There are many reasons for the dramatic divide between Americans who voted to put a mentally-ill convicted felon back in the White House, and the rest of us. All of those reasons, however, connect to deep wells of resentment and grievance, a need to blame something–some other–for life’s disappointments.
There is a disinclination to see that divide for what it is, and to blame populist disaffections on the more privileged among us. For example, we are routinely treated to disputations on the supposed “elitism” of educated folks. Despite the fulminations of self-important pundits, however, “elitism”–while it certainly exists– is different from expertise, and much of what is decried as snobbish elitism really reflects hostility to people with knowledge and education.
A few years ago, I read Tom Nichols book, The Death of Expertise. It was a penetrating examination of the way knowledge and expertise have been attacked as “elitist,” a description of how and why people without the specialized knowledge and/or analytical skills increasingly required by modern societies have come to resent those who possess such expertise.
The educational advancements that have enabled social and economic progress, Nichols tells us, have fueled a backlash– “a surge in narcissistic and misguided intellectual egalitarianism that has crippled informed debates on any number of issues…. All voices, even the most ridiculous, demand to be taken with equal seriousness, and any claim to the contrary is dismissed as undemocratic elitism.”
We can see evidence of Nichols’ observation all around us. It reminds me of Isaac Asimov’s often-quoted observation:
“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”
Nichols says that this backlash has been facilitated by a number of things: the openness of the internet, the emergence of a customer satisfaction model in higher education, and especially by the transformation of the news industry into a 24-hour entertainment machine.
Paradoxically, the increasingly democratic dissemination of information, rather than producing an educated public, has instead created an army of ill-informed and angry citizens who denounce intellectual achievement. When ordinary citizens believe that no one knows more than anyone else, democratic institutions themselves are in danger of falling either to populism or to technocracy or, in the worst case, a combination of both.
To call Nichols’ 2017 book prescient is to belabor the obvious.
This resentment of expertise has been vastly amplified by an information environment that indulges confirmation bias. There’s Fox “News,” of course, and the Internet offers a wide array of “news” sites that allow users to choose the “facts” that they prefer. Want to believe that an election was stolen? That Justice Department’s prosecutions are political vendettas? That vaccines are poisoning us, and Jews are encouraging immigration in order to “replace” White Christians? That those “libruls” are looking down their noses at “real Americans”?
As I used to tell my Media and Policy students, if you are convinced that the aliens landed in Roswell, I can find you Internet sites with pictures of the aliens.
The “Wild West” that is our media environment is a primary reason Americans inhabit different realities. Among other things, the Internet breeds false confidence among those who have “done their research” online, and feeds their disdain for those with actual, hard-won expertise.
And I don’t know what can be done about it.
America’s devotion to Free Speech rests on the belief that in a marketplace of ideas, truth will emerge. But the effectiveness of such a marketplace depends upon an exchange of facts and beliefs by a largely informed and rational public. When facts can be manufactured, when participants in that marketplace have no respect for the opinions of those with relevant education or expertise–when they reject any suggestion that person A’s education or training has provided her with more and better information than person B, who lacks such training –and that to suggest otherwise is “elitism”– society fails to function, let alone advance.
The problem is, there’s no easy “fix” that I can see. (It’s certainly not to give government control of information.) Long term, the answer is education, teaching children how to differentiate between credible sources and propaganda, between what constitutes reliable evidence and what doesn’t. Such instruction is increasingly unlikely, since the nation’s children are increasingly being diverted into private religious schools via vouchers, and legislators are demanding that universities devolve into job training institutions.
So here we are….
I had hoped that young people who grew up with the new media would have a well developed BS Detector that would guide their vote. That was a false hope.
People of voting age have no knowledge of Reagan and the high prices/interest rates during his and Bush’s presidency.. They had little knowledge of Trump’s history before his presidency and when he was president they were pretty young to have much opinion about him. What surprises me the most is how his speech pattern was not considered plain wacko. Trump’s well developed myth of inflation and immigration drummed into peoples’ heads for the past 3 years worked because well…a lie told repeatedly becomes truth. The GOP needs to reckon with what it created by its silence – the resistance to Trump’s policies must come from the “old guard” Republicans not just the Dems. They made it; let them clean it up because the Dems can’t do it. Call Todd Young and implore him to gather the “normal” Republicans – let him be a leader in stopping Trump and Steven Himmler Miller.
Linda Robb, thank you; “People of voting age have no knowledge of Reagan and the high prices/interest rates during his and Bush’s presidency.. They had little knowledge of Trump’s history before his presidency and when he was president they were pretty young to have much opinion about him.”
They also have no knowledge of Reagan’s across-the-board funding cuts for social services or Bush’s bogus military history. They grew up with the TV and movie and news idolation of “The Donald” whose name and face appeared as the highest form of successful businessman…remember his 23 second appearance in the popular movie “Home Alone”? Crime dramas on TV brought up his name arbitrarily, having nothing to do with the story line and especially with the criminal aspect he has always been active in. Mentions in TV and movies of the brag of “…meeting The Donald” putting him in the spotlight as qualified for ultimate in leadership. Brainwashing which he paid for; brand names on items and people in fiction pay for the advertising and aid funding movie and TV production. He was buying his way into the White House even that long ago, with an occasional hint at a run for the presidency in the future. Well; the future is now and Trump is our future. We are expected to suck it up as normal. The trail to where we are now began long ago; the older generation became immune to his name and his face and he was all the younger generation knew as they agreed with his “get even” tactics which will soon become laws.
“If someone tells you who they are; believe them.” Another old adage; “You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.” Trump has fooled most of the people all of the time; enough to return to what will no longer be OUR White House.
An old Pennsylvania Dutch saying is that we get too soon old and too late smart.
Certainly, it applies inside my head, but also apparently to countries, especially liberal democratic republics.
The US has been around three times longer than I have, and I would like to deny old age to both of us, but Arithematic will not let me.
I was born an animal. The country was born a herd.
As individuals in a herd, I and we behave as such. Apparently, the herd wants to wander right, and I want to wander left because, as I sniff the air, it tells me that there is a great feeding ground to the left but predators to the right. Slightly more of the herd moves toward the predators while the rest of us move toward comfort and safety.
Now what?
As an animal, I wonder why. Perhaps my senses tell me that we are in uncharted territory now, and the threats and opportunities are different than at the place we wandered from.
On the other hand, I know that a big herd usually offers a better deal.
Ah, yes. Education. As has been mentioned many, many times on this blog, public schools – which provided the brain power for any number of massive human accomplishments – have been attacked by Republicans for decades, if not a century. Remember how the Reagan/Regan administration first wanted to eliminate the department of education? Well, here we are again with Project 2025 going after that department once again.
Has anyone noticed ANY initiatives to properly invest in public schools? You know, like raising pay scales for teachers that reflect their college-educated status? Somehow I missed that initiative.
Why do Republicans hate public schools so much? First, they’d rather have their unregulated capitalist pals make money off of teaching children. Then, they understand that teaching critical thinking skills tends to create Democratic voters, not Republican voters. Uh, oh. Can’t have that.
And here we are with a poorly-educated grievance-laden society worshipping a convicted felon, tax cheat, adjudicated rapist, pathological liar and deeply mentally disturbed idiot as their great leader. Somehow I don’t think this will work out very well for America and the rest of the world.
Did anyone notice how closely Tom Homan resembles the ideology of Adolf Eichmann?
To some the points made today:
54% of American adults read at or less than a sixth grade level.
I feel like this is a valid statistic to share right now.
I’m beginning to get my balance after the shock of the election. A few years ago I posted the opinion that the right wing movement was very dangerous but in the long run, reason would win out because their denial of reality carried the seeds of its own failure. Denying reality does not change it and sooner or later it forces you to adapt to it or die. I may have been wrong about how long “the long run” is, but my basic premise is still valid. I said they could do a lot of damage before they were forced to face reality and that surely is true, too.
The reality of climate change is out there while the right wing dedicates itself to expanding the use of fossil fuels and putting the brakes on clean energy. Will that be their downfall?
To follow up on Sheila’s comment about photo of the aliens that supposedly landed in Roswell, all we have to do is look at the photos of the people who are being hired by Trump to run the government.
Yes, all of that and…
It’s the economy, stupid!
Not necessarily the real economy, but the perceived economy and its unfairness. “You can’t get ahead.” ‘I work hard and look at what that work has gotten me- Bupkis!” “The rich get richer and I get 23% interest and $5.00 gasoline.” “Politics is nothing but a money game played by the rich and the corporations with our lives.”
Until those beliefs get addressed we’re in for a long hard slog. Trump will only exacerbate the issues underlying those beliefs and when the “Savior” turns out to be a straw man, what will happen?
Two quickies –
1. I refer all again to “Teaching as a Subversive Activity” (now nearly 60 years old). What if we taught media literacy, data literacy, visual literacy and critical thinking?
2. Related to the death of expertise…try to find real “experts” to rate restaurants, products, etc. – few and far between. Now – popularity = expertise – check out Google ratings, Yelp, etc.
“As individuals in a herd, I and we behave as such. Apparently, the herd wants to wander right, and I want to wander left because, as I sniff the air, it tells me that there is a great feeding ground to the left but predators to the right.”
Pete; a joke on Facebook yesterday fits here, picture of following a herd of sheep with the caption “Those who follow the herd see only ass holes.” Sounds like the GOP today and where we all find ourselves, having been herded to the right by the predators.
If you watched the 1990s Barbara Walters takedown of Donald Trump, she mentioned his adoration of Hitler’s Mein Kampf. Apparently, the book rested on Trump’s nightstand. If anybody has read Mein Kampf, you know that Hitler’s opinion of the masses was not very high. He knew how to manipulate the masses with propaganda. It worked amazingly.
Don’t forget that MSNBC is affiliated with NBC, which hosts Donald’s TV series. NBC admitted they wanted to see Donald in the White House so they could film a “presidential series.” Instead of taking down Trump as the fraud he was/is, a national network promoted him nonstop. That doesn’t sound like the press our constitution laid out with all those powers.
Who can forget Les Moonves, CBS President, who stated, “Trump may be bad for the United States, but he’s good for CBS.”
Who owns CBS? Paramount Entertainment. Vanguard and BlackRock are the two primary shareholders.
Who owns NBC? Comcast. StateStreet, Vanguard, and BlackRock are the major shareholders.
Now, does anybody with a rational mind believe that the CEOs of Vanguard, State Street, or BlackRock are going to let their “news agencies” take down our oligarchy? Do you think they will let their editors hold the oligarchy accountable?
These are ENTERTAINMENT NETWORKS whose sole goal is to meet quarterly profit projections. Period.
MSNBC and Fox News are two peas in the same pod. Rachel Maddow is an entertainer – not a journalist of the free press.
The DNC and GOP are both frauds who are owned and controlled by the same oligarchy that owns our ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA.
Our politicians are frauds, just like the TV news personalities. They are essentially actors for the ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA.
Now you know why Washington Democrats voted against “socialism” when Trump was POTUS. Only progressives (democratic socialists) stood their ground.
One last note: quietly in 2022, Zelenskyy signed a deal with Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, to let the large institutional investor manage their reconstruction funds. Does that change anybody’s mind about who started the conflict in Ukraine and who it benefits?
We are being conned!
https://successfulsocieties.princeton.edu/sites/g/files/toruqf5601/files/BlackRock.pdf
Happily, three states had referenda regarding vouchers. In two of them, Colorado and Kentucky, they voted not to start a program and the third, Nebraska, voted to send their current voucher program to the trash heap.
It seems that we’re starting to reverse what is, according to available research, a program that favors the well off, while offering no return to the public. Continuation of programs like this will require a state legislature dominated by right-wing Christian nationalists, without a mechanism for citizen input. That’s Indiana, sadly.
Now it’s time to renew civic literacy programs in states that have a chance to do so. High school graduates should, at the very least, be able to pass the citizenship test that’s required of those applying for citizenship.
How we deal with “Now” from Robert Reich this morning:
“Protecting the vulnerable and preserving our rights and liberties will require a great deal of hard work by people who believe in our Constitution, democracy, and the rule of law. The work includes:
Monitoring Trump and his government — despite the disinformation, propaganda, and lies we’ll be receiving — and disseminating the truth.
Maintaining a watch over the people and institutions we value.
Being ready to sound the alarm in our communities and networks when those people and institutions are under assault.
Organizing and mobilizing nonviolent resistance to such assaults.
Using civil disobedience wherever possible.
Litigating through state and federal courts where possible.
Speaking out against malicious lies like those that spread during the election by Elon Musk on his propaganda machine X and against vicious lies amplified on other MAGA mouthpieces.
Using our economic muscle to boycott corporations that support Trump, Musk, and other centers of MAGA power.”
Democrats should not have to apologize for being educated and informed.
Tom Homan as Eichman, Miller as Himmler…perfect! Hitler attracted dirtbags, and Trump does the same. Homan did not get to be the head of ICE because he was/is a nice, caring guy!
No, Sharon, ignoring climate change won’t be “their downfall,” it is working to be the species’ downfall.
I like Robert Reich’s ideas, I just hope he is not slated for a concentration camp.
My biggest hope is that the Dem’s can control the House, have some capacity to pull in the reins on the sickened coming.
It looks like the felon Trump will no longer be a felon since the NY judge is looking into overturning the conviction due to the SCOTUS ruling about presidential immunity.
Here we go…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2024/nov/12/donald-trump-marco-rubio-juan-merchan-stormy-daniels-us-politics-live
As per The Alternet:
““Donald Trump and his transition team are already breaking the law,” Senator Warren wrote. “I would know because I wrote the law. Incoming presidents are required to prevent conflicts of interest and sign an ethics agreement. This is what illegal corruption looks like.”
Like I told a friend of ours who is hoping that Trump “Will do the right thing:” “When is the last time he did that?” I’m going to stop before I go super negative.
Re comments by Vernon and Lester: Homan has told mayors/governors of states who refuse to cooperated with mass deportation to” get out of the way because we are coming.” No indication of who “we” is. Military? National Guard? Private security firms (Gestapo)?
Lester has laid out a plan to resist with the proviso “where possible”. That proviso may identify significant jeopardy to those who have family or businesses with employees that can be used as collateral for intimidation.
We are led by sociopaths and a mentally deficient malignant narcissist. Steve Miller is a fascist to the core. That he will be one of the handlers is frightening to say the least.
Media is compromised by the ceded power we allowing control of the message to be in a very few powerful and wealthy men who are likely sociopaths themselves. That’s one way they got the power in the first place unless they were born to extreme wealth and believe they are entitled. The new royals.
“Move fast and break things…”
https://www.levernews.com/dems-could-hand-trump-the-power-to-exact-his-revenge/?utm_source=newsletter-email&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=newsletter-article
Tom Homan is one of the authors of Project 2025. So much for Orange’s claim of knowing nothing about it.
And regarding “elitism” and the possession of knowledge and expertise: If I need to have any surgery, I want to see actual credentials the doctor possesses, not a list of the YouTubes they’ve watched.
Ignorance is bliss only for the blissfully ignorant, but pure misery for those of us that get dragged along by them.
Sadly, this is inevitable in a hyper-capitalist nation where marketing drives profit and the Internet disburses facts and faux facts equally. Inundated with marketing for gain propaganda from every media, it is no surprise that outright, self-serving lies and fantasy facts would flourish among our large population of under, mis, and mal-educated untrained screen-watchers.
This is amplified by our national religion whose promise, to soothe the soul by faith alone, created a vast incurious population easily bamboozled by the fine art of corporate marketed, free market, sugar-coated right-wing propaganda.
So many great comments today!
I always liked reading the comments that Gerald Stinson made on this blog. He had mentioned here that he lived in Bloomington Ind. so I checked out the obits there. Gerald passed away August 13, 2024 at his home. I think he was 97 yrs. old. I miss his generous sharing of his expertise of the law and his kind attitude. He lived a full life with many outstanding accomplishments. I just thought you would like to know.
So where do we go from here? What do we do over the next 2 years to be sure that we at least take the house back, fix this state that has very little representation on the D side. We can talk all we want, but how are we going to work to get our candidates more viable to folks over the next 2 years. Analysis is always good, but actions speak louder than words.
To see the ” cult of ignorance”, look no further than the Indiana statehouse.
Rose, thanks for sharing about Gerald. I had no idea he was in his late 90s.
Much appreciated!!
Ditto. Thank you, Rose, for helping us remember Gerald Stinson. A life well lived that made a difference.
“Common sense” is regarded as having the same currency as perspectives and ideas that are arrived at through a rigorous education and credible research. The problem is, common sense is neither very common nor very sensible.
Two radical ideas –
First, the Democrats have to recognize that this is a “gun fight”, not a “gentleman’s boxing match”.
Second, some of those rich Democratic donors (there are some) should fund a group to flood right-wing sites with bots spewing the truth, but in language crafted by marketing experts.
I would suggest that most Americans (beyond their bigotry) support FDR version 2 ideas, except they don’t know who did or didn’t do what (among other things) and just shut down when listing to “commies”, meaning all non-MAGA people.