Anti-intellectualism

Is Ignorance Bliss? “Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life…” (Asimov, Isaac). Many people are ignorant to the subject of anti-intellectualism or just don’t see it as a big issue. There are two definitions of anti-intellectualism, “A person opposed to or hostile toward intellectuals and the modern academic, artistic, social, religious, and other theories associated with them” and also, “A person who believes that intellect and…

America could have been as perfect as John Winthrop imagined it could be. But a black and white political system and distrust of the educated is preventing that. The utopian society America could be is prevented by the two party system and anti-intellectualism. The two-party system is a poison corrupting the American ideals. The two-party system discourages choice “In the United States, it is common to consider voting for a third-party a waste of vote, a disengagement from the normal political…

argument- they can simply call out their adversaries on the basis of scandals, without needing to be educated regarding the nuances of policy or needing to present a superior comparative. Through Twitter, populist politicians are able to cater to the anti-intellectual culture of their follower’s, framing their positions as emotional/identity-based appeals, clear yet devoid of real intellectual substance, in line with people’s preexisting bias towards the intellectual ‘elites’. Twitter’s cooption…

events was the rise of anti-intellectualism. There were three major movements during the rise of anti-intellectualism,…

pressure of a religious society on individuals. Religion can have a major impact on the way a person lives and experiences his/her life. Gee’s novel raises questions about how religion influences people’s daily lives; it also explores themes of anti-intellectualism and religious intolerance. Two main characters in the novel- Paul and Andrew Prior- are strongly shaped by Puritan beliefs and they form different values and attitudes towards them. Wadesville society in the novel is influenced by a…

Leonid Fridman, the author of the article,”America Need Its Nerds” in the New York Times, addresses how geeks and nerd are portrayed negatively in society. He asserts the faults in American society’s values in order to convince the readers of the New York Times to appreciate the intellectually curious instead of degrading them. Fridman integrates logos,ethos, and pathos to support his objective of persuading the readers of the New York Times to acknowledge the intellectuals rather than…

In Leonid Fridman's "America Needs Its Nerds" his argument states that Americans idolize social and physical skills instead of academics. Fridman uses pathos, how being a nerd and/or a geek is not a bad thing but a good thing, and facts to strengthen his argument. Pathos can be found throughout Fridman's argument. Fridman uses experiences pf students - college, high school, elementary - to display different moments a "nerd" or "geek" can feel isolated. For example, in paragraph three Fridman…

Trust me, I know stuff: A summary of Gerald Graff’s “Hidden Intellectualism” In the essay “Hidden Intellectualism,” Gerald Graff explores the idea that the educational system fails to recognize street smarts as a valid form of intellect. In particular, Graff suggests that schools and educators are at fault for overlooking street smarts because of the assumption that such intellect is invalid and of no use to academic learning. Although some people believe that being knowledgeable about sports,…

The chapter “Hidden Intellectualism”, apart of the book They Say I Say by both Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. This chapter within the book suggests that education systems need to revamp the way they view street smarts and what is an actual “intellectual”. Within the passage Gerald Graff has several points to support this claim . One thing brought to attention within the text is that schools and colleges tend to believe that the only subjects viable for academic and intellectual life is…

America: Land of Opportunity and... a Failing Education System? America is known all over the world as the land of opportunity. Individuals from foreign countries look to America as a way for them to make it big. More importantly, they see it as place for their children to prosper and continue their legacy. The number one thing parents look to as an indication of their kids future and one of the only ways they can prosper in their education. Education has been a crucial part of people’s lives as…