Re: education 101
It isn't the "information industry, the entertainment business, and corporate marketing" that are running our education system from the top down.
A "literate and educated public" isn't good for those who crave political power, either.
An elitist is someone who believes they're smarter than anyone else. A liberal elitist is someone who believes this gives him the right to run the lives of those who aren't elitists. That our academic system turns out a lot of these is a reflection of who's running the academic system, not a slur on the concepts of education or literacy.