Anti-intellectualism

[Grimhelm]

Anti-intellectualism (according to my own scant research) is marked by a distrust of intellectuals and intellectual pursuit. Anti-intellectuals typically are upset most by the fact that intellectuals tend to dominate higher education and tend also to dominate political discourse.

What is completely unsurprising to me is that dictators are frequently anti-intellectuals. Dictators oppose questioning the status quo and social norms. Dictators do not wish to hear dissent. Therefore many times, in order to maintain their power, they murder or violently oppose academics and intellectuals. This is why intellectuals during periods such as the Spanish Civil War were feared, hunted down, and killed.

This is not a surprising fact. If we follow the thought that beliefs and status quo are unquestionable, because to question is to undo the beliefs that form the basis of the illusiory control, then we can easily make the leap from the conservative mindset, which balks at questioning, to the dictatorial mindset. The two movements/political states are inextricably mirrored.

 

[InzeladunMaster]

Unsurprising, yet frightening. Look at the amount of power our current conservative government has grabbed, and how much they discourage discourse about it. Blame the media for asking questions which reveal problems. Keep secret as much as possible. This government has invoked executive privilege more than any other to keep its secrets. Cheney has gone to ridiculous lengths to set himself up as his own branch of the government independent of oversight.

Whereas Pres. Clinton wanted his audience to be split 50/50 in terms of agreeing with him, Pres. G.W. Bush wants only 100 bushies and actually has teams traveling with him with huge banners to hide protestors - he does not want to even see dissent.

Paint the enemy as something frightening is another tactic of the anti-intellectual. Favor the common man over the educated man (Joe Six-Pack, anyone?). Label anyone who disagrees to be a non-patriot or a radical liberal (still not sure why the "liberal" label is bad...) or, worse, as a terrorist in their hearts.

Also unsuprising is that fundamentalist religions tend to be anti-intellectual. They do not like having their beliefs probed at all. They, like the dictators, want to make arguments from authority, but without critical examination of that authority.

Unsurprising, yes. Scary? Yes to that also.

 

[InzeladunMaster]

More scariness. Anti-intellectualism at work - the use of labels to create unwarrented fear.

'Liberal' is anti-American? - Hardblogger - msnbc.com

Again, here is the definition of a liberal:

Liberalism is a broad array of related ideas and theories of government that consider individual liberty to be the most important political goal. Modern liberalism has its roots in the Age of Enlightenment.

Liberalism emphasizes individual rights and equality of opportunity. Different forms of liberalism may propose very different policies, but they are generally united by their support for a number of principles, including extensive freedom of thought and speech, limitations on the power of governments, the rule of law, the free exchange of ideas, a market or mixed economy, and a transparent system of government.

All liberals — as well as some adherents of other political ideologies — support some variant of the form of government known as liberal democracy, with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law. (both paragraphs blatently plagiarized from Liberalism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Why is this un-American?