The chattering classes is a politically active, socially concerned and highly educated section of the "metropolitan middle class", especially those with political, media, and academic connections. It is a generally derogatory term, As such, the notion of "chattering classes" can be seen as an antonym to the older idea of an unrepresented silent majority, made notable by the U.S. Republican Party President Richard Nixon.
United States
In the United States, the term has come to be used by both the left and right and to describe political opponents, with Stephen Perrault of the Merriam-Webster dictionary suggesting that the term has "connotations of idleness, of useless talk, that the noun 'chatter' does. ... These people don't amount to much—they like to hear themselves talk."
See also
- Intelligentsia
- Tertulia, a Spanish term for a gathering of those who may be among the chattering classes
- Thought leader
References
External links
- BBC wordhunt entry
- The Guardian: How the chattering classes turned to talk