Posted by Ted Hopton on May 30, 2008
It’s sad but true. Anti-intellectualism is rampant. As Susan Jacoby, author of The Age of American Unreason, explains in her NYT column, “Best Is the New Worst,” the word “elite” has been completely distorted for partisan purposes.
The word “elite,” once an accolade, has turned poisonous in American public life, as both the left and the right have twisted it into a code word meaning “not one of us.”
It’s a perverse thing to ridicule the attainment of education and expertise. I really have had a hard time grasping how this shift has happened. I guess I need to read Jacoby’s book. But for a nation that has an inherent (if arrogant) belief that it is the greatest in the world, why do so many of our people resent and distrust those among them who have acquired the knowledge required to make us succeed?
read more | digg story
Posted in Education, Human Interest, Language, Media, Politics, Trends | No Comments »
Posted by Ted Hopton on April 19, 2008
This is a very disturbing story, but important to read.
The many incidents of bullying against Billy Wolfe seem to blur together into one protracted assault.
read more | digg story
Posted in Education, Ethics, Parenting | No Comments »
Posted by Ted Hopton on April 19, 2008
Nicolas Kristoff probes fearlessly into social issues often in his columns, including this one.
Ten days ago, I noted the reckless assertion of Barack Obama’s former pastor that the United States government had deliberately engineered AIDS to kill blacks, but I tried to put it in context by citing a poll showing that 30 percent of African-Americans believe such a plot is at least plausible.
I commented at the time that this was a startling statistic, but not entirely a surprise. Many of his readers were surprised and wrote to him about it.
White readers expressed shock (and a hint of smugness) at these delusions, but the sad reality is that conspiracy theories and irrationality aren’t a black problem. They are an American problem.
There really are many ignorant people, sad to say. Quite discouraging, once you Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Education, Human Interest, Politics | No Comments »
Posted by Ted Hopton on April 6, 2008
I just read an article in the NYT about the increased popularity of philosophy as an undergraduate major: In a “New Generation of College Students, Many Opt for the Life Examined.” It’s interesting to see the reasons for this trend, and it reminded me of my own time as an undergraduate (nostalgia alert).
When I began as an undergraduate, I was ravenous for learning. I got the course catalogue before my freshman year and devoured it, fascinated by all that I could learn. I couldn’t wait to try all kinds of courses of study. Neuroscience, I still recall, sounded amazing.
And then there was philosophy. I read Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance in high school and found it to be a thought-provoking glimpse into philosophy. I had a small inkling that maybe philosophy was what I was meant for, and Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in College, Education, Nostalgia | Tagged: College, college major, philosophy, undergraduate | No Comments »
