, but for those of us in the class who aren't avid readers of poetry (aka. most of us), it's not fair to thrust this condescending mindset onto us. We laugh good-humoredly when he makes statements like this, because he's funny...but the next time we see a book of love poems at a store, we'll automatically remember his semi-snobby remark, and be too embarrassed or proud to think of giving it a chance.
Maybe that's a decision we would have made anyway, with or without the teacher's influence. But the fact is that being subjected to elitist thinking makes us more narrow-minded, and for students who are still learning and developing their own opinions, I don't think it's a good idea.
So I am trying very hard not to ever be a snob about any subject on which I am not a full expert (in other words, nothing).
Except the Twilight series. I really can't help but be condescending toward that.
