AlterNet: How Anti-Intellectualism Is Destroying America

[marmar]

How Anti-Intellectualism Is Destroying America

By Terrence McNally, AlterNet. Posted August 15, 2008.

Sad but true: Intelligence is a political liability in the US. Author of The Age of American Unreason Susan Jacoby explains why.



"It's like these guys take pride in being ignorant." Barack Obama finally said it.

Though a successful political and electoral strategy, the Right's stand against intelligence has steered them far off course, leaving them -- and us -- unable to deal successfully with the complex and dynamic circumstances we face as a nation and a society.

American 15-year-olds rank 24th out of 29 countries in math literacy, and their parents are as likely to believe in flying saucers as in evolution; roughly 30 to 40 percent believe in each. Their president believes "the jury is still out" on evolution.

Steve Colbert interviewed Georgia Rep. Lynn Westmoreland on "The Colbert Report." Westmoreland co-sponsored a bill that would require the display of the Ten Commandments in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, but, when asked, couldn't actually list the commandments.

This stuff would be funny if it weren't so dangerous.

In the 2004 election, nearly 70 percent of Bush supporters believed the United States had "clear evidence" that Saddam Hussein was working closely with al Qaeda; a third believed weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq; and more than a third that a substantial majority of world opinion supported the U.S.-led invasion, according to the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland. The political right and allied culture warriors actively ignore evidence and encourage misinformation. To motivate their followers, they label intelligent and informed as "elite," implying that ignorance is somehow both valuable and under attack. Susan Jacoby confronts our "know-nothingism" -- current and historical -- in her new book, The Age of American Unreason. .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/story/95109/how_anti-intellectualism_is_destroying_america/

[That Is Quite Enough]

1. My brother's a self proclaimed Anti-Intellectualist. It drives me crazy.

Then again, the entire spectrum of his political knowledge is Fox News and CNN talking points, so nyah.

[tblue]

2. It started with GHWBush when he called Dukakis a 'Harvard brainiac"

Don't most parents dream of their kids attending Harvard?

It's like Revenge of the Losers. Damn, this frustrates me to no end?

[ingac70]

3. Daddy Bush went to Yale...

hypocrite, as usual.

[Waiting For Everyman]

9. It goes farther - back to Spiro Agnew

or "Spiro-kete" as we called him in Maryland. Or "Spiggy".

Yes, the "effete snobs" he ranted about as Nixon's VP, who actually have a brain and know something factual are the problem!!! That interferes so much with the propaganda-machine, doesn't it?

And so...

Spiggy delivered up the plan to "dumb down" our public schools. That's what he was rewarded with the VP-ship for. And we instituted that plan. His agenda for it was done as a pilot program in my school when Spiggy was the County Executive. Five years later he was VP. What a success story!

And now, we all wonder what happened to the best public school system in the world. All we'd have to do, is put it back the way it was... oh, in about 1966 or so - the "high water mark".

No re-inventing the wheel necessary.

[tblue]

11. Wow. I didn't know any of this. Thanks for informing me.

Public schools have been going downhill for a long time. Gotta keep the masses ignorant so they 'elect' the likes of B*sh and think it's good for them.

[Phredicles]

13. This country has loved its strong, stupid men at least as far back as

Andrew Jackson, who as I understand thought the world was flat. But I think the age of Reagan and the Moral Majority was when this outlook really metastasized (just my opinion).

[MBS]

4. this really struck a chord.

Really, in the end, WE (well, half of us) are responsible for the sorry state of affairs in our country. In 2000, some people could be forgiven for not understanding who W. really was. In 2004: NO excuse. Not for refusing to be informed on Iraq, not for mocking a highly qualified candidate of rock-solid integrity, intelligence and depth for speaking French and not being "one of the boys"; not for making excuses for W's incompetence (even after 4 years! even after 8 !), utter lack of curiosity, laziness, lack of compassion, and dangerous policies; not for the shared collective ignorance and shallow values that brought us a second term of this nightmare.

[MonteLukast]

5. Amen to that!

If we're going to awaken from our stupidity nightmare, it has to start with US.

Another problem with '04 is that we expected Kerry to save us. And even more of us are expecting Obama to save us now.

No one can save us except us. That's what Kerry has been saying to us all along: that he calls upon us to serve WITH him, as a team, to take our country back.

[DogPoundPup]

7. "lazy" is as lazy does ... W supporters and McBush supporters just turn on their hate talk radio

and Limbaugh has no educational degrees, nor does Insannity to name a couple.

[Truth4Justice]

16. The "Stupidites" take their marching orders from Rush, Savage, Hannity. No need to think, just do it

[BB1]

18. Sounds like: Befehl ist Befehl!

[MonteLukast]

6. Anti-intellectualism starts so slowly and innocently.

It starts with our families, friends, employers, media, everybody telling us that thinking too much is bad. We shouldn't stress ourselves out too much. We'll all be happier if we just go with our guts, and put our hearts before our heads.

I don't trust stress relief and happiness for their own sake. I always must ask where your happiness comes from. If your happiness came from willful insouciance, and your peace of mind comes from not participating as a citizen, then you've built your good feelings on unsustainable ground.

[noel711]

8. Being informed and educated is labeled as 'elitist,'

We don't like that label,
prefer to be just down-home, ordinary folks...
that's why the electorate voted for a president
'the guy we most want to have a beer with...'

I hope and pray we've moved beyond that view...

I don't want a beer buddy, I want someone smarter
than me steering this country...
and I don't give a damn if he's 'elite.'

[Canuckistanian]

10. Nancy on Ronald Reagan's intellect:

"He doesn't make snap decisions, but he doesn't tend to overthink, either."

God forbid anyone should "overthink" themselves.

[Usrename]

12. When you don't know anything you can believe what you want.

God forbid the real world comes crashing in on their fantasy-land pretend world.

[creeksneakers2]

14. Interesting interview

Recently, Obama said American kids should learn an foreign language in school. The right wing was outraged. They said the kids shouldn't "have to" learn. The righties saw learning as a burden, not as an enjoyable step toward a more enlightened existence. Its tragic that we've come to this.

[bulloney]

15. That's part of the arrogance the world perceives the U.S. as having.

Many other countries' HS students learn mulitple languages. In this country, English is the only language we need to know, and we butcher the crap out of it. 30-40 years ago that may have been fine, but, as the world becomes more integrated with trade and technology, learning at least a second language is mandatory today.

[Naturyl]

17. Intellectuals have always been a problem for these regimes...

All right-wing movements strongly discourage intellectualism. Facts, evidence, and sound reasoning have a well-known liberal bias.

Of course, they always keep a few tokens like William F. Buckley on hand to deny this.