Academics = Bad

[sleigh]

McCain, in NH today, said the problem with Obama and his economic plan is that Obama is a "detached academic," and "...the one thing academics are good at is inventing and redefining terms, which is what he’s up to with that phony income tax cut for 95 percent of the American people."

What a wealth of prejudice against higher education is contained in that remark... So it's a problem if you're educated and erudite? It's a problem to have a depth of intellectual knowledge about the subject at hand? It's a problem to base your opinions and strategies on hard, cold analysis rather than emotion (you 'detached academic', you)?

No wonder we have a problem with education in this country. If you're actually well-educated and use the knowledge and skills you've acquired, you're mostly worthy of scorn.

Comments

[rarelylynne.livejournal.com]

*applause*

Thank you. Thank you for saying this.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. :-)

[barondave.livejournal.com]

Let's see... Obama is simultaneously an "elite" and "inexperienced". Further, he's simultaneously a "community organizer" and a "detached academic".

Don't these people know we have videotape?

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

They know about videotape. They're just confident that none of the 'news' outlets will call them on it.

[metafrantic.livejournal.com]

What, you mean geeks and nerds aren't "in" any more?

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

I know, I know. It's terrible to have fallen out of favor, isn't it? :-)

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Of course being smart is still being vilified. Bush and Co. have been doing it since he campaigned for his first term.

K.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

It is amazing, isn't it. You'd think we'd want someone more intelligent than the average person to be president...

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

The problem is -- as Colbert famously said -- that reality has a known liberal bias.

That's really all it is; smarter people tend to be more liberal.

B

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

You elitist snob, you!

[smofbabe.livejournal.com]

You sound like this is news, but one of the things that struck me during the last debate was the two times that McCain used the word "eloquent" as if it were an insult or a crime ("Well, you know, I admire so much Sen. Obama's eloquence" and later, "Just again, the example of the eloquence of Sen. Obama"). For "academic," read "elite," so we're back to where we were in April, and one of Jon Stewart's best commentaries during this whole campaign season:

Doesn't 'elite' mean good? Is that not something we're looking for in a president any more? You know what, candidates? I know "elite" is a bad word in politics and you want to go bowling or throw back a few beers, but the job you're applying for, if you get it and it goes well, they might carve your head into a mountain. If you don't think you're better than us, then what the [bleep] are you doing? ...In fact, not only do I want an elite president, I want someone who's embarrassingly superior to me.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

I actually contemplated adding that quote from the debate to the post -- it struck me also how McCain was mocking education with that line.

I also remember the Stewart bit. I applauded when I first heard it.

*sigh*

Yes!

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

Also, if you're a good student in public school, you get picked on. If you're a teacher, you get shit on. Being intelligent and educated are not social assets. The educational paperwork just happens to be required for any job that's actually possible to live on ... what few of them are left.

Re: Yes!

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

Yet every last politician in the world will tell you "Oh, it's terribly, vitally important that we improve our educational system in this country!"

Re: Yes!

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

I think it's just something they're taught to chant for the purpose of getting votes. Many of them never follow through. Of those who follow through, most present changes that are useless or actively counterproductive. They are more interested in gaining power than in actually solving problems; that's bad. We are seeing the results of this in our school system now.

[greenmtnboy18.livejournal.com]

This has been an ongoing pet peeve of mine for years and years and years and... yeah.

I'm disgusted with the way the Republicans consistently portray intelligence and education as something to be looked upon with suspicion. I'm not surprised, since it makes sense on so many levels for what they're after, just disgusted.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

In fairness, it's not just Republicans; I've heard it from all sorts of places. I don't understand how someone can be educated.

[greenmtnboy18.livejournal.com]

In fairness, it's not just Republicans;

Indeed... I've seen it anywhere anyone is trying to court "blue collar". As if the working class isn't trying like hell to send their kids to college, to actually get the education everyone then sneers at.

I begin to think it has to do with people (in general) getting concerned that "the smart person" might "know more than *I* do".

No one likes feeling stupid, or even just like they've missed the joke. It's sort of a lowest common denominator appeal to slap on the kindly (or smarmy, depending on the perspective) smile and say "well, I'm not talking down to you like those effete academics, because I'm just a plain-talkin' regular guy."

And I can certainly attest, as my high school valedictorian, that being thought of as smart has never really been particularly popular or winning.

[carolf.livejournal.com]

In my mind, this really started with the bastardization of the word "liberal." Bush, Sr. did that one. Ever since, it's been the "L" word. No, the OTHER "L" word.

*sigh* I just sorta blogged about this in a roundabout way in my journal. I had no idea you folks had already beaten the horse down.

Still, I'm inviting a discussion on how/why it works, so maybe my post is ok, after all.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

"Liberal" is a word I'd like to take back. We all need to say it proudly: Yes, I'm a liberal.

[podling]

I know. It pains me when I hear people speaking about it. Pains me!!! I don't understand how continuing to learn throughout someone's life should be something we as a culture discourage and ridicule.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

That kind of ridicule's painful to me, also. It's like people are reaching up to drag those with an education down to their level, rather than climbing up there themselves.

Update

[smofbabe.livejournal.com]

If I'd been drinking coffee when I read this, I'm sure I would have spit it out - People magazine apparently has done an interview with Sarah Palin in which she claims she's an intellectual: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/10/22/palin_says_she_considers_herself_intellectual/

Re: Update

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

Wow. If Palin is an intellectual, what is Obama?

Re: Update

[smofbabe.livejournal.com]

http://www.retroist.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/talosian.jpg

Re: Update

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

I am damned glad I wasn't drinking my tea when I clicked on that link!

Re: Update

[smofbabe.livejournal.com]

Sorry, first thing I thought of when I read your question :->