The worst "ism"
The term you are all skirting around, and it is the worst "ism" is
Elitism
The belief that they are special. They are "elite". And that they know better than the rest of us, and we would all be better off if we just lived the way they say.
It matters not (to me) if they come by their elite attitude because of their heredity, their schooling, their money, their religious beliefs, or their political alignment. It is all the same brand of repugnance.
One of the key phrases in our Constitution is "the pursuit of happiness", which has been understood for centuries to mean that the individual has the right to make up their own mind about how they live. Not that there isn't social (and occasional physical) pressure when individuals choose not to live by the commonly accepted standards, there is, and likely always will be. But, just as we have grown socially beyond burning witches, we should grow beyond forcing everyone into anyone's specific mold.
March to the different drummer all you like, and I will do the same, to my own tune. But tell me I must march to your beat, and I name you elitist! You don't own me, no matter how much you would like it to be otherwise, and because you don't own me, you fear me, and the fact that I have a gun bothers you, because you know that in a worst case situation, I too, have the power of life and death, which you would jealously hold unto yourself alone, or your paid proxies both in and out of uniform.
The power of a gun puts us on an equal level with the elitists, giving us the ability to resist in gravest extreme, and they hate the very thought that the "great unwashed" could be in any way, their equals.
The elitists come in all flavors and colors, from the petty bureaucratic tyrant to the religious fanatic who's mission is to kill or convert the entire world. Many actually have genuine good intentions, not realizing how their attitudes and actions are actually elitist. Others are more cynical, although usually not in public.
Just remember, EVERYTHING society denies us through laws and regulation was enacted for the "public good".