General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFor the interested, a group fighting against anti-intellectualism in our schools.
http://www.librotraficante.com/index.html
and an article on the subject.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/may/18/anti-intellectualism-us-book-banning
Anti-intellectualism is taking over the US
Patricia Williams
Recently, I found out that my work is mentioned in a book that has been banned, in effect, from the schools in Tucson, Arizona. The anti-ethnic studies law passed by the state prohibits teachings that "promote the overthrow of the United States government," "promote resentment toward a race or class of people," "are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group," and/or "advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals." I invite you to read the book in question, titled Critical Race Theory: An Introduction, so that you can decide for yourselves whether it qualifies.
In fact, I invite you to take on as your summer reading the astonishingly lengthy list of books that have been removed from the Tucson public school system as part of this wholesale elimination of the Mexican-American studies curriculum. The authors and editors include Isabel Allende, Junot Díaz, Jonathan Kozol, Rudolfo Anaya, bell hooks, Sandra Cisneros, James Baldwin, Howard Zinn, Rodolfo Acuña, Ronald Takaki, Jerome Skolnick and Gloria Anzaldúa. Even Thoreau's Civil Disobedience and Shakespeare's The Tempest received the hatchet.
Trying to explain what was offensive enough to warrant killing the entire curriculum and firing its director, Tucson school board member Michael Hicks stated rather proudly that he was not actually familiar with the curriculum. "I chose not to go to any of their classes," he told Al Madrigal on The Daily Show. "Why even go?" In the same interview, he referred to Rosa Parks as "Rosa Clark."
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el_bryanto
(11,804 posts)malthaussen
(17,215 posts)The one causing concern is the one that promotes ignorance and bigotry, and is really more anti-education than anti-intellectual. Natuarally, that is the one fed by the politicians to feather their own nests and keep the bulk of the population ignorant.
But there is another brand of anti-intellectualism, which is more skepticism than anything, which snorts in amusement every time a soi-disant "expert" is exposed as knowing nothing about the subject of his claimed expertise. Our educated classes love experts, since they are educated enough to know that most subjects are pretty complicated and they don't have the time to become experts themselves in many fields, especially if they are devoting 70 percent of their time shaking hands and promoting contacts. This trust of experts opens the door to more than a few con men and salesmen, who may be only seeking profit, or may have another agenda in mind as well. It seems to me that, as with so many things in this society, what matters is the ability to sell, and not the quality of the product sold.
-- Mal
Solly Mack
(90,779 posts)RedCappedBandit
(5,514 posts)You can't "advocate" for "solidarity" ? That's troubling. Thanks for sharing.