1. Mediaite
  2. Gossip Cop
  3. Geekosystem
  4. Styleite
  5. SportsGrid
  6. The Mary Sue
  7. The Jane Dough
  8. The Braiser
Advertisement

Aaron Sorkin At Golden Globes: “Elite Is Not A Bad Word, It’s An Aspirational One”

Video
» 56 comments

Last night’s Golden Globes telecast was largely devoid of politics and instead the target seemed to be Hollywood itself, thanks to the tone set by a fearless, go-for-broke hosting job by Ricky Gervais. However, Aaron Sorkin, screenwriter of The Social Network and The American President and creator of television’s The West Wing, did manage to slip in a veiled political reference.

In his acceptance speech for Best Screenplay, Sorkin thanked Scott Rudin and David Fincher, producer and director, respectively, of the “Facebook movie” and even complimented Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, despite suggestions in the past that Zuckerberg was not pleased with the film. Then out of nowhere Sorkin offered up this piece of wisdom:

“And I want to thank all the female nominees tonight for helping demonstrate to my young daughter that elite is not a bad word, it’s an aspirational one. Honey, look around, smart girls have more fun, and you’re one of them.”

The term “liberal elite” is often used derisively by conservatives to describe the affluent in New York and Los Angeles and to claim that the “elites” are out of touch with supposed “real Americans” in the heart of the country. Sorkin’s attempt to wear the title of “elite” proudly shouldn’t be objectionable, however, implying that the girls in his “elite” class are smarter and “more fun” may raise some eyebrows.

Watch the clip from NBC below:

Follow us on Twitter.

Sign up for Mediaite's daily newsletter.

Email Twitter Facebook Digg Reddit Stumble Upon Yahoo Buzz LinkedIn Tumblr Delicious
  • Seeing 2012 From My Window

    Haha, you can’t make this stuff up!

  • Cecelia

    Well, when “elite” is used to denote a smug strata conscious complacency in insularity and groupthink, it is a pejorative.

    When it’s used to denote a striving for excellent, it is not.

  • The Real Royal King

    Thank you, Mr. Sorkin. It’s refreshing and inspiring to have someone at long last argue for something other than coarseness and nincompoopery.

  • Cecelia

    The Real Royal King said:
    Thank you, Mr. Sorkin. It’s refreshing and inspiring to have someone at long last argue for something other than coarseness and nincompoopery.

    Yes, what’s the benefit of portraying yourself as being elite if you can’t tell people that you’re better than they are.

  • The Real Royal King

    Cecelia said:
    Yes, what’s the benefit of portraying yourself as being elite if you can’t tell people that you’re better than they are.

    I have often found the humble are so because they ought to be.

  • mcf1757

    American’s are starting to wake up, would crush Mitt Romney 51% to 38%,Mike Huckabee by a similar margin, 50-38 percent and And he’d crush Miss Palin by 56-30 percent http://bit.ly/g8y5nI

  • Cecelia

    The Real Royal King said:
    I have often found the humble are so because they ought to be.

    And I’ve often found that the self-determined elite are not and SHOULD be.

  • skyfet

    What do you call people who are academically gifted? or people who are very generous? or the top spiritual leaders in a religious organization?
    Not everyone on top of their field are labeled elites. These kind of people should be looked up to. The word elite should be reserved for the best of minds that really have effect on people’s life, not professional actors or celebrities. If you are required to be brilliant to enter a learning institution,the word elite shouldn’t be a smear at you because you’ve achieved something from a top learning institution.
    What about elite soldiers?elite academics? elite architects? elite minds to rule. The best of the best. We can’t all be mediocre. Mediocrity, is probably one of the troubles people have nowadays. As as they are well grounded individuals (not smug), I have no problem with real elites.

  • skyfet

    mcf1757 said:
    American’s are starting to wake up, would crush Mitt Romney 51% to 38%,Mike Huckabee by a similar margin, 50-38 percent and And he’d crush Miss Palin by 56-30 percent http://bit.ly/g8y5nI

    Too early to start a fight. Come on.

  • The Real Royal King

    mcf1757 said:
    American’s are starting to wake up, would crush Mitt Romney 51% to 38%,Mike Huckabee by a similar margin, 50-38 percent and And he’d crush Miss Palin by 56-30 percent http://bit.ly/g8y5nI

    I tend to think much of the bleating, kvetching, moaning and whining by Our Lady of Perpetual Victimization and by those who worship at her altar has much more to do with her general tanking, evident for some time now, than anything to do with Tucson and the events there. The candle burning at both ends is being reduced to sooty wick. Well, maybe she’ll be Hannitized tonight.

  • mcf1757

    ha, its never too early to start a fight!!

  • notsofast

    This from a cocaine addict!

    hahahah

  • Alz

    Cecelia said:
    Well, when “elite” is used to denote a smug strata conscious complacency in insularity and groupthink, it is a pejorative.

    When it’s used to denote a striving for excellent, it is not.

    That is exactly right. And him uttering it just shows the contempt he has for other “lessor” people.

    I think we can “project” and say that this kind of thinking pervades the liberal ranks in varying amounts.

  • Alz

    The Real Royal King said:
    I have often found the humble are so because they ought to be.

    See, the truth starts coming out.

    Some people are more “equal” than others – and it’s sanctioned by the left.

    This is just a glimpse into the real world of the Left. Everything they say is a lie.

  • ndanielson

    The Real Royal King said:
    I have often found the humble are so because they ought to be.

    And the crass so inept because ignorance is their best friend, and only ally.

  • ndanielson

    Sorkin knows that the “elite” are “elite” because they get a pass at looking down their noses at the little people. After all it is the elite and the elite wannabes that allow the pass. He has no problem with a society that is run by “we the elite”, rather than We The People (does anyone even need to ask???). And the little elite wannabes follow like sheeple, hoping some day to also be treated like royal kings, rather than the gushing pawns that they are.

  • Alz

    ndanielson said:
    Sorkin knows that the “elite” are “elite” because they get a pass at looking down their noses at the little people. After all it is the elite and the elite wannabes that allow the pass. He has no problem with a society that is run by “we the elite”, rather than We The People (does anyone even need to ask???). And the little elite wannabes follow like sheeple, hoping some day to also be treated like royal kings, rather than the gushing pawns that they are.

    Exactly. This is all so telling. I hope some of the less rabid liberals who read this site can start to see what they have bought into and how nasty it is.

  • ndanielson

    notsofast said:
    This from a cocaine addict!

    hahahah

    Take a look at the heroes of the left. Che, Clinton, Kennedy, Sharpton, Jackson, Hollywood, Murtha, Dubin, Reid, Michelle 0bama, B-HO, Behar, Maddow, Mehar. Anyone down with bashing America, its founding, its traditions. the military, individual responsibility, the flag, patriotism, its institutions, Christmas, Christians. Such great Americans.

  • ndanielson

    ndanielson said:
    Take a look at the heroes of the left. Che, Clinton, Kennedy, Sharpton, Jackson, Hollywood, Murtha, Dubin, Reid, Michelle 0bama, B-HO, Behar, Maddow, Mehar. Anyone down with bashing America, its founding, its traditions. the military, individual responsibility, the flag, patriotism, its institutions, Christmas, Christians. Such great Americans.

    Tax cheats, socialists, communists, rapists, and adulterers, to round it out.

  • crclarkNY

    This is the problem with liberal elites. They don’t realize how dumb they sound…

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Chris-Jones/1384303476 Chris Jones

    Sorkin is a jackass. And he’s out of touch.

  • ndanielson

    ndanielson said:
    ndanielson said:
    Take a look at the heroes of the left. Che, Clinton, Kennedy, Sharpton, Jackson, Hollywood, Murtha, Dubin, Reid, Michelle 0bama, B-HO, Behar, Maddow, Mehar. Anyone down with bashing America, its founding, its traditions. the military, individual responsibility, the flag, patriotism, its institutions, Christmas, Christians. Such great Americans.

    ndanielson said:
    Tax cheats, socialists, communists, rapists, and adulterers, to round it out.

    Dog murderers, drug addicted pop stars, calling women ho’s and bitches, cop killers, hollywood skanks, pornography, and liberal elites with pedigrees and resumes from ivy league liberal arts colleges with daddy’s money, community organizers who “work for the little guy” for “social justice” cheered on by communist loving tenured professors, who have never had a job outside of government or academia. Yeah right.

  • ndanielson

    crclarkNY said:
    This is the problem with liberal elites. They don’t realize how dumb they sound…

    Suck, mean people.

  • The Real Royal King

    ndanielson said:
    Take a look at the heroes of the left. Che, Clinton, Kennedy, Sharpton, Jackson, Hollywood, Murtha, Dubin, Reid, Michelle 0bama, B-HO, Behar, Maddow, Mehar. Anyone down with bashing America, its founding, its traditions. the military, individual responsibility, the flag, patriotism, its institutions, Christmas, Christians. Such great Americans.

    Actually, we had a plebiscite in Austin about abolishing Christmas and having a Solstice Celebration in which we would all get drunk on jug wine and dance naked around a bonfire. The nudity was appealing and the vote close, but we decided to keep Christmas.

  • ndanielson

    C’mon, Real King take stock of your kingdom. Your subjects adore you so.

  • ndanielson

    The Real Royal King said:
    Actually, we had a plebiscite in Austin about abolishing Christmas and having a Solstice Celebration in which we would all get drunk on jug wine and dance naked around a bonfire. The nudity was appealing and the vote close, but we decided to keep Christmas.

    So the Real King deemed Christmas worthy , and okay for the peasants to celebrate? How magnanimous of him. Throw some more bones to your undeserving subjects, oh Real King.

  • ndanielson

    Even Che, the murderous coward, is famous for supposedly “questioning authority”. Real King and his subjects question nothing from this government and attack the only network that does. What clowns of the kings court. Cheered on by the perpetually racist armwood, and the elite wannabe superchunky, celebrate your heroes, you are in good company.

  • mlb

    With the exception of Natalie Portman – who actually did attend an ‘elite’ university, when did becoming an actress automatically make you smart?

    What he should have said was “Take a look honey, you to can aspire to be in a movie, you may have to use my Hollywood connections, or I can call in a few favors and get you a top agent or better yet how about if you “date” a few of the guys from the Social Network to get some publicity in People magazine….”

    However, I will agree absolutely that smart girls do have more fun! Striving to be the best in any industry is commendable. Good for him to encourage his daughter- not sure if using Hollywood actresses is the best analogy for “smart” maybe resourceful ,talented, lucky, beautiful….but smart?

  • ndanielson

    mlb said:
    With the exception of Natalie Portman – who actually did attend an ‘elite’ university, when did becoming an actress automatically make you smart?

    What he should have said was “Take a look honey, you to can aspire to be in a movie, you may have to use my Hollywood connections, or I can call in a few favors and get you a top agent or better yet how about if you “date” a few of the guys from the Social Network to get some publicity in People magazine….”

    However, I will agree absolutely that smart girls do have more fun! Striving to be the best in any industry is commendable. Good for him to encourage his daughter- not sure if using Hollywood actresses is the best analogy for “smart” maybe resourceful ,talented, lucky, beautiful….but smart?

    So you really don’t see what it takes to make you “smart” the the elite and Hollywood? Just bash anything on the right, and you are a genius. Wake up.

  • ndanielson

    ndanielson said:
    So you really don’t see what it takes to make you “smart” the the elite and Hollywood? Just bash anything on the right, and you are a genius. Wake up.

    Just watch how many “smart” people jump on that.

    So you really don’t see what it takes to make you “smart” with the elite and Hollywood? Just bash anything on the right, and you are a genius. Wake up.

  • ndanielson

    Who thought it’s be so easy to shut down the clowns???

  • The Tea Weasel

    ndanielson said:
    Dog murderers, drug addicted pop stars, calling women ho’s and bitches, cop killers, hollywood skanks, pornography, and liberal elites with pedigrees and resumes from ivy league liberal arts colleges with daddy’s money, community organizers who “work for the little guy” for “social justice” cheered on by communist loving tenured professors, who have never had a job outside of government or academia. Yeah right.

    And the right has a lovely little coterie of swindlers, stock frauds, money launderers, influence peddlers, and closeted gay politicians. Not to mention demagogues, radio frauds, treasonous spies, environmental polluters, and of course, a large selection of hypocrits….you know like Rove playing the gay card when his own stepdad is a flaming penis piercer.

    So I guess if you are creative (actors, artists, journalists, writers), or an educator, or are concerned with improving your community, you are a homoliberal. If you are concerned at filling your pockets at any cost without regard to the damage you do to others or your community, you are a conservative. Start needless, expensive wars, conservative. Protest needless, expensive wars, liberal. Sell wildly speculative and possibly worthless financial instruments, you are conservative. Try to keep people from losing their homes as a result of investing in those instruments, liberal. Question a President’s questionable educational background and military service, liberal. Question a President’s certified birth certificate, conservative. Have only one channel you can watch on TV without having an coronary, conservative. Go to movies, theatre, watch the entire TV spectrum and enjoy all the arts without freaking out…..liberal. Throw anyone out of the country who came here after you, conservative. Embrace the melting pot, liberal. I can see why you feel the need to call yourself a conservative….have a nice life.

  • ndanielson

    The Tea Weasel said:
    And the right has a lovely little coterie of swindlers, stock frauds, money launderers, influence peddlers, and closeted gay politicians. Not to mention demagogues, radio frauds, treasonous spies, environmental polluters, and of course, a large selection of hypocrits….you know like Rove playing the gay card when his own stepdad is a flaming penis piercer.

    So I guess if you are creative (actors, artists, journalists, writers), or an educator, or are concerned with improving your community, you are a homoliberal. If you are concerned at filling your pockets at any cost without regard to the damage you do to others or your community, you are a conservative. Start needless, expensive wars, conservative. Protest needless, expensive wars, liberal. Sell wildly speculative and possibly worthless financial instruments, you are conservative. Try to keep people from losing their homes as a result of investing in those instruments, liberal. Question a President’s questionable educational background and military service, liberal. Question a President’s certified birth certificate, conservative. Have only one channel you can watch on TV without having an coronary, conservative. Go to movies, theatre, watch the entire TV spectrum and enjoy all the arts without freaking out…..liberal. Throw anyone out of the country who came here after you, conservative. Embrace the melting pot, liberal. I can see why you feel the need to call yourself a conservative….have a nice life.

    The only problem, you little trollop, is we don,t celebrate our miscreants, get it??? We don’t hang on their every word and promote them and make them multi millionaires, after they are caught, and when they bash America? And we certainly don’t re-elect them to office and give them their own TV shows to further bash America and cheer on the government. Get it, clown?

  • ndanielson

    ndanielson said:
    you know like Rove playing the gay card when his own stepdad is a flaming penis piercer.

    Aww, a closet gay basher on the left??? Say it isn’t so, weasel clown.

  • The Tea Weasel

    Oh, PS to ndanielson. You might note that communism has fallen out of favor with everyone except a few conservative Cuban elites, a few conservative North Korean elites, a couple of Chinese hardliners, and of course, American conservative elites (that could be an oxymoron, I don’t know) who need a boogieman under the bed to drag out. Yep communism is a failed system that almost everyone (except those mentioned above) have moved on from even thinking about. But if it warms the frozen cockles of your little heart, you are welcome to keep using that term. Just be aware the rest of the world gets a little giggle when they hear you say it or see you write it. Its like grandpa letting a wet one go at the dinner table. You just can’t help it.

  • The Tea Weasel

    ndanielson said:
    Aww, a closet gay basher on the left??? Say it isn’t so, weasel clown.

    Ummm…basher? As your old Unky Rumsfeld would say…It is what it is. And I needed to frame it in language you would understand. Me, I gots no problem with gay peeps. Just ask Kenny and Mike, my neighbors….

  • ndanielson

    Do you know who was at the helm of Fannie and Freddie during its fleecing and downfall? Harold Raines, and Jamie Gorelick. Do You know who was sitting on the top of the banking commission at the time of its fleecing and downfall? Mr. Barney Frank, and Chris Dodd. Wake up, clown.

  • The Tea Weasel

    Trollop, lol. I believe granpa is having flashbacks.

  • The Tea Weasel

    So you are saying Barney and Dodd are responsible for the fleecing of millions of investors? Do you really think Senators on the left or right really have any clue as to what is going on on Wall Street? (well you might, I may be giving you too much credit) That’s like saying Bush was totally responsible for everything that happened between 2001-2009.

  • kvon

    ndanielson said:
    Tax cheats, socialists, communists, rapists, and adulterers, to round it out.

    Yeah, and your avatar is a bullseye with the Democrat symbol in it.

    You Conservatives have a great history of violent, abhorrent, racist rhetoric to deal with.

  • ndanielson

    Just a reminder of the heroes that touched such a nerve in the self proclaimed weasel, who is so much like the self proclaimed royal king, along with his self proclaimed court jester, superchunky:

    Take a look at the heroes of the left. Che, Clinton, Kennedy, Sharpton, Jackson, Hollywood, Murtha, Dubin, Reid, Michelle 0bama, B-HO, Behar, Maddow, Mehar. Anyone down with bashing America, its founding, its traditions. the military, individual responsibility, the flag, patriotism, its institutions, Christmas, Christians. Such great Americans.

    Tax cheats, socialists, communists, rapists, and adulterers, to round it out.

    Dog murderers, drug addicted pop stars, calling women ho’s and bitches, cop killers, hollywood skanks, pornography, and liberal elites with pedigrees and resumes from ivy league liberal arts colleges with daddy’s money, community organizers who “work for the little guy” for “social justice” cheered on by communist loving tenured professors, who have never had a job outside of government or academia. Yeah right.

    Such a fine group of people. No wonder you call yourself a weasel. Clown.

  • ndanielson

    The Tea Weasel said:
    So you are saying Barney and Dodd are responsible for the fleecing of millions of investors? Do you really think Senators on the left or right really have any clue as to what is going on on Wall Street? (well you might, I may be giving you too much credit) That’s like saying Bush was totally responsible for everything that happened between 2001-2009.

    I’m saying they were sitting at the top while Raines and Gohrelic fleeced the company and ran it into the ground with public profit with government backed risk. Yes. All the while the race baiting Maxine Waters was proclaiming that they were solvent. Clown.

  • ndanielson

    kvon said:
    Yeah, and your avatar is a bullseye with the Democrat symbol in it.

    You Conservatives have a great history of violent, abhorrent, racist rhetoric to deal with.

    Oh yes the threatening cartoon donkey. Cartoon donkeys have caused many a liberal clown to lose his non existent mind and just become a victim. Clown.

  • ndanielson

    kvon said:
    Yeah, and your avatar is a bullseye with the Democrat symbol in it.

    You Conservatives have a great history of violent, abhorrent, racist rhetoric to deal with.

    I made a gif out of the donkey and he sings kumbayah, in 5 languages. Does that make you feel any better?

  • TheRealRoyalQueen

    We can’t help but wonder just how much crack Sorkin smoked before, during, and after the awards show?

  • The Tea Weasel

    ndanielson said:
    I’m saying they were sitting at the top while Raines and Gohrelic fleeced the company and ran it into the ground with public profit with government backed risk. Yes. All the while the race baiting Maxine Waters was proclaiming that they were solvent. Clown.

    Coool. If that follows, then Bush is ultimately responsible for everything that happened, as he was the CEO of America, Inc. (ie sitting at the top) at the time his underlings let the conservative bankers run wild. Bad Bush. Bad Bad Bush.

    TheRealRoyalQueen said
    :
    We can’t help but wonder just how much crack Sorkin smoked before, during, and after the awards show?

    Well if you knew anything about the drug you seem to think he is smoking, you would certainly know that Aaron Sorkin does not smoke crack. If anything he would smoke freebase. But then if the conservative line about drugs follows, he could not have done shows like The West Wing because every good conservative knows drugs render you unable to do anything constructive….except of course, Oxycontin, the sacrament of choice for dittoheads.

  • ndanielson

    The Tea Weasel said:
    Coool. If that follows, then Bush is ultimately responsible for everything that happened, as he was the CEO of America, Inc. (ie sitting at the top) at the time his underlings let the conservative bankers run wild. Bad Bush. Bad Bad Bush.

    Well you’re half-catching on, cupcake. We actually shouldn’t have incompetent representatives who don’t do their jobs sitting on the top positions in America, but unfortunately we have something called the democrat party in America, for now. Thank God the Tea Party is gonna get rid of everyone one of them, huh, cupcake? Hey, how’s that 0bama doing with his ethics committee investigation on representative Waters?

  • The Tea Weasel

    ndanielson said:
    Hey, how’s that 0bama doing with his ethics committee investigation on representative Waters?

    Mmmm I dunno, I thought it was the House’s job to handle ethics violations. Maybe you should ask them….oh wait, they are busing wasting time “repealing” Obamacare. I love watching our elected officials piss away their time pushing rocks up the hill to watch them roll back down again. I wonder….is this the way the Republican house is going to spend the next 2 years? TIlting at windmills they can’t get near?

  • The Tea Weasel

    “busing”….uh maybe they’re busy”…or maybe not.

  • ndanielson

    Hey weasel, If democrats cannot be counted on to do their jobs, why are you clowns re-electing them all the time? Especially if their incompetence benefits conservatives?

  • ndanielson

    The Tea Weasel said:
    Mmmm I dunno, I thought it was the House’s job to handle ethics violations. Maybe you should ask them….oh wait, they are busing wasting time “repealing” Obamacare. I love watching our elected officials piss away their time pushing rocks up the hill to watch them roll back down again. I wonder….is this the way the Republican house is going to spend the next 2 years? TIlting at windmills they can’t get near?

    It is the house ethics committee, dummy. How did the republicans stop anything in the last two years while the democrats had both houses of congress again, genius? I see why you vote democrat and stick up for your heroes so hard. Weasels are cleaver, no one has ever called them smart.

  • ndanielson

    Hey weasel, is there anything that government does that you question?

  • ndanielson

    Hey weasel, check it out, I know it’s over your head, but there are some who come here to learn something. Thank Bush for this, weasel, that is, I mean if you want to be consistent, blame Bush for this: http://hotair.com/archives/2011/01/17/nyt-yep-stuxnet-is-a-joint-u-s-israeli-project-ordered-by-bush/

    And, because 0bama is trying to take credit, too, even you might be interested…

  • ndanielson

    The Tea Weasel said:
    Oh, PS to ndanielson. You might note that communism has fallen out of favor with everyone except a few conservative Cuban elites, a few conservative North Korean elites, a couple of Chinese hardliners, and of course, American conservative elites (that could be an oxymoron, I don’t know) who need a boogieman under the bed to drag out. Yep communism is a failed system that almost everyone (except those mentioned above) have moved on from even thinking about. But if it warms the frozen cockles of your little heart, you are welcome to keep using that term. Just be aware the rest of the world gets a little giggle when they hear you say it or see you write it. Its like grandpa letting a wet one go at the dinner table. You just can’t help it.

    Hey cupcake, maybe you are as unaware as GlennBeckReview, but, hey check it out: http://www.cpusa.org/ Dummy. Alive and well, right here in the good ‘ol USA. Mostly ’cause numbnuts’ have no clue.

  • ndanielson

    ndanielson said:
    Hey cupcake, maybe you are as unaware as GlennBeckReview, but, hey check it out: http://www.cpusa.org/ Dummy. Alive and well, right here in the good ‘ol USA. Mostly ’cause numbnuts’ have no clue.

    Of course that is because socialism and spread-the-wealth welfare programs (see cloward-pivens, GBR) has allowed, and paid for so many of them to procreate, huh,weasel?

  • Sean68

    Sorkin’s a bit disengenuous here. Of course the left elite has its pet primitives but for the most part are contemptuous of the masses and want as little to do with them (i.e. you) as possible.

© 2012 Mediaite, LLC | About Us | Advertise | Newsletter | Jobs | Privacy | User Agreement | Disclaimer | Power Grid FAQ | Contact | Archives | RSS RSS
Dan Abrams, Founder | Power Grid by Sound Strategies | Hosting by Datagram