You just knew someone had to go there. In this case, it’s David Niose in Psychology Today. Niose is the author of Fighting Back the Right: Reclaiming America from the Attack on Reason, a far left “secular-progressive” screed against Republicans, Conservatives, anyone on the political right, and, of course, religion.
Anti-intellectualism Is Killing America
The tragedy in Charleston last week will no doubt lead to more discussion of several important and recurring issues in American culture—particularly racism and gun violence—but these dialogues are unlikely to bear much fruit until the nation undertakes a serious self-examination. Decrying racism and gun violence is fine, but for too long America’s social dysfunction has continued to intensify as the nation has ignored a key underlying pathology: anti-intellectualism.
America is killing itself through its embrace and exaltation of ignorance, and the evidence is all around us. Dylann Roof, the Charleston shooter who used race as a basis for hate and mass murder, is just the latest horrific example. Many will correctly blame Roof’s actions on America’s culture of racism and gun violence, but it’s time to realize that such phenomena are directly tied to the nation’s culture of ignorance.
In a country where a sitting congressman told a crowd that evolution and the Big Bang are “lies straight from the pit of hell,†where the chairman of a Senate environmental panel brought a snowball into the chamber as evidence that climate change is a hoax, where almost one in three citizens can’t name the vice president, it is beyond dispute that critical thinking has been abandoned as a cultural value. Our failure as a society to connect the dots, to see that such anti-intellectualism comes with a huge price, could eventually be our downfall.
It’s obviously a tenuous link to “climate change”, but the fact that it is even mentioned in a discussion about Roof, a hardcore racist conspiracy theory nutjob shows just how far gone the Progressive left is.
In considering the senseless loss of nine lives in Charleston, of course racism jumps out as the main issue. But isn’t ignorance at the root of racism? And it’s true that the bloodshed is a reflection of America’s violent, gun-crazed culture, but it is only our aversion to reason as a society that has allowed violence to define the culture. Rational public policy, including policies that allow reasonable restraints on gun access, simply isn’t possible without an informed, engaged, and rationally thinking public.
Interesting. What of the culture of violence in Islam? If all of America can be blamed as a violent, gun-crazed culture, why can’t Islam be blamed as a whole for their violent, jihadist, throw gays from building tops, stone female adulterers, whip women who’ve been raped, suicide-vest crazed culture? Of course, that’s not what anti-Jihad bloggers and pundits are doing, they are simply blaming a segment of Islam, called Islamists. But, Leftists like to paint with a broad brush for certain things.
Likewise, why can’t we use that same brush on Blacks? You have a segment of the US population which is just over 13% of the total, but accounts for 50% of those murdered, and most of those murders are carried out by other Blacks, to the tune of 93%. Blacks accounted for 53% of the homicides committed between 1990-2008. Does all this mean, in David Niose’s mind, that a majority of Blacks are “anti-intellectual”?
You’ll love this next one
What Americans rarely acknowledge is that many of their social problems are rooted in the rejection of critical thinking or, conversely, the glorification of the emotional and irrational. What else could explain the hyper-patriotism that has many accepting an outlandish notion that America is far superior to the rest of the world? Love of one’s country is fine, but many Americans seem to honestly believe that their country both invented and perfected the idea of freedom, that the quality of life here far surpasses everywhere else in the world.
So, being patriotic, despite the throw it against the wall disclaimer, is anti-intellectual. Back to climate change
Fundamentalist religion is also a major force in denying human-caused climate change, a phenomenon that the scientific community has accepted for years. Interestingly, anti-intellectual fundamentalists are joined in their climate change denial with unusual bedfellows: corporate interests that stand to gain from the rejection of sound science on climate.
Nice! Blaming religion while invoking climate change! A two-fer!
BTW, since he also includes consumerism as an evil in his post, did David write his book (which is doing very well, congrats!) with a corporate made computer, or pen and paper? The same book that was published by a big corporation and is available on the biggest consumer website in the world. Oh, right, can’t forget, has David given up fossil fuels and gone “carbon neutral”?
Crossed at Right Wing News.
The logic is infallible and undeniable.
Everyone I don’t like is bad.
I don’t like climate deniers, gun nuts, “patriots,” etc.
Therefore, all of those people are bad and therefore the same.
We just need to marginalize and eliminate the bad people and then – Nirvana!
Bonus: I am superior.
What’s the problem?
{/sarc}
Thanks for the tip on the book.
Just got it from Amazon ($14.99 for Kindle)
from the blurb:
The author points out America’s two most threatening existential problems: plutocracy and anti-intellectualism.
Unfortunately, the new modern Republican Party exemplifies both of these evils.
Most of the core beliefs of the RWNJs are based on falsehoods.
Ya think?
Jeffrey actually made a good point before traveling down Wackjob Lane.
Plutocracy is neither a left or right problem. Jeff ignores all the money from Hollywood, the majority of the news media, Unions, etc. All the Big Big Companies owned by leftists, such as Progressive Insurance. All the money (read: purchasing influence) from people such as George Soros and Tom Steyer. How elected officials, many who were rich to start with, become fabulously rich after elected, including Democrats. Where did Harry Reid get all his money?
Initially, Occupy Wall Street had a good idea: returning power back to The People. Then they went down the road of extreme leftism.
There is entirely too much power invested in both rich people and big companies, and elected officials of both parties, and ideologues in federal agencies, are more than happy to comply. This is not “petitioning for redress of grievance”, it’s bribery. Rules, regs, and laws that apply to some but not others. Way more than one set of standards.
I have several ideas about returning power back to the people, but, Leftists are Very Unhappy in removing power from the Federal Government and returning it to the people, so, they get what they despise, plutocracy.
As for anti-intellectualism, it’s mostly Lefties who freak out over GMOs. Who have created the Cult of Climastrology. Who push for massive research into embryonic stem cells despite their consistent failure, and want federal money spent on it. Who tell us the science is settle, because they do not want to debate. Who throw out slurs when anyone asks for proof, when anyone acts in a scientific manner, ie, be skeptical.
BTW, Jeff, does this mean you won’t be supporting nor voting for Hillary Clinton? She is surely one of those Plutocrats, much like Obama. Have you given up support of Obama? How about Al Gore? He meets the definition of Plutocrat.
Teach you are always telling others to do something about something you see as a problem. In this case the problem being how blacks behave. I will believe taht the behavior of blacks is a problem when I see you changing your lifestyle to do something about it besides pounding keys. Perhaps you should consider becoming a Nig Brother or a mentor so that some young black could use you as a role model for how YOU think he should act. You know, walk the walk……
You mean that leading a moral life within the law isn’t good enough for you, john?
You mean someone getting up and going to work to support their family isn’t enough of an example for you?
When Teach and others talk about not being a thug or a lawbreaker and live according to those principles, that is far more than what people like you do who demand others do what you will not do.
Once again, you show that even in making a demand on others, you can’t live up to your own demands.
When I said the Repugs support the plutocrats, I left the impressions that the Dems don’t. My mistake. We agree on the plutocrats! The current America, both Repugs and Dems are beholden to the moneyed and corporate interests! When it comes to free blow jobs for the wealthy, neither party is a teetotaler!
I will always support the most “populist” candidate. Bernie Sanders’ policy politicians are the best of the current bad lot, and I would surely support him if nominated, but alas, that’s unlikely. Clinton will be better than any Republican candidate.
You are correct that some crazy libs have their own issues with science – GMOs and vaccines come to mind – but this is a problem of crazy citizens. Conservative anti-intellectualism drives Republican policies. No need to get into how wrong and dishonest I view your take on global warming.
Note too that science is not the only intellectual pursuit. Conservatives consistently ignore or misrepresent evidence in economics, labor, immigration, taxes, healthcare, environment, race, defense, gender, elections, guns and trade.
Unfortunately Republicans have given up on the concept of governance and have tilted the entire playing field to the right over the past decades. That Clinton is making noises of populism is a good sign and perhaps we can recapture the glory of the post-war years.
I wish there were enough reasonable Republicans nationally to help govern, but there just aren’t.
Well, see, we almost have total accord on government, Jeff. The problem is, how do we come to an accord on solutions? The system now is such that no matter how principled, there is still going to be big money people and corporations and interests pushing politicians, even guys like Bernie Sanders.