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It is unfortunate that people would assume that I am trying to insult their intellect by using words they don't understand. Words that are called big are actually succinct and are more efficient and economical to use. Sometimes I find my self going ...uh....um... err.. just to find a word that is not considered big
Some how by using vernacular language and being folksy a person can still be said to have "Folk Wisdom" without being referred to as a hick. But if a person is defined as an intellectual people assume there is something lacking in their ability to relate to people on a personal level . Seems like a double standard.
What's with the fixation on "big words"? Using "big words" does not make one an intellectual. Conversely, objecting to out-of-place, gratuitous, or simply incorrect spouting of "big words" is not automatically a sign of anti-intellectualism. An anti-intellectual is someone who is opposed to and suspicious of intellectual pursuits -- such as science, art, literature or generally, education -- and hostile towards people who engage in such pursuits. Let's define the terms first, then discuss the issues.
That said, I think the American society is one of contrasts. There is a portion of the American society that is very highly intellectual (after all, most of the world's top universities are in the United States). However, there is also a very large and very vocal swath of our society that is rabidly anti-intellectual, to the point where it would fit right in with the Taliban. You know whom I mean -- folks who define the undereducated as "real Americans".
(Don't see what this has to do with relationships, though.)
What's with the fixation on "big words"? Using "big words" does not make one an intellectual. Conversely, objecting to out-of-place, gratuitous, or simply incorrect spouting of "big words" is not automatically a sign of anti-intellectualism. An anti-intellectual is someone who is opposed to and suspicious of intellectual pursuits -- such as science, art, literature or generally, education -- and hostile towards people who engage in such pursuits. Let's define the terms first, then discuss the issues.
That said, I think the American society is one of contrasts. There is a portion of the American society that is very highly intellectual (after all, most of the world's top universities are in the United States). However, there is also a very large and very vocal swath of our society that is rabidly anti-intellectual, to the point where it would fit right in with the Taliban. You know whom I mean -- folks who define the undereducated as "real Americans".
(Don't see what this has to do with relationships, though.)
Agreed. The dialogue of scholar in this internet based forum thread are proposterous and nonsensical. We should be having this discussion in a more contentious forum! My brain is tired!
Our daughter, the professor, is living with us while she finishes her PhD.
I have an MA.
My wife has two BAs and an MA.
My daughter often gets on some intellectual diatribe and goes on and on.
My wife, who after 35 years of teaching second grade, now thinks at the level of a seven year old and just stares with a blank look and nods.
I tune it all out the best I can until it gets too irritating, then I yell "Hey, I'm trying to watch TV here!"
I'm sure glad I dropped all that acid and smoked all that weed in college or I might still be smoking a pipe and discussing the Human Condition as seen through the eyes of a bunch of dead foreigners.
Top universities has little to do with being an intellectual. Many are intelligent; few are intellectual. In many cases, money alone sends many people to top universities. (George W, for one)
Top universities has little to do with being an intellectual. Many are intelligent; few are intellectual. In many cases, money alone sends many people to top universities. (George W, for one)
The quality of a university isn't determined by its undergraduates. Top universities are defined by the quality of their advanced scholastic pursuits -- i.e. research programs in sciences and the humanities, and creative programs in the arts. Where such institutions proliferate, this is an an indication that this society is more enthusiastic about intellectual pursuits than societies where institutions of higher learning are inferior despite their comparable wealth. The fact that some undergraduates are able to buy their way into a great university does not change the fact that these universities are major centers of intellectualism. In fact, it is these very "legacies" that enable universities to fund their research and creative arts programs and to attract the best minds to teach there. I am not saying that everyone who's ever been to Harvard is automatically an intellectual, but to declare that universities have little to do with intellectualism is patently absurd.
I'm very much pro-intellectual. Not a big fan of the type of people who brag of not reading a book since high school. I don't like pretentious people, but if you're not curious about the world around you and don't value learning, I don't have much use for you.
I'm very much pro-intellectual. Not a big fan of the type of people who brag of not reading a book since high school. I don't like pretentious people, but if you're not curious about the world around you and don't value learning, I don't have much use for you.
Why is US society anti-intellectual? Is it due to fear? Is there any rational reason for this?
At work, I find people feel uncomfortable when one of my co-workers speaks in meetings. She is bright, and quite articulate. Are they thinking "errr....OK..I didn't understand a word she said"?
I also think it's envy also, since she works well, and stands out for promotion. I think her smarts contribute to this.
Quite the opposite. I adore intellectuals.
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My brain is tired! 
