Spiritual Development: Common Sense and "Book Learning"
There are millions of undereducated families in our country. They value their common sense over ‘book learning’. However, it seems to me these folks also relish their ignorance and fight to defend it.
Archie Bunker [All in the Family -1970s: It was the top-rated TV show for five years, scored 22 Emmy Awards, and is #9 on Rolling Stone’s list of Greatest TV Shows] is a wonderful example of this attitude – often referred to as anti-intellectualism. Anti-intellectualism has been a part of our social fabric for several centuries. It is not a new phenomenon. It is a “…hostility to and mistrust of intellect, intellectuals, and intellectualism, commonly expressed as deprecation of education and philosophy and the dismissal of art, literature, and science as impractical, politically motivated, and even contemptible human pursuits.”
I think one of the reasons conspiracy theories abound with today’s anti-intellectuals is that it gives them the satisfaction that they “know” something the “smarties” don’t; they “know” something that unites them and gives them a secret leg-up on the educated know-it-alls. I believe that’s close to the root of the attraction and loyalty they hold for Trump. He seems to be one of them. He speaks the language of their fear, anger and hate. To them he succeeded - bigly. He makes them proud. They haven’t felt that way in a long time.
If someone attacks a source of my pride, I will simply double-down. So will they.
Blessings, Don
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