Are we an anti-intellectual society?

[Hobgoblin]

Looking over some of the threads here (the vaccinations thread and not knowing what Auschwitz is) I have to wonder how people can be so ignorant of common knowledge. I'm not saying that the public has to understand the minutia of complex subjects but how can people be so ignorant? It feels like we as a people are asleep at the switch, not bothering to burden ourselves with learning and instead focusing on trivial pleasures.

Am I right or am I over reacting? How did this happen?

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Twas' ever thus. Look up the burning of the Library of Alexandria.

 

[Hobgoblin]

Then what does that say about humanity?

 

[Thundercrack85]

I think it's important to remember that the average human being has never exactly been... a scholar.

Quite frankly every day I stop and am amazed that we have mastered electricity.

 

[Schlosser85]

Considering the way we look down on intellectualism and glorify stuff like Honey Boo Boo, Alaska Bush People, Duck Dynasty, etc...yes.

 

[Thundercrack85]

I honestly think that fluctuates. In the 50's and 60's for example, a lot of movie heroes were scientists and astronauts.

Hell right now everyone is getting into comic book based films which usually star nerds.

 

[-Arya-]

In the United States? Yes, I would say so. The U.S. as a whole cares far more about sports, celebrities, reality shows, fame, and other pop culture fads than Science, History, or Mathematics.

 

[Feenix]

This is why I like it when people like Neil Degrasse Tyson, Bill Nye and Stephen Hawking become celebrities. They're scientists and celebrating science is such a worthy endeavour. If we can switch people's focus from kiddie beauty pageants and the Kardashians to science and intelligent thinking, we may have a chance.

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Not trying to insert politics into this, but groups like the "Tea Party" pride themselves on being anti-intellectual. So there's those delightful people.

Then there's the incidental cases, like the kids with goldfish attention-spans brought up by an internet babysitter that requires no real intellectual or emotional investment on their part, since every reward is immediate and fleeting. They know who Iggy Azalea is, but couldn't name even one justice on the Supreme Court. Not all kids certainly, but there certainly seems to be an ingrained ignorance on display when you look at Twitter or the YouTube comments section.

 

[Midnyte_Sun]

We're basically living Idiocracy.

 

[Octoberist]

Me don'ts understand anti-intellectual. ME dont'!

 

[Octoberist]

I think we're living in an era of 'extremes', where if you're stuck in the middle then you're almost feel lost.

 

[Victarion]

A society of extremes that loves convenience.

 

[Charlatan]

Not trying to insert politics into this, but groups like the "Tea Party" pride themselves on being anti-intellectual.

There's a reason for this and it's intentional. Let's just say that ignorance is easier to yoke and it's all part of the plan. It's the reason good investigative journalism is just a drop in the sea of infotainment we're being fed. All of it carefully edited so as to please the advertisers and the shareholders.

It's the reason wages have been stagnant for a generation and people are blaming each other rather than take a look at who is behind the curtain actually pulling the levers.

It's why higher education and health care are out of financial reach for so many. It's why we can go to war over lies and no one goes to jail. Or Wall st can steal trillions and no one goes to jail.
All this stuff is just too darned complicated for our feeble minds to comprehend so we just let others handle it and trust them to do what is right for us. Apathetic, lazy and quite happy to eat the bread and watch the circuses they provide.

 

[Octoberist]

Yeah how is being ignorant a good thing? haha

 

[Hobgoblin]

This was an opinion piece written for Psychology today last year.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blo...-intellectualism-and-the-dumbing-down-america

The author made a point that teachers are a well respected group in countries like Japan, where science and history are strongly emphasized. (That is debatable, of course. The Japanese do gloss over the atrocities in China during the war.)

Compare that to how teachers are treated here in the states. Politicians saying they are overpaid and Rudy Giuliani blaming violence in African American neighborhoods on teachers unions and white liberal guilt.

 

[Micromind]

There's a reason for this and it's intentional. Let's just say that ignorance is easier to yoke and it's all part of the plan. It's the reason good investigative journalism is just a drop in the sea of infotainment we're being fed. All of it carefully edited so as to please the advertisers and the shareholders.

It's the reason wages have been stagnant for a generation and people are blaming each other rather than take a look at who is behind the curtain actually pulling the levers.

It's why higher education and health care are out of financial reach for so many. It's why we can go to war over lies and no one goes to jail. Or Wall st can steal trillions and no one goes to jail.

All this stuff is just too darned complicated for our feeble minds to comprehend so we just let others handle it and trust them to do what is right for us. Apathetic, lazy and quite happy to eat the bread and watch the circuses they provide.

Agreed, Great post !

 

[CGHulk]

Edit.

 

[Silvermoth]

We're basically living Idiocracy.

Haha! Yep, I fear you might not be wrong.

Isn't it funny how idiotocracy started off as a bit of a bomb and now it's got a huge cult status attached to it and people refer to it all the time

 

[PacificBoy]

I think it's important to remember that the average human being has never exactly been... a scholar.

Quite frankly every day I stop and am amazed that we have mastered electricity.

Yeah, I don't know whether we're becoming more stupid and ignorant as a people or is it just the stupid and ignorant gaining a louder voice through the internet and such.

 

[The Endless]

It's mainly down to sheer laziness and apathy. It takes effort to gain knowledge and to care about things.

A lot of people would rather just breeze through life doing the bare minimum.

 

[Greens]

Yeah, I don't know whether we're becoming more stupid and ignorant as a people or is it just the stupid and ignorant gaining a louder voice through the internet and such.

That is definitely a factor. These days, EVERYONE's voice can be heard. Of course the stupid people will crawl out of the woodwork.

 

[November Rain]

Life from an economical point of view is about making money.

a) genuine smart people both don't spend or generate significant income for a populous

so from an economical preservation point of view, what is the point of having more of them?

just have enough and give the rest the perception to think they can get there when they really can't.

It's pretty simple.

The real problem is that smart people don't do anything about it, instead we make social commentary threads like this.

Go figure...

 

[chamber-music]

We live in the Age of Confusion

Adam Curtis explains
[YT]/wcy8uLjRHPM[/YT]

Some people are intimidate by the intellect of other so they demonize them. Wilful ignorance is celebrated.

 

[jmc]

Then what does that say about humanity?

That we're prone to influence by those around us. If you grow up in a certain environment with a certain viewpoint it's going to influence your perspective of the world. It becomes increasingly difficult as you get older to be objective when something comes along and challenges that perspective you've acquired. In a perfect world the facts speak for themselves, but paradoxically introducing facts actually makes some people hold on to their opinions tighter because the don't like the idea of their core values being wrong no matter how misguided they are.