General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Akin: We've Got A Commie President [View all]Bernardo de La Paz
(49,256 posts)Some thoughts on important points you make:
Many people have not learned how to reason or the sources of knowledge or how knowledge is accumulated or how it is checked against itself and reality.
False dichotomies and false equivalences are pandemic. There is much too much simplistic thinking.
The devaluation of knowledge is a long term factor in American culture. It is insane how many people are proud of knowing nothing. People would be ashamed to say "I have a block in reading and writing" but many smugly say they have a block in math (meaning Grade 10 and 11 math), partly because they get peer support in high school which rains down on them from parents and adults.
Baseball players are called "heroes" while cancer scientists and robotics engineers are called "nerds", "egg-heads", "pointy-haided intuhlekchules" and worse.
Too true.