Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ttidcc.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!ttidca!ttidcc!hollombe From: hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath) Newsgroups: net.singles Subject: Re: XSO IQ Message-ID: <498@ttidcc.UUCP> Date: Fri, 21-Jun-85 15:35:58 EDT Article-I.D.: ttidcc.498 Posted: Fri Jun 21 15:35:58 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 23-Jun-85 14:53:06 EDT References: <1476@utah-gr.UUCP> <1560088@acf4.UUCP> <1100@peora.UUCP> Reply-To: hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath) Organization: The Cat Factory Lines: 41 Summary: In article <1100@peora.UUCP> jer@peora.UUCP (J. Eric Roskos) writes: > >Personally it has been my experience that whereas I have not encountered >difficulties with someone feeling "insecure" about "inferior intelligence", >I have encountered a quite different problem, numerous times: that of the >other person trying to "stifle" my thinking. This typically involved >critical comments like "You think too much. You are always trying to >understand everything. If I did that all the time, I'd go crazy." This brings up a point which has troubled me for a long time. There's a strong anti-intellectual streak in the culture of the United States. As a demonstration of this consider: So far as I know, colloquial United States English is the only language in which it's possible to insult people by saying they're intelligent. Examples: Effete intellectual snob (Thank you, Spiro Agnew) Egghead Know-it-all Smartass Smart guy Wise ass Wise guy I've had most of these words used against me at one time or another. Usually the person who used them was someone who resented me knowing more about a subject than they did. They are not always used with sarcastic intent. For further evidence of anti-intellectualism, consider teachers' pay scales as compared with, say, plumbers' or auto assembly line workers. Frankly, the implications of this scare the hell out of me. What can one say about a culture that values learning so little? -- -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe) Citicorp TTI Common Sense is what tells you that a ten 3100 Ocean Park Blvd. pound weight falls ten times as fast as a Santa Monica, CA 90405 one pound weight. (213) 450-9111, ext. 2483 {philabs,randvax,trwrb,vortex}!ttidca!ttidcc!hollombe