Anti-intellectualism

[DaShi]

On topic, one of the foreign teachers at my school here, who is from a country in the West that begins with a C and ends with an Anada, basically came out and told me that he hates intellectuals and sees them as incompetent and arrogant *******s. He told me how he thought how much his factory buddies were really smarter than them. After hearing his other factory stories, I dismissed all this as plain bigotry.

On another note, one of my good friends in America is perhaps one of the smartest people I know. Never went to college, spent most of his life getting high and getting married, and spent some time in jail for arson. However, he excelled at every job he worked in. Within a few months he found himself promoted to top position for someone with his education. And usually at about that time he'd quit. He now works as a doorman in the building I used to live in, which is very close to Yale. In fact, more of its tenents are Yale students or professors. He doesn't feel inferior to them. He understands fully the choices that he made.

[Ted Striker]

that reminds me of that movie with matt damon, ben affleck, and robin williams where the kid is a janitor at harvard and is a genius

[BeBMan]

I´d also say that often the "arrogance" is probably only an inability to communicate - if you can´t make clear what you mean so that also non-intellectual types understand you, don´t wonder about the reaction.

[Whaleboy]

I don't see how this is a logical position to take. I mean, sure, there're a lot of different ways that intelligence (or talent, if you prefer) can manifest itself, but it doesn't follow that everybody's abilities are going to add up to some magic number -- it's entirely possible (and much more probable) that some people are going to be more generally competent than average, while others are going to be more generally incompetent than average. The point is that competence doesn't equate to human worth, regardless of if we're talking about intellectual competence or physical competence or whatever.

Possibly, I fully accept that my idea was simplistic, but its a feature of relativism that a subjective that is different cannot be objectively inferior. I extend that to humans, as we are all, after all, unique.

There's always the possibility that you're being bullied because you're an easy target, not because you're an intellectual. I've got a friend who's an intellectual, so I make fun of him for being an intellectual. I've got another friend who's a preppy, so I make fun of him for being a preppy. They, in turn, make fun of me for being loinburger. However, it's not that I'm anti-intellectual or anti-preppy, and it's not that my friends are anti-loinburger; in other words, I'm willing to bet that if you went out of your way to start acting like a dunderhead, then most of the people who are currently anti-intellectuals will probably turn into anti-dunderheads.

Possible, but I dress in a fairly fasionable way (sort of bohemian, dur), my most outward sign is my sexuality and my academic pursuits. I am accepted by most people at college, except those that really shouldn't be there . You cannot deny that anti-intellectualism does not exist. I am stating with a good degree of certainty that I am a victim of it.

[reds4ever]

Hey!!! I made a sig!!!!! Happy days!!!!!!!!!!

[Whaleboy]

that reminds me of that movie with matt damon, ben affleck, and robin williams where the kid is a janitor at harvard and is a genius

Good Will Hunting. Good film. Shows flaws in education system .

I´d also say that often the "arrogance" is probably only an inability to communicate - if you can´t make clear what you mean so that also non-intellectual types understand you, don´t wonder about the reaction.

True, which is the fault of the intellectual for attempting to communicate with those that do not want to listen. That does not mean that there is any sense of superiority, perhaps social ineptness. Unfortunately, lack of interest is not our concern, and it is that that breeds misunderstanding, hence mistrust and conflict. It is not the intellectual who is not interested. The education system must be improved.

[yavoon]

Originally posted by Whaleboy


Possibly, I fully accept that my idea was simplistic, but its a feature of relativism that a subjective that is different cannot be objectively inferior. I extend that to humans, as we are all, after all, unique.



Possible, but I dress in a fairly fasionable way (sort of bohemian, dur), my most outward sign is my sexuality and my academic pursuits. I am accepted by most people at college, except those that really shouldn't be there . You cannot deny that anti-intellectualism does not exist. I am stating with a good degree of certainty that I am a victim of it.

u smart sexy sensible oppressed person.

wtf, am I suppose to feel sympathy for an intelligent person in college? what is wrong w/ u god damn self victimizing turds.

[Whaleboy]

u smart sexy sensible oppressed person.

wtf, am I suppose to feel sympathy for an intelligent person in college? what is wrong w/ u god damn self victimizing turds.

To think that I only just took you off the list

*Firing IGNORE cannons!*

[yavoon]

Originally posted by Whaleboy


To think that I only just took you off the list

*Firing IGNORE cannons!*

that would be the intellectually prudent thing to do.

[BeBMan]

Originally posted by Whaleboy
True, which is the fault of the intellectual for attempting to communicate with those that do not want to listen.

Yes, certainly such things happen. However, it is IMO much worse when people really want to listen or to learn and those who have the specific knowledge aren´t able (or don´t see the need) to explain it in a way that is helpful.

[Whaleboy]

True, but I don't believe that leads to impressions of arrogance.

[asleepathewheel]

I might have missed it (probably), but how exactly have you been victimized? Recently I mean, (I'm not talking about school yard bullies, though I have no idea of your age).

[Nubclear]

Originally posted by yavoon


that would be the intellectually prudent thing to do.

lol OMFG PWNDD!!!11!!!!1

[yavoon]

Originally posted by Comrade Tassadar


lol OMFG PWNDD!!!11!!!!1

irony

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Re: Anti-intellectualism

Originally posted by Whaleboy
In my own life I was bullied frequently at school for not being "one of the boys", so to speak. As a result, most of my friends, then and now, were female, where the situation was far better. Women tend ot accept me as an interesting person as opposed to someone who made sweet love to books every lunchtime.

As an adult, one still comes up against a brick wall when you try to be outwardly intellectual. Most people will say "I do not understand", or rather, won't want to understand for the sake of their pragmatic concerns. I have no problem with that, as long as they dont pick up on anything vaguely polysyllabic and proclaim that they are not intellectuals thereof. What is worse are the people that attack or criticise you for being intellectual, that laugh at you for being philosophical or political. That goes for liberals and conservatives alike.

Do you think you may have been guilty of straying over the line that separates "intelligent" from "ball-achingly pretentious"?