Are Americans hostile toward knowledge?

My favorite part of the article... the author overhearing two men on 9/11:


“This is just like Pearl Harbor,” one of the men said.

The other asked, “What is Pearl Harbor?”

“That was when the Vietnamese dropped bombs in a harbor, and it started the Vietnam War,” the first man replied.

At that moment, Ms. Jacoby said, “I decided to write this book.”

 

You're proving my point about arrogance, pastor.

 

It's not that hard to fix a toilet, OK.

But it can be a shitty situation.

 

How so?

 

Who's to say the plumber doesn't study Iraq, or any number of other "intellectual" pursuits in his spare time?

 

I didn't. I merely defined intellectually curious as opposed to what you wrote.

I don't assume the plumber sits on his ass figuring out ways to show off his crack more. I merely stated that he would not be considered intellectually curious if he really did that.

 

I don't think it's "arrogant" at all. Learning the knowledge to acquire a skill has little to do with intellectual curiosity.

And I said before: people like that are intelligent.

Ignorance or disinterest of a general study of the broader world you live in -- so-called "academic" pursuits like politics, geography, history, sociology, culture, current events, etc. -- makes you intellectually incurious. And that has little to do with intelligence, either. There's a difference.

 

As to what you said about people being "skillful," Buck, I would say "useful" is a better word. And I've come across way too many "intelligent" people who were useless.

 

Can't disagree with that. Ivory towers are a bitch to escape from.

Still doesn't excuse people with real-world intelligence from showing so much disdain toward people with real knowledge. It's depressing.

As always, moderation is the wisest course.

 

Or you just believe them to be useless... Chances are they are using their intelligence to improve the world...

I will also repeat the comment on Huckabee... the man was considered, by many, a man that should lead this country. He is by every definition a man that is intellectually incurious. He is also not very intelligent. What does that say about those in society?

 

You probably didn't mean it quite like that, but that really doesn't do your argument much justice.

 

I'm still pissed about that redneck remark, Buck.