What we're doing here at ET is no doubt at some remove from attempting to influence the working class. But what does deeply influence the working class, other than the mass media we criticize and would hope to (eventually) have some influence on? Or the consumer society we also criticize?

I willingly hit the street in support of strikes, union action, social movements. I've just returned from an hour working for the locavore food association I help to run. But I'm aware of the limits of that type of action too. Addressing the intellectuals and communicators in society seems to me to be another type of action that can bring results, and I don't think it's any less worthy.

Neither do I think it's "elitist" or top-down, coming from a Web-based discussion community.