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Message
re: The cult of ignorance in the United States: Anti-intellectualism
Posted on 4/20/17 at 3:35 pm to Speedy G
Posted on 4/20/17 at 3:35 pm to Speedy G
quote:
The folks in this thread terrified of being 'told what to think' must not be very good thinkers.
That's all well and good until those people telling you what to think end up having the power to enforce what they're telling you.
See: College speech codes, Title IX abuse, etc.
0
Posted on 4/20/17 at 3:36 pm to Speedy G
quote:
The folks in this thread terrified of being 'told what to think' must not be very good thinkers.
This is dumb
Posted on 4/20/17 at 3:38 pm to kingbob
quote:
Intellectuals brought this upon themselves with their elitism, parroting communist propoganda from ivory towers while replacing their traditional educational role (teaching how to think) with teaching what to think. By being so smug, so wrong, and so blatantly hypocritical, they bred a culture that rejects them, which has been branded "anti-intellectual", when in reality, it's anti-elitism, and anti-socialist.
Solid, well thought-out post sir. I agree.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 3:40 pm to WhiskeyPapa
quote:
How old are you?
What does that have to do with anything?
Posted on 4/20/17 at 3:40 pm to kingbob
quote:
Intellectuals brought this upon themselves with their elitism, parroting communist propoganda from ivory towers while replacing their traditional educational role (teaching how to think) with teaching what to think. By being so smug, so wrong, and so blatantly hypocritical, they bred a culture that rejects them, which has been branded "anti-intellectual", when in reality, it's anti-elitism, and anti-socialist.
Based on my life experience, this is not true. I spent most of my time in the classroom learning how things work and how to think.
Since you seem so convinced of this, link?
Posted on 4/20/17 at 3:44 pm to cahoots
quote:
Based on my life experience, this is not true. I spent most of my time in the classroom learning how things work and how to think.
As did I, along with moving up in my career in Higher Ed at the same time.
The point you quoted above has a LOT of validity to it.
Some of the most ignorant people I have ever met in my life attained a PhD, and would be more than happy to tell everyone that didn't agree with them just how "ignorant" they were. They DESPISED people who questioned them.
I could go on for hours on this subject.
There are such things as educated idiots who rule the roost in many education settings.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 3:45 pm to WhiskeyPapa
One of the things I noticed in the excerpt you posted is that it makes unfounded suppositions based on a handful of "expert" opinions. It also lists some polling data on certain topics considered base knowledge, ie. civics/history questions, as proof of substantiation of the claim that Americans have a "cult of ignorance".
Let's start with the fact that I tend to agree that we are getting dumber is a whole, and I was hoping to see some factual support for that assumption. Citing a handful of "expert" opinions on the matter, over a period of decades, doesn't really cut the mustard as some sort of proof.
Secondly, polling data is notoriously unreliable. How were the actual questions asked? What was the polling sample? Why were those questions chosen? Are they a true representative of base knowledge?
I mean, is it any surprise that we are not polling as well on civics and history questions when those two subjects have been de-emphasized in the school curriculum? I don't think there is a stand alone Civics class in high school course lists anymore, and the history that is being taught is trending towards revisionism with a de-emphasis on "dead white men". Is there any surprise that fewer people would know about the birth of our nation and it's founders (small f).
The next point to be made is about the authors use of the term "cult of ignorance". That's certainly a loaded term that implies much more than just "growing ignorance". It includes an implication of intent. Exactly at who does he point the blame for this? Who has the intent to make our country/culture more ignorant?
So, while I tend to agree that we need to consider if and how we are actually getting dumber, as we suspect, I think that this writing may have a hidden agenda and is intended to push half truths for political purposes.
Let's start with the fact that I tend to agree that we are getting dumber is a whole, and I was hoping to see some factual support for that assumption. Citing a handful of "expert" opinions on the matter, over a period of decades, doesn't really cut the mustard as some sort of proof.
Secondly, polling data is notoriously unreliable. How were the actual questions asked? What was the polling sample? Why were those questions chosen? Are they a true representative of base knowledge?
I mean, is it any surprise that we are not polling as well on civics and history questions when those two subjects have been de-emphasized in the school curriculum? I don't think there is a stand alone Civics class in high school course lists anymore, and the history that is being taught is trending towards revisionism with a de-emphasis on "dead white men". Is there any surprise that fewer people would know about the birth of our nation and it's founders (small f).
The next point to be made is about the authors use of the term "cult of ignorance". That's certainly a loaded term that implies much more than just "growing ignorance". It includes an implication of intent. Exactly at who does he point the blame for this? Who has the intent to make our country/culture more ignorant?
So, while I tend to agree that we need to consider if and how we are actually getting dumber, as we suspect, I think that this writing may have a hidden agenda and is intended to push half truths for political purposes.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 3:46 pm to WhiskeyPapa
What's branded anti intellectualism is actually anti elitism.
What's been lost is a sense of spiritual purpose, whether that be nature, religion, a sense of wonder and connectedness. There is about to be a spiritual awakening because the next generation is growing up in a sterile, repititious world with no sense of purpose. They're going to reject our political affiliations, our one dimensional view of the world based on strictly empirical information. They're going to be hungry, and angry at the false community of consumerism we've birthed them into.
What's been lost is a sense of spiritual purpose, whether that be nature, religion, a sense of wonder and connectedness. There is about to be a spiritual awakening because the next generation is growing up in a sterile, repititious world with no sense of purpose. They're going to reject our political affiliations, our one dimensional view of the world based on strictly empirical information. They're going to be hungry, and angry at the false community of consumerism we've birthed them into.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 3:50 pm to Antonio Moss
quote:
Thomas Jefferson (greatest American political mind) recognized that a free people will only remain free so long as they are educated. He was instrumental in beginning the first public schools in Virginia with a heavy emphasis on civics and philosophy.
So that's why kept people enslaved and without an education.
Is thag why our inner city schools still suck? Keep em dumb and they'll never be free.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 3:51 pm to WhiskeyPapa
When I happened across this article I knew I had to post it. I have been posting on internet message boards since the early 1990’s. alt.civilwar, alt.worldwartwo, dixienet.org and some others. Even the most racist neo-confederate apologist never took issue with my using articles, books I had scanned, or primary sources that I would, you know, cut and paste into my responses.
The way that works for those of you that can’t fathom it, is that one person posts some article or segment of a book or whatever, along with a link, as bedrock for his or her position. Then you as the reader can evaluate the probity and accuracy of the source -maybe it is edited? And then -you- can formulate a response based on that material, and perhaps add your own. This, and I guess that I hate to use this term (pretty useless on this board), is an intellectual exercise.
After 20+ years of ranting and raving on the internet, this is the ONLY message board I have ever seen that dismissed source material out of hand. I don’t expect that to change, and I don’t expect things to go much better in this country because of the people who will running it in the future.
The way that works for those of you that can’t fathom it, is that one person posts some article or segment of a book or whatever, along with a link, as bedrock for his or her position. Then you as the reader can evaluate the probity and accuracy of the source -maybe it is edited? And then -you- can formulate a response based on that material, and perhaps add your own. This, and I guess that I hate to use this term (pretty useless on this board), is an intellectual exercise.
After 20+ years of ranting and raving on the internet, this is the ONLY message board I have ever seen that dismissed source material out of hand. I don’t expect that to change, and I don’t expect things to go much better in this country because of the people who will running it in the future.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 3:52 pm to StrongSafety
quote:
Is thag why our inner city schools still suck? Keep em dumb and they'll never be free.
I could get on a soapbox about this as well, but I wouldn't want to upset the Progs on this board further.
Funny the Department of Education couldn't fix this....
JK
Posted on 4/20/17 at 3:52 pm to StrongSafety
quote:
So that's why kept people enslaved and without an education.
Sure.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 3:54 pm to RogerTheShrubber
quote:
our one dimensional view of the world based on strictly empirical information.
Brosef I don't know what world you're living in, but it ain't this one.
Emotion and feelings are the primary driver of worldview for most people today. The days of the Enlightenment are long gone.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 3:54 pm to Jimbeaux
quote:
Citing a handful of "expert" opinions on the matter, over a period of decades, doesn't really cut the mustard as some sort of proof.
Reading comprehension is a problem too.
One of the authors mentioned a survey where 77% of Oklahoma high school students couldn't identify the first president.
That isn't an opinion. It is a disaster.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 3:55 pm to StrongSafety
quote:
Is thag why our inner city schools still suck? Keep em dumb and they'll never be free.
Ya, this is exactly why inner city schools suck.
You're such a fricking tool dude.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 3:56 pm to Centinel
quote:
Ya, this is exactly why inner city schools suck.
You're such a fricking tool dude.
The irony is he is also a staunch Dem, I believe.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 3:56 pm to WhiskeyPapa
Posted on 4/20/17 at 3:57 pm to WhiskeyPapa
quote:
After 20+ years of ranting and raving on the internet, this is the ONLY message board I have ever seen that dismissed source material out of hand.
You should check out DU. This place is like a meeting of Nobel Prize winners in comparison.
But your overall point stands. This board has gotten laughably bad over the last ten years.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 3:57 pm to EZE Tiger Fan
quote:
How old are you?
What does that have to do with anything?
I see you have a +1 so far.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 3:58 pm to WhiskeyPapa
idiocracy is coming
they just had a trash avalanche in sri lanka that killed 19
they just had a trash avalanche in sri lanka that killed 19
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