Quote:
Originally Posted by roachboy
you know, this populist thing is getting out of hand in conservativeland.
all this "anti-intellectual" horseshit amounts to is a new bizarre form of officially sanctioned and directed bigotry from the right---now it's some amorphous "intellectual elite that fills the function of Persecuting Alien against which the Wholesome Right, now new and improved with a Monopoly on Practical Understanding, can construct itself. and so it follows that critical thinking is a characteristic of the Enemy and Competence a Problem--unless it is expressed in the form of whatever the conservative parameters of the moment say it should be.
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I don't accept that reasonable individuals really believe all intellectuals are bad, and that only average joe's are good... that would be ridiculous (and sounds a bit
Khmer Rouge). But blanket statements arguing accademic peidgree, grooming, and being "connected" as a basis of qualification is just elitist. Yes... in the beginning of someone's career, the school they attended, grades earned, awards awarded, etc. are excellent indicators of
potential. Once someone is experienced and have applied what they have learned in their field, we have their actual performance as indicators of
proven ability. Gifted, well educated, articulate individuals have shown a great ability to succeed and fail miserably.
Einsteins from all political stripes are continuously f**king things up on a daily basis. So what is an intellectual in this context of proven incompetencies? And what good are they really? And what value should we place on the opninons of those so quick to issue a blanket intellectual seal of approval? Are the earthy folk not capable of intellectual excellence and critical thinking without attending all the right schools? It's irresponsible to discriminate because someone is an ivy-leager or an accomplished state-college grad... conservatives and liberals attend both.
Perhaps we're witness to a growing populist revolt... except it's coming from the right instead of the left. It may not be justified, but the perception of old-school elitist failure is being promoted with great popularity. Is there a thread of truth to that perception? If so, is it an orchestrated over-reaction or justified?