“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” ~ Isaac Asimov
There is a slow spring of ignorance and lunacy gripping the nation. This goes well beyond party lines and the same old rhetoric of demonizing the other side. It rests within the hands of a few influential and very naughty people. I choose naughty because some of them are simply irrevocably misinformed. They are the ostriches in the sand refusing to lift their heads out. Reason and logic be damned. Then there are the really insidious people (like the Koch brothers) who spread virulent falsehoods intentionally for their own gain.
I honestly think somewhere there is a handbook called ‘the politics of stupidity’ built simply to induce fervor and hatred among those of low intelligence. Chapter one is about using scare tactics to incite foolish actions. Scare tactics are the weapons of morally bankrupt people. Scare tactics divides people who could be united. Scare tactics lets you justify any action, like torture, that thing expressly condemned by most of the civilized world and Geneva Convention. Nope, it’s okay against suspected terrorists. Maybe they were tried in a kangaroo court, sadly much less fun than an actual court comprised of kangaroos or their captain, maybe they were never tried, while held indefinitely and their crime was never published. Maybe they can never escape and their supposed wrong doings won’t see the light as the same closed door court ruled it private. Maybe scare tactics fuel big scary things like the military industrial machine and big business which helps elect the people who use it.
Then there is the audacity and hypocrisy of politicians like Chris Christie and Ted Cruz. I’d like to write about a Democratic idiot here but these two really scream to be included. Chris Christie is so full of bluster and nonsense that he thinks saying one thing and doing another is okay. He made a career saying he was tough on corruption without really being all that tough on corruption it seems. And New Jersey is rife with corruption as their bosses rival the economic squeezing and tactics of Tammany hall. What upsets me is his arrogant confidence. The bridge scandal shows his merciless heartless side. Closing down lanes in Fort Lee definitely hurt people and very well may have killed people. Paramedics could not reach people in time. It is unsure whether during these incidents whether or not the person may have been resuscitated and saved but it certainly could have helped their chances. Every second is precious to first responders. Christie's excuses treat the public like petulant children. He claims not to have known. He does not deny the closures and that they were in fact lying about the cause and that they were unnecessary. He instead states that he had no knowledge of this. This means one of two distressing things. The man who represents himself as hands on politician who gets things done and knows what is going on is a total lie and he has rogue employees. This means he can’t handle his responsibilities and should not be in a position of power and is totally incompetent. The other is that he did know what is going on that this is his best excuse. He was caught in his cookie jar and his best thought is to say it wasn’t me. He threw a people onto the sword and hopes the scandal will go away. Even better he wants, or Fox News does, brownie points for handling things well while the scandal goes on.
Ted Cruz is a dangerous man who is dividing and already damaged and weakened Republican party. The Tea Party faction is already biting the hand that feeds it and will eventually eat itself once the public finally sees the damage they have wrought. Sadly they will have left an impressive legacy of hate and corporate indulgence. Thank you Koch brothers (sarcasm!). Cruz has twice for his own personal gain attempted to blockade the debt ceiling raise. No one in their right mind thinks defaulting is good. And defaulting is what would happen. The United States would sink even lower in the eyes of the world and our economy which is attempting to limp to recovery would be dealt a very bad blow. Poverty would increase and in turn homelessness and starvation. Those are things generally thought of as bad. His latest stunt forced people to know which Republicans backed down from lunacy. Sadly this is looked at as a bad thing. For some reason many within the Republican party seem to think taking their ball and going home is a good political maneuver. That toying with the future of America’s wellbeing is simply a tool to reelection and power.
I remembered a dangerous Democrat: New York idiot Anthony Weiner. Now I feel better. This idiot thought that halfhearted apologies would wipe away former wrong doings. Also he was arrogant enough to continue to do what got him trouble in the first place. Now sexting is not necessarily something that gets in the way of holding office. But this casts a light on your character. A broken character is important to know in your elected officials. This is why the Lewinski scandal was a big deal. However unlike Bill Clinton, Anthony Weiner didn’t stop with the transgressions. Unlike Clinton Weiner isn’t terribly good at what he does. Also unlike Clinton Weiner wasn’t being investigated under a microscope. The Lewinski scandal, for those that remember, started after an investigation into a Whitewater. Nothing damning was found and the Gingrich led senate, frothing at the mouth, kept pushing for barbs to throw at Clinton. The special investigator kept asking for more things to investigate and the sprawling investigation finally found the dress. I do not want to condone what Bill Clinton did. It was morally reprehensible, but it did not impede his work or his presidency. Anthony Weiner, however, is a smug little scumbag who thinks he is above the law. There is a big difference. The odd thing is the same thing people revile Clinton for they celebrate in JFK. But maybe that’s difference between banging interns and famous movie starlets.
But these actions are supported in part by the news conglomerates. These monopolies of lies and falsehoods are gobbled up by individuals like Rupert Murdoch and simply live by their own rules. They falsify, contort twist and misrepresent. Many of these pundits have shelf lives, how Bill O'Reilly has managed to stay employed bewilders me, as their virulence and fervor can only be accepted so long. And both sides are at fault. Simply calling a man an idiot and a loser is not good enough. Items like facts and data have to speak louder. Sadly facts are ignored for fear and hate mongering. Just ask Glenn Beck. He would justify his ignorance by saying he was just stirring the pot and creating conversation a tactic that neatly dodged responsibility and repercussions. Repercussions seem to be something heavily avoided. News organizations give halfhearted apologies.
I don’t really get my news from mainstream media, left or right, anymore. I mostly get it from the internet. Which is why I constantly read about protests and riots (like the one in Kiev, Spain, Columbia, and Venezuela) that either never make it to the news or arrive months later.
But anti-intellectualism weaves itself throughout society. It lets ignorance flourish and ignore criticism. Facts become secondary to gut feelings and interpretations. The thing about science is it is written down and can be countered with evidence. There are plenty of corrupt (those funded with specific intentions which is counter to the spirit of science and intellectual curiosity) or incorrect studies. This is why there are those who actively push for children not to have immunization shots and vaccinations. This simply sickens me. Parents who defy logic and hurt their own children for some ill-conceived notion. These are often the same parents who won’t let their children be treated by modern methods. They refuse lifesaving treatments like blood transfusions. And these poor doctors and nurses have to deal with this horrid people midst their stressful lives. Ask an ER doctor, or any doctor for that matter, their horror stories. It’s enough to have a bad taste in your mouth about humanity.
If you don’t think scientific stupidity and confusion is wide spread or really that bad, you are mostly likely hopeful and, sadly, incorrect. One out of every four American adults are actually unaware that the Earth orbits the Sun. This hurts my brain and my soul. It begs the question about whether these people simply never went to school or that it was never properly taught. Hell, even the intro for The Big Bang Theory shows the planets and the earth revolving around the sun. This isn’t some small notion that is not, say, universally shared by just about everyone (except apparent for 25% of the populace).
The next sentence then goes on the talk about that half of this same population thinks that antibiotics (that medicine that is specifically targets to bacterial infections) kills viruses. Viruses and Bacteria are two wildly different things. The human body is a carrier for countless beneficial and unique bacteria. Not so much for viruses. The story which hurt to read also include, thank goodness, some bright spots about positive endorsements for science and that the government should be involved in funding experimentation for the betterment of mankind.
http://www.iflscience.com/scientific-knoweldge-trails-support-0
The key, I think, is not to view this as science versus religion. That is a battle that cannot be won. Religion is a belief strongly encased within the hearts and minds. It is incorruptible to those that hold it dear. It is beyond reproach. Also some of these same people ignore the very advice given within their holy texts. They pick and choose their sayings to support them. The Bible is filled with inconsistencies. There are sins that are ignored and others that are not seemingly at random (examples like shellfish, wearing clothes of mixed fiber and homosexuality being one often pointed out)*.
The problem fighting against the wrongs of religion is that the people who are carrying the banner are these whiny, smug Atheists. Their problem is not that they have poor evidence and not that they lack logical arguments but that they lack humility and compassion. You are attacking the very cornerstone of someone’s life and morality. I want to agree with some of these assholes but I can’t bring myself to support, well, assholes. People like Bill Nye are what we should aspire to be. His debate over intelligent design and evolution showed acceptance, grace and compassion. He did not slam or attack his opponent. He did not belittle or begrudge he simply showed evidence and gave his opinions. That is the key to enlightening others. Everyone is on a different path and we don’t know where they are along it. It is with ingenuity and compassion that anti-intellectualism will be felled.
*http://thecripplegate.com/shellfish-mixed-fabrics-and-homosexuality-picking-and-choosing/
Ben
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for posting. You are awesome!