Why is anti-intellectualism so rampant?

TheNoLeafClover

Bownzi

intellectualism is feared because most normal people do not think very deep because they are bombarded by so many probblems in the world.... and so therories and ideas cannot completely be expressed in a completed process... Kind of like getting an idea and forgetting half of it when attempting to explain it to some one who only appears to be interested..

trojan_bb

I know that chicks dig nerds.

As long as they look rich in their leased beemers

Nerds rule the world now. Tesla is way more my Nerd style.

Anti-intellectualism serves capitalism, keeps us living in fear, keeps the little man from figuring out he's just living in indentured servitude. There, I said it. *waits for hate mail*

Anti intellectualism does not serve capitalism. Anti intellectualism is the death of free markets. It fuels populism, often the antithesis to capitalism.


edit: so many isms. gross

Bernadette60614

I think everyone is smart.

However, intellect doesn't always win a debate...because debates also factor in emotions.

"Pure smart" works when writing code, it doesn't work when selling customers on the software.

AsaThorsWoman

There are certain groups of people who would benefit from the demise of brilliant people, so they are targeted.

But now that it's 2014 they are not targeted with guns or bombs, they are targeted through media.

futurejedi

:bigsmile: Female nerds are hot

emdeesea

"The dumbing down of America is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30 second sound bites (now down to 10 seconds or less), lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance." - Carl Sagan

bennettinfinity

I think, in some cases anyway, that there's resentment of people who achieve... you see threads on MFP all the time about how friends or family of people that have lost substantial weight encourage those people to go back to their old habits or attempt to convince them that they're 'obsessed' with calorie counting etc.

I've always been of a mind that one's success (be it weight loss, attaining an education, getting a promotion, etc.) is a reminder to others that they haven't experienced the same success, and that fosters resentment in some.

In other words: sour grapes... I can feel better about myself if I can denigrate your mental abilities by referring to you as a nerd or a brainiac or minimizing your achievements by saying you were lucky or had all the breaks.

CallMeCupcakeDammit

I know that chicks dig nerds.

As long as they look rich in their leased beemers

Nerds rule the world now. Tesla is way more my Nerd style.

Anti-intellectualism serves capitalism, keeps us living in fear, keeps the little man from figuring out he's just living in indentured servitude. There, I said it. *waits for hate mail*

I love Tesla! \m/

rowlandsw

Because the powers that be like to create tension in society to hide all the crap they can get away with. if one group of citizens is busy looking down on another they're easy to manipulate. Those who run societies love stupid citizens thus you get the modern public school system.

RabbitLost

Anti-intellectualism serves capitalism, keeps us living in fear, keeps the little man from figuring out he's just living in indentured servitude. There, I said it. *waits for hate mail*

^I've read this somewhere before...

Maybe read Brave New World to get a better perspective where all this could go. Written 20 years before 1984 and maybe scarier in how it seems to playing out. The willingness to sacrifice reason and curiosity and intellectualism will only accelerate the world depicted in that book.

_Stardust_

Anti-intellectualism serves capitalism, keeps us living in fear, keeps the little man from figuring out he's just living in indentured servitude. There, I said it. *waits for hate mail*

^I've read this somewhere before...

Maybe read Brave New World to get a better perspective where all this could go. Written 20 years before 1984 and maybe scarier in how it seems to playing out. The willingness to sacrifice reason and curiosity and intellectualism will only accelerate the world depicted in that book.

:flowerforyou:

TheVirgoddess

Fear.

jacques57

Laziness. Easier to be told what to think, (FOX NEWS) than to think for your self.

TheVirgoddess

Those who run societies love stupid citizens thus you get the modern public school system.

This, too. We teach to the lowest common denominator (not the teachers fault, to be clear). And in doing so, we kill any real love of learning or pursuing intellect for pleasure - or anything other than a test.

It's one of the reasons that I homeschool my kids. I teach them in the way they learn best and keep that spark of curiosity alive, so that learning and knowledge will be second nature to them.

Galatea_Stone

I know that chicks dig nerds.

As long as they look rich in their leased beemers

Nerds rule the world now. Tesla is way more my Nerd style.

Anti-intellectualism serves capitalism, keeps us living in fear, keeps the little man from figuring out he's just living in indentured servitude. There, I said it. *waits for hate mail*

Anti intellectualism does not serve capitalism. Anti intellectualism is the death of free markets. It fuels populism, often the antithesis to capitalism.


edit: so many isms. gross

I disagree that it is populism. It is the nature of the Republic.*

To say it keeps us living in fear is not entirely accurate. It is borne from fear, yes. Fear of that over which one has no control.

A free-market enterprise and capitalism is more associated with a freedom FROM constraints placed on it by the populace. These constraints are created in the name of "fairness and equity." But then there is some need for fairness and equity in any enterprise, so some control does become necessary. It is the control; the necessary control, created in the name of fairness and equity, that keeps us all in voluntary servitude. That voluntary servitude is called society. And that society is most often best served by a Republican* form of government, predominantly controlled by intellectuals.

So I guess what I'm getting to is that self-proclaimed enlightened intellectuals are the primary anti-intellectuals. Which means that all societies are doomed. Whether one reads Aldus Huxley or Robert Bork, the result is the same. And no, I haven't been drinking.

*Not Republicanism for those who are thinking I'm discussing political parties. The Republican form of government invented by the Greeks and bastardized by the Americans.

BigVeggieDream

I thought it was cool to be a nerd these days...

In some corners it is cool, but in a lot of places, especially politics, intellectualism is called elitism. They act like being smart and educated is a bad thing.

BigVeggieDream

Anti-intellectualism serves capitalism, keeps us living in fear, keeps the little man from figuring out he's just living in indentured servitude. There, I said it. *waits for hate mail*

^I've read this somewhere before...

Maybe read Brave New World to get a better perspective where all this could go. Written 20 years before 1984 and maybe scarier in how it seems to playing out. The willingness to sacrifice reason and curiosity and intellectualism will only accelerate the world depicted in that book.

:flowerforyou:

Also watch the movie Idiocracy, it's humorous and scary.

Lleldiranne

:bigsmile: Female nerds are hot

Why, thank you :blushing:



And I agree with the comments on Brave New World (loved the book, hated the story) and the quotes from Asimov and Sagan.

RabbitLost

Laziness. Easier to be told what to think, (FOX NEWS) than to think for your self.

Sigh. You become part if the problem when you think only one network is playing the role of corporate shill. They all play to a base with little regard for accuracy.

There is no real news from the networks anymore. And if they have you believing one is the fault and not others, you are mistaken.