[MD] Problems with Intellectual control of Society

[markhsmit]

Hey Arlo,

Yes, beware talk radio too, look things up, talk to other people,
try to see if what is said makes sense based on your own day-to-day
experience.

The point is, Arlo, I don't think this is encyclopedia material.  It is all open to debate.
Presented are observations of possibilities which presently are opinions
being used as conjectured fact.  It is my belief that they are gaged to 
influence the reader not to present facts.  But you may be right.
Your statements are certainly very convincing and may present
a well thought out picture of the underlying phenomenon.  I
think you may be on the right track with this one, I will have to
see politics in a whole new way now.

If you really think that there is anti-intellectualism going on
in the US at this time, by all means, convince others, and rage
against it.  Unless of course you think it is good thing.  Take sides
create a movement, what's happening now with anti-intellectualism
could result in another purging like in China after the second world war.
How did we let our society get so anti-intellectual, where did we go
wrong, where will it lead?  Is the internet part of this anti-intellectualism?
Are people being fed facts thus detracting from their ability to think for
themselves?  Perhaps your support of Wikipedia can help solve this
injustice.

Listen to Jimmy Wales on NPR's talk of the nation.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112257149
He may indeed be one of the heroes and saviors of our current
condition.

I guess it's just that my opinion of the content of the internet is
different than yours.  I have no problem with that.  Go for it!

Cheers,
Willblake2

On Oct 18, 2009, at 4:26:48 AM, "ARLO J BENSINGER JR" <ajb102 at psu.edu> wrote:
From:   "ARLO J BENSINGER JR" <ajb102 at psu.edu>
Subject:    Re: [MD] Problems with Intellectual control of Society
Date:   October 18, 2009 4:26:48 AM PDT
To: moq_discuss at moqtalk.org
[WillBlake]
If this article is supposed to give students an accurate description of what
anti-intellectualism is, don't you think that this is a bit much?

[Arlo]
Seems pretty accurate. 

(1) Gore (and Kerry) were portrayed by right-wing media outlets as boring,
intellectual, out-of-touch elitists. 

(2) A common lament I hear from right-wing media outlets is criticism that
Bush/Reagan/Palin are portrayed by left-wing media outlets as yokels or
incompetent dolts. In Reagan's case it was also senility. But in all cases
"dumb" sums up the left-wing portrayal. 

(3) O'Reily regularly bashes "intellectual pinheads" and uses the phrase
"Ivy-league elites" in contrast to "the folk". You can these terms most every
time he speaks.

(4) Talk-radio as a whole abhors complex arguments. The format is not designed
for such. In fact, when you say "Who says that the media has intellectual
snobbery?" I'd wager you've not listened to Limbaugh or Hannity or O'Reily or
Levin or Savage or Coulter or Ingram or any number of "conservative" hosts in
quite some time. This is a charge they level like a drumbeat, through the use
of funny wealthy-Brit accents when they mention "The New York Times" or any
"pinhead" scientists/professor/academic who expresses a view contrary to
"conservatism".

So I really see nothing here that is not accurate. Yes, I suppose you could
argue whether or not these portrayals cost Gore the election. The "left" had
launched its own caricatures of Bush and yet he was awarded the election. 

[WillBlake]
Anyway, beware of the internet when looking for truth (whatever that is).

[Arlo]
And beware talk-radio as well.


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