I see that some problems are created in society with some people going around thinking it’s cool to be a “badass”. How about we try to generate some type of an “intellectual movement”? Trying to influence or encourage more people to think it’s “cool” to be intelligent or educated? Thoughts?
It takes effort to know stuff, and honesty to admit ignorance. Pretending to be a ‘badass’ doesn’t take anything more than a few fake prison tats and taking like you just walked onto the set of a Tarantino movie.
Stranger
I’m pretty sure “movements” happen accidentally. Or at least haphazardly.
If it could’ve been done on a large scale, it would’ve been.
You mean like another Enlightenment?
I’m beginning to realize not everyone was enlightened in those times.
We’ve always been hated, from the first time we were attacked for being “nerds.” We always will be hated.
What’s annoying is we currently have no power. Like grade school all over again, only our bullies can throw us in jail, now.
but hasn’t that always been the case here in US? “pointy-headed intellectuals”, eggheads, versus "Common Sense?
Also, the entire 19th Century was basically a reaction to the Enlightenment. “The devil take those enlightened pantywaists! Let’s all grow huge beards and conquer Africa!”
It’s been tried.
‘Brights movement - Wikipedia’
But with limited success. I suspect the target audience tends to have less-than-average interest in becoming part of a ‘movement’.
Not always. The first six presidents all came from an Enlightenment background. A lot of the other prominent Americans at the time around the Revolution were also Enlightenment types (Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, Alexander Hamilton, etc.). Then we elected Andrew Jackson, and after that (other than a brief interlude with Abraham Lincoln), it took us around a century to get back to the intellectual POTUS.
ETA: I have wondered why that was the case. What happened that led the American people to reject the Enlightenment / John Quincy Adams, and embrace someone like Andrew Jackson.
You have not yet realized that half the population is below average in intelligence. Lots of men are aware that although they may be neither smart nor educated, being intimidating is available to all. There is a grand cultural tradition of stupid ignorant bullies in the USA and I don’t think they are going to give it up. Indeed, that tradition is their answer to intellectual movements. “We can’t understand it, but we can beat it up.”
The property requirements for voting rights were dropped.
“A spirit of national masochism prevails, encouraged by an effete corps of impudent snobs who characterize themselves as intellectuals.”
Spiro T. Agnew
Say what you will about Agnew, he knew a lot of big words and used them correctly.
America has always had an issue with being less cultured than Europe. It has taken the form of considering “Street smarts” and the wisdom of the uneducated to be superior to book learning. Our culture loves Br’er Rabbit and Mark Twain as they deflate stuffy intellectuals. And the unfortunate practical effect is the opinion that “I’m better than you because I can beat you up.”
‘Brights’ was more of an atheist movement masquerading as philosophical naturalism. It turned out that a lot of self-identified ‘Brights’—including their most vocal proponent—are fine with believing ideas and theories that lack any objective evidence or rational basis for acceptance.
I can say a lot about Spiro Agnew, but at least he wasn’t Dick Nixon!
I can bring to mind a few European groups who held this attitude, too, and a few minor dust ups they instigated in the 20th Century.
Stranger
We might start with providing everyone with a decent, equal/equitable education and see where that gets us.
Written for Spiro by William Safire.
ETA: Ninja’d.
Well, William Safire did, at least.
Cite for this, as per the heated discussion on another thread: Safire was a conservative pundit who wrote speeches for Agnew and others and then had a language column in the New York Times for several years.
Do you have any ideas about which direction you think this movement should go in?
Nah.
The problem then is: what constitutes a ‘decent, equal/equitable education’ and who decides?
After all, the catholic church is all in favor of education: ‘give me the child until he is 7’ etc…