----In America the entertainment industry reigns supreme. Movie stars and celebrities are the 'elite'; scientists and intelligentsia are no longer elite in the public view. Scientists must struggle to get funding for their research, even as public funding decreases. The elite is mostly driven by the power of the dollar. ----

----Both the American and French students said that people who are elite are: intelligent, rich, and snobbish.This is an interesting mix of negative and positive connotations. In France do people who are considered elite give back to their community or are they only concerned with their own well being?

----In French, the word "elite" seems to have much more positive connotations than its English counterpart. Perhaps this is indicative of a cultural backlash to a partially socialist form of government; maybe since the government of France does not give its people completely free reign over its money and success, the people idealize the idea of becoming one of the "elite". And in America, where capitalist rule exists, those who cannot become successful for whatever reason resent those who are successful. -----peeto de la noche .

----Both the American and French students said that people who are elite are: intelligent, rich, and snobbish.This is an interesting mix of negative and positive connotations. In France do people who are considered elite give back to their community or are they only concerned with their own well being?

----Very strange--here, the word elite has very negative connotations--the elite are people who have taken somthing from someone else, which they don't deserve. They are disliked they are the snobs, the users. In France, you all want to be the elite--words like "ganger" etc--Are the French not resentful of the rich? What about the french revolution and all that, the workers liberation, etc?

----why did the french students name MIT multiple times? do they normally associate MIT with elite automatically? or was this more a result of the fact that the project is with MIT students? (is MIT on your mind excessivley? are you trying to be polite? is accademic ability a primary quality for someone to be elite?)

----Well... I would say that the americans didn't really think about MIT (except for one). In general intellectuality is a very minor component of the elite, as opposed to the french way of thinking about it where it figured in several forms (philosophy, engineer, grandes ecoles, and Supaero and MIT). For us it is mostly social and economic status.

----Both the American and French students said that people who are elite are: intelligent, rich, and snobbish.This is an interesting mix of negative and positive connotations. In France do people who are considered elite give back to their community or are they only concerned with their own well being?

----Il y a beaucoup de points communs: pouvoir, superieur, snob, riches. ----Les francais ont pense a SupAero et MIT, mais les americains n'ont pense qu'a MIT... ----

----What is the approximate order of precedence of various social circles in relation to the word elite? In other words, which group is more the true elite? Please include those which YOU consider to be the elite. My following example is meant only to clarify the question. The kind of answer I expect looks like: 1) Politicians 2) Intellectuals 3) Businessmen etc. or something like that. ----