Letter to the Editor
A letter I wrote to my local newspaper
Much of what you are reading here was already working in my brain and can be found in my original post on this topic- Philosophers in MAGAland.
Dear Editor,
I recently read Mr. S’s “Peel Back the Onion” and would like to respond. What Mr. S is espousing in his article has a name, Anti-intellectualism, and it is an unfair and damaging criticism of the younger generations and of higher education.
I want to say, first, that I respect Mr. S and I agree with him that the classroom is no replacement for real-life experience. Both are necessary to a functioning and improving society. He is also not the only one I’ve seen promoting the idea of Anti-intellectualism in the opinion section of this newspaper. It is high time someone responds.
The most obvious and easily debunked of Mr. S’s claims is that the country has been run by a “bunch of 23-year olds” for years. The average age of a Representative/Senator in Congress is roughly 60 years old. Not only that, but the average age has been over 50 for the last century. For the past decade, our presidents have been over 70. We are incredibly far from the country being run by 23-year-olds. This is such easily accessible information that it puts Mr. S’s entire opinion on extremely rocky ground from the beginning.
I do not know Mr. S’s political leanings, but I assume he leans conservative, seeing as Anti-intellectualism has been an increasing talking point on the Right. If I’m wrong, then I think he needs a lot of clarification in his article.
By all accounts, people who espouse Anti-intellectualism would think my education has made me nothing more than a “brainwashed, indoctrinated liberal.”
But this community raised me. They praised me my entire life. They called me “smart,” “gifted,” and encouraged a prestigious college education as if any other option would not be using my “full potential.” That was this community and many of those people who encouraged me still live here and even became my colleagues when I worked for the school system.
Imagine my disbelief when many of the same people who encouraged me to go get that education started agreeing with politicians that it was just a bunch of indoctrination that brainwashed me. In Right-leaning circles, I even hear the term “over-educated,” as if there is a certain amount of education that is “too much.” Remind me, who is discouraging critical thinking?
Now this is just my opinion, but I think it’s fear that makes this such an appealing argument. Fear of your children, who are coming back from college having learned about ideas that challenge your long and closely held beliefs. That result, however, is not from “one-sided ideologues” indoctrinating us. It’s from finally leaving small towns and suburbs where everyone’s beliefs are largely homogenous and being introduced to something new. It’s from being asked to seriously consider other opinions and belief systems.
Being introduced to new ideas is not indoctrination. Being asked to think critically about things you thought you knew is not indoctrination. In fact, it is the opposite. When articulating my arguments and defenses in college, where I studied the most “useless” of subjects, philosophy and religion, I was held to the highest standards of thought. I was questioned by professors at every turn to make sure I was thinking critically about everything I was encountering. In fact, in philosophy, pointed criticism of your professors is how you make the “A.” Critique and debate are not only welcomed in academia, but they are the backbone of the humanities, particularly in political science and philosophy. It’s how we take old ideas and improve upon them. What you might find is that when you are asked to do that, many beliefs, especially those held onto so dearly by homogenous, small-town culture, begin to unravel. The new ideas hold up better to critical thinking and so, we change our minds, as trying to hold onto beliefs with less evidence would be the very definition of “irrational.”
People who promote Anti-intellectualism, in my experience, are people who fear being wrong. They can’t stand the idea that they may be introduced to an idea contrary to those they’ve held their entire life and have it be a better one. It is hard for all of us to admit when we are wrong, but it is necessary for personal and societal growth.
And this is all incredibly damaging to our communities. Why do you think this town doesn’t attract the college-educated? Why do you think our kids go to college in other places and then never return? Why do you think our community struggles to grow and improve? Why do you think our public education system is in rapid decline? Sure, there are many reasons, but do not be confused. A lot of the problem is that in communities like ours, there is a large population of people who would rather maintain a status quo of mediocrity instead of facing that they may have to take risks, let the younger generation actually lead, and maybe even change their minds.