a person of culture' has an elitist, PBS ring to it

I think the boundaries of literacy or its percieved status were mostly transcended yonks ago and those that are left not being able to read or write are not entirely culturally deprived rather, slightly less inclined to think what others think. I know in Cook Islands culture that when the English language arrived, those who learned to read and write 'it' were deemed 'more cultured' and looked upon as people to aspire too, a distinction that I have since come to regret due to its negative impact on our native language.