Encountering anti-intellectualism

[Tipsy Giant]

Every day I am told by someone that believing in scientific proof over faith is the wrong choice and that they KNOW i'm wrong whereas I "only THINK" they are wrong, hard to argue sanely with idiots

 

[Buzz Killington_v1legacy]

When I talk to people they say I 'talk like a fag and use too many big words'.

Spoiler: Were you talking to this guy, by any chance?

"Ah, you talk like a fag, and your shit's all retarded. Don't worry, scro! There are plenty of 'tards out there living really kick ass lives. My first wife was 'tarded. She's a pilot now."

 

[Thaluikhain]

Another F'ing symptom of mystical bullshit that's made a come back in the civilized world. Developing countries focus on science: underdeveloped and developed countries tend to believe in herbs, crystals and WHAT THE F.

Alot of actual medicine does come from herbs and so on.

 

[ramboondiea]

well all the time, im currently attending university, the town it situated in is quite small with a very large student population, the result is that the large majority of the town, (the average age being 45 (excluding students from the average calculations) will blame students for any transgressions that occur, its gotten to the point were if you announce your a student these people will attempt to chastise you for it. this isnt to say that every student in town is a mature individual, but someof the bile that they spew out in the local paper is disgusting. the amusing part is the students provide the town with the most money, without the town would be a very different and poorer place

 

[Sgt Doom]

Nah. Finland is probably the last place one would encounter such silliness.

 

[Thaliur]

though it can go the other way

I read some people wont go out with or even be freinds with somone who dosnt have a university degree...thats a little harsh

for some reason I really HATE the word fag, if somone usues it..thats it your opinion dosnt matter because your an idiot

Yeah, I hate it when people get called "a bunch of twigs". What kind of insult is that supposed to be anyway?

On topic:
Interestingly, those people I saw so far who were almost agressively opposed to intelligence were those using really fancy mobile phones (designed and developed by nerds), supposedly impressive cars (designed and developed by nerds), wearing "cool" shades (which, if they actually do anything, are also developed by nerds), being really tanned (presumably using sunbeds which were developed by nerds) and use awful amounts of gel (I guess by now you know what goes here...).
Well, I guess logical thinking really isn't valued in those circles...

Oh, by the way, some motivation:

 

[maninahat]

All the time. While I was a student, I would occasionally encounter the local scum loudly protesting against students. I remember a guy walking through campus once drunkenly shouting that 'all students are fraggles' (I never knew what that meant) But generally, in this country now I find that being well spoken somehow projects an image of being educated is becoming offensive to people. Pretty much exclusively chavs, but still.

well all the time

I suspect that they weren't so much against being clever, but against the idea of students in a university education; they think they are adolescent slackers who refuse to get a real job, and simply enjoying the priveledge and luxury of being dependant without even putting the work into their education (prefering to play videogames, sleep, drink, and jack off instead).

As a student, I know that that is only a half truth!

 

[Mr Pantomime]

This kind of thing happens to me quite a bit. Just the other day my friend was complaining that he had allergies from his mothers new dog. So I gave him these Orange Crystals (The Orange ones work for allergies). And he just looks at me like im an idiot. Some people.

 

[maninahat]

Another F'ing symptom of mystical bullshit that's made a come back in the civilized world. Developing countries focus on science: underdeveloped and developed countries tend to believe in herbs, crystals and WHAT THE F.

I would say in defence. The placebo effect is proven and, frankly, if it works then its a good thing! Though I totally understand you wouldnt fall for someone waving a crystal at you to heal you, you may well have a healing effect from a placebo pill if given to you by someone you trust, IE a Dr.
And many herbs do have a proven benifit, not just from placebo effect.

This said I'm a staunch supporter of 'proper' medicine. I just think that alternative therapies have a valid place supporting it for those who gain comfort from them.

In fairness as well to developing countries like Nigeria, China, and India, the school education seems entirely geared towards get kids to become businessmen, doctors or engineers. There is very little interest in supporting liberal arts over maths or science. If you're a country that desperately needs to fix its infastructure and economy, is there any time for artists?

I agree with what is said about herbal medication though. In China, dozens of species of animals are brought to near extinction, just because of some silly myth about how tiger claws or the flesh of long eared owls will improve your vitality. As Dara O'Briain put it: "Yes, there are herbal medicines that do work. And they become "medicine"."

 

[maninahat]

I have encountered very little anti-intellectualism and few philistines. People who dislike me, dislike me for being a student (i.e. a priveliged, dependant and lazy slacker) and not for being smart.

True Anti-intellectualism is when you try to denounce things like "liberal arts" because they don't fit into your pervue of what counts as a smart person, or when you treat reading and knowledge as inferior to "street smarts" or "wisdom". That is something I encounter rarely, and only within academic circles (as in, amoung other students).

 

[Jonabob87]

The furthest extent I've seen of anti-intellectualism is being called names for spelling things properly. I think it's either a jealousy or intimidation thing.

 

[Enamour]

Another F'ing symptom of mystical bullshit that's made a come back in the civilized world. Developing countries focus on science: underdeveloped and developed countries tend to believe in herbs, crystals and WHAT THE F.

Alot of actual medicine does come from herbs and so on.

Of course it does. But a herb and a refined medical variation there of is almost like comparing a stick and an assault rifle to each other; both will make you dead but the time, effort and efficacy is a different matter. Have you compared the prices of these products? If you're lucky you're paying 50% less for the stick than for the rifle.

@captainfluoxetine

Yes, the placebo effect is a tested fact. But, finding comfort in a medicine for the sake of finding comfort in it is delusion; delusion is the stronghold for the stupid, uninformed and insane(I suspect that's the theme for this thread; see Scarecrow 8's post). And I'm sure any good doctor or psychiatrist will tell you that they wont really DEPEND on the placebo effect. For more information see the Scientific Method: Predictable and consistent results. Ironically mate, you misspelt "deluded" in your profile.

So please, let's not even try to justify less effective alternatives for the percieved possible benefits when it's an industry that thrives on disinformation.

 

[Latinidiot]

though it can go the other way

I read some people wont go out with or even be freinds with somone who dosnt have a university degree...thats a little harsh

for some reason I really HATE the word fag, if somone usues it..thats it your opinion dosnt matter because your an idiot

Yeah, there are enough elitists, obviously, but somehow there are also a lot of people who view everyone with a degree or who uses large words as an elitist, and treat them as though they were personally looked down upon by them.

 

[Leftnt Sharpe]

well all the time, im currently attending university, the town it situated in is quite small with a very large student population, the result is that the large majority of the town, (the average age being 45 (excluding students from the average calculations) will blame students for any transgressions that occur, its gotten to the point were if you announce your a student these people will attempt to chastise you for it. this isnt to say that every student in town is a mature individual, but someof the bile that they spew out in the local paper is disgusting. the amusing part is the students provide the town with the most money, without the town would be a very different and poorer place

Your not at Lancaster University are you? That kind of shit happens here all the time.

Also I grew up in a family of anti-intellectuals who think the only reason you go to university is so you can get a better job and so do not understand why I have taken History which is apparently a 'pointless' subject.

 

[userwhoquitthesite]

In South Africa our government is placing strong emphasis on education and having less kids. Watching the vast majority of American shows on TV is absolutely F'ing horrible. Then my encounters on the internet with most Americans is also an "intellectual" train wreck; it feels like most(qualifier, meaning NOT ALL) Americans know nothing about nothing. My experience of UK media and Europeans is different. On the internet and WoW I've had alot of exposure to the Irish, Scottish and British and I find that a 15 year old Irish kid on WoW is alot more knowledgable than the average 35 year old American. This is MY experience and yes, I'm generalizing.

The point is that when a society becomes too comfortable then it becomes lazy and then it can't figure out why immigrants are taking over while also resenting China for filling in the global economic gaps.

Anti-intellectualism is a luxury that, we've seen through history, is a symptom of Empires/Ages/Governments etc that are heading downhill. 50 - 60 years ago, Americans were in general alot more competent in their respective fields than they are today, and I'm basing this statement on Education statistics, general production and societal factors. I'd say it's because the Soviet Union then was a strong threat which every American understood as "If I don't work my F'ing ass off, the Reds are going to take over."
When there's no enemy then there's no real reason to wanting to better yourself. I'm leaving out ALOT of uhh supporting argument and evidence here since I don't want to write an essay.

One last thing that I've observed in the white Afrikaans speaking population that I belong to here is that it is polarized. There are two mindsets: 1.) The blacks have taken over so what's the use of me even trying? And 2.) We're living in a new age and a new country, let's make the best of it and see how far ALL OF US can get.

Group 1 has a tendency to be anti-intellectual since they see no reason in trying to be better and educating themselves; these are the guys who live to go the pub or they simply fuckoff overseas and ironically come back a few years later. They've NO reason not to be lazy.
Group 2 are the people who go to college and don't live in racial stereotypes. Professionals, intellectuals etc.

Empires, countries, whatever who have grown complacent grow stupid. We've seen this many times in history. The fall of almost any great civilization has had these same symptoms: the Greeks, the Romans, the Mongolians etc etc. It's always been social or religious complacence. I think we're seeing America and Europe(specifically Britain) following this trend of anti-Intellectualism foreshadowing a rapid decline.

I hope I'm wrong... I like being a Westerner.

fuck yeah sou'frican! your accent makes me happy. I can't do it yet, but I can read in one.

America isn't anti-intellectual at, really. The problem is that for the past 30-40 fuckin years we've been spouting "you're special" and "you are the best at what you do" and too many people have come up believing it. Everyone THINKS they are an intellectual, and don't know that they know nothing about anything they think of or believe in. The problem is getting anyone to acknowledge the problem. My own education is a good example of the flaws in the system. All my classes were supposedly higher-level, but instead were only adequate, as opposed to regular and remedial classes which were so lacking I found it appalling. Unqualified teachers are relegated to a glorified babysitting position and creative thought or interest in branching out in your academic curiosity is wholly discouraged if not forbidden, and we are taught that there is always ONE right answer to every question ALL the time, and if there is no valid answer or several, then it isn't a valid question. All the while, we are assured that we are receiving the best of schooling and that American education is the best in the world. The best part is, almost all of my teachers believed it, too! All of this continues on into college, unless you get downright lucky, which I of course didn't because I didn't go to a good college (actually i went to community college, and its supposedly one of the top ten in the nation, but you get my point) because I got so burned out on school I stopped trying to be the best and instead opted for the minimal effort to skate by to allow myself maximum free time, as many of my generation have done/are doing, and that means I can't get into a college based on my own merit but have to rely on a system of scholarships and loans built around the system I tried so hard to avoid. Now I am burnt out on college too, so instead of getting a little piece of paper that will let me get a real job, I'm lying here awake at nearly 7 a.m. typing a longwinded essay-rant that no one will read on a website devoted to what most of the world considers an expensive toy, in my freezing cold room where to supplement my meager income I modify swords, airsoft, and nerf guns to sell to my fellow nerds at profit.

This fucking country, all we do is shout about things we don't understand to people that won't listen and pretend we're the only country on the planet. Fuck it. I'm getting back to work on the buster sword

 

[Jordi]

Members of the Escapist, the academics in particular, have you ever been confronted with anti-intellectualism or any form of depreciation of intellectual pursuits?

I believe that, a few days ago, I had my first encounter with a borderline militant anti-intellectual. A friend and I (both university students) were on our way home on our daily commute, when suddenly this man started babbling at us in the train. I'm uncertain what he was saying exactly, as it was a mix of his mothertongue and mine. However the parts he did speak in Dutch suggested he had an intense loathing of students, saying we should just get a job out of secondary education and whatever we were studying he would understand in an instant. Also, he apparently supports our governments new ruling that students who take extended time for their studies are fined ?3000,- (roughly $4069.2 USD) for each consecutive year after the first extra year taken. (Granted, loafing requires some proper consequences, but COME ON.)

Then again, the man might have been drunk, drugged, or enibriated in another way.

I don't really think any of that is anti-intellectualism. It sounds to me like this man doesn't necessarily dislike students because they are so smart, but because he thinks they're lazy and living off of the tax payer's money.

The new government policy seems more pro-intellectual than "anti-" to me. If you're really so smart, why can't you just finish your education in the time allotted plus one year (or two, depending on whether you do a Master's)? I'm not saying I agree with everything about this new development, but it seems to me that it is very likely to accomplish its goal of cutting down on slacking behavior that some (but not all) students definitely exhibit.

I've never really seen anti-intellectualism in the sense that people are being resented purely for being smart, or even for having received an education. There are only a couple of situations where I think this is likely to occur: a) the "intellectual" has just won an argument against a "non-intellectual" and b) someone is confusing being smart with acting elitist. It can get really annoying when people are trying to act smart by for instance using obnoxious big or obscure words, constantly correcting other people's grammar or talking down to or about others.

 

[Thomas Hoops]

My town's recently been given University Town status, so there are more intellectual types than before, which would be fine for me if i wasn't six years older than the average first year student. I work in the in-store pharmacy of a supermarket, and my department is mostly comprised of that rare compromise the poorly educated firm supporter of intellectualism (asides from the Pharmacists themselves, of course)

However, a great deal of the staff on other departments are what i would charitably call idiots (different from poorly educated, as not having a degree or whatever is no indication of a person's intellectual worth, these people are genuinely pants-on-head retarded). A few of them have openly berated me for using my break time to write a book, very few people outside of my department talk to me other than simple greetings. The south-east of England has a lot in common with the deep south of the States really, a lot of cultural value masked by a never ending stream of stupidity.

Having said that, takes all sorts to make a world and if they're minding their own business and not being lippy about one another i have no problems