The "cult of ignorance" today has as its center America's own colleges and universities.
The institutions that once served as the locii of learning and as repositories of human knowledge, culture, and experience have largely devolved into shallow pools of political correctness, ideological rigidity, and group-based resentments.
In lieu of an atmosphere in which learning may flourish, we now have stupefying speech codes, a near-universal hostility to Virtue that masquerades as "tolerance", and absurd parodies of instruction in manufactured "disciplines" absent of any objective value or meaning.
Ignorance dressed in scholarly robes is still ignorance, just as any pretense of intellectualism as informed by lock-step political conformity is yet profoundly anti-intellectual.
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There are 200 million Americans who have inhabited schoolrooms at some time in their lives and who will admit that they know how to read (provided you promise not to use their names and shame them before their neighbors), but most decent periodicals believe they are doing amazingly well if they have circulations of half a million. It may be that only 1 per cent–or less―of American make a stab at exercising their right to know. And if they try to do anything on that basis they are quite likely to be accused of being elitists.
I contend that the slogan “America’s right to know” is a meaningless one when we have an ignorant population, and that the function of a free press is virtually zero when hardly anyone can read.
Very well stated (I may steal some of it). It is the pretense of intellectualism that angers me the most as it is always self-adjudged. And, it is those pseudo-intellectuals who exploit the "ignorant" for political ends.
Alumni gotta get involved in running their alma maters...
First thing we do is eliminate ALL tenure for our Professors...and if you ain't teaching, you ain't a Professor...
And hey, if they squawk, let 'em walk...MUD :smokin:
In an earlier post on Facebook, I had used andy58-in-NH's "ignorance dressed in scholarly robes" remark. I was told by a relative that I have a "disgust for higher education" which runs as a theme in my comments. I answered:
Surprise - I agree with you completely (name). We must elevate the education of our society as a whole - that should always be our goal. Indeed, regarding the deep learning as you say - very precious few think deeply or critically it seems to me. My beef is not with education in or of itself. Not at all - I admire it and recognize that it is crucial to a productive society. What torques me is the pervasive self-appointment or anointment as an "intellectual" and therefore "my virtue is better than your vice" philosophy. The presumption of intellectual superiority and the arrogance that is associated with it is what gets me going. That is the thread or "theme" you should be picking up - not a disdain for higher learning. I would be a fool to have such disdain. But, education alone does not define intellectualism, hence my "scholarly robes" remark. Too many can not discern the difference. That arrogant superiority then translates to policy... which is a whole different matter.
Gosh, Andy... once again I am so glad you are a member here, I am in awe of your posting...
Gosh, Andy... once again I am so glad you are a member here, I am in awe of your posting...
The "cult of ignorance" today has as its center America's own colleges and universities.
The institutions that once served as the locii of learning and as repositories of human knowledge, culture, and experience have largely devolved into shallow pools of political correctness, ideological rigidity, and group-based resentments.
In lieu of an atmosphere in which learning may flourish, we now have stupefying speech codes, a near-universal hostility to Virtue that masquerades as "tolerance", and absurd parodies of instruction in manufactured "disciplines" absent of any objective value or meaning.
Ignorance dressed in scholarly robes is still ignorance, just as any pretense of intellectualism as informed by lock-step political conformity is yet profoundly anti-intellectual.
WOW!
I think Bernie LaPlante had it all figured out...
"And what you do in life like when you get older is, you pick the layer of bullshit that you prefer and that's your bullshit, so to speak"
someone not doing their job is different from me not doing something I'm not responsible for. I'm responsible for myself and to some degree, my kids. I'm not responsible for any dopie libs or low information voters. I have no interest in political proselytism at this point in my life. After seeing the changes in this country during my lifetime, I believe the cause is lost. The only hope as I see it is an armed rebellion and I know that, despite a lot of talk and bluster in some quarters, that will never happen. The pot is at full boil and the frog is long since dead