Interesting symptom of anti-intellectualism.... [View All]

[PCIntern]

This morning, I was watching the news - can't recall if it was local or national - and mention was made of the cold in which both NFL Championship games were going to be played. The weather lady was talking about the wind chill factor and said that it was an extremely complex formula which determined the value. In fact, they showed the formula on the screen which included height of the individual and a few other factors. More complex than one would think but certainly not 'horrible'. O.K., fair enough.

Then the fun began...the idiot newsreaders started their "Wow, I just had a horrible flashback to high school when I saw those equations." And that was the least of it. It just went on and on as though this was just unbelievably difficult and like graduate particle physics.

Now I certainly don't mind if people acknowledge that things are interestingly difficult or unusual or daunting, but the idea that these people who ostensibly are writing, analyzing, and interpreting the so-called news can be this anti-intellectual. Those of us around when Stevenson was the nominee remember how he was personally denigrated for being an intellectual, as though it was a dirty word...and the same happened to Gore...still happening.

On edit: sorry about the overuse of the word 'intellectual' but I'm trying to stress that particular attribute, rather than that of some synonym.

This society had better understand that its best hopes lay with those who are educated; that respect for their intellect should be proffered and acknowledged as a positive attribute.