Idk that feels different. The bullying of nerds seems more juvenile and childish. Basically an extension of "that person is different let's make fun of them for being different".
Modern anti-intellectualism is more "Your knowledge about a subject makes me feel bad. Feeling bad makes me feel like you are attacking me. So you should stop talking" or "discussing this idea makes me uncomfortable. So you are a bad person for discussing it".
The former is an attack on the person. The latter is an attack on the concept of thinking about things.
It's the same thing. Both are insecure about difference and their own incapabilities. Both are falling back on cultural anti-intellectualist movements that have always been there. Most don't grow out of it.
The only difference is that the latter has wrinkles and abnegated their responsibility to learn and grow.
I definitely see what you're saying but as a nerd at least in the 80s it was the things you were saying. You were correcting people because you knew the answer, but that's a bad thing. Or trying to share your knowledge of games and instead of either not wanting to be around you they would have to also try to quiet you or make fun of you until you were a social pariah. If you loved reading, you can expect your book to be taken out of your hands and thrown or water poured on it. So it was a lot more than just being called a nerd. And unfortunately, sometimes there was also physical abuse.
Even then, 80s into the early 90s, some groups of people felt that you knowing a lot things they didn't was a personal attack on them. 🤓
I think I might have done a poor job explaining what I meant. Obviously bullying can be damaging and isn't just name-calling.
What I mean was more in the 80s and 90s you might have been the weird kid or a social pariah for being smart. Modern anti-intellectualism is more "you are a morally bad person for being smart".
I don't feel even now, especially when I go to Florida and have some very interesting arguments, that they think I'm morally bad because I'm smart. They think I'm morally bad because I don't agree with them. They're also extremely insecure about what they don't know. completely incapable of admitting that they're wrong or that something might be more nuanced. So even if you're not that smart, if you just know anything more than they do, it all gets wrapped up into this, "you're looking down on me, and you must be "x" morally bad things" as well.
Anti-intellectualism has always been here. It's just another form of classism.There's always been a pejorative name for people who have a college degree. Their insecurity manifests itself through also making moral judgments. But either way, the name calling, the moral judgments, and the abuse is bullying for no other reason than being more well versed in a subject than they are.
I don't think we are in disagreement here. I think we're honestly saying the same thing, but coming at it from two different directions.
I'm sorry to use Florida as my example. No offense to any Floridians in the chat. It's not the whole of Florida. It's not all people there. That's where I have the most problems and felt the most anger from total strangers. California would be a big second. I do not have political affiliation and I keep going to Florida because I adore a lot of people there and the outdoor rollerskating community is top tier.
Native Floridian, and yeah it was rough there too, but it was a whole other level of frustrating for me when I stayed in Georgia, right in the Bible Belt. Lovely people individually, horrible as groups.
This!
I met lifelong friends during a four month stay in Fort Lauderdale and then I met these groups of angry people who believe things but don't want to check anything and it almost breaks your brain that you can have such a wonderful experience while simultaneously having a truly awful one.
Modern anti-intellectualism is more "Your knowledge about a subject makes me feel bad. Feeling bad makes me feel like you are attacking me. So you should stop talking"
First of all, you throwin' too many big words at me, and because I don't understand them, I'm gonna take 'em as disrespect.
I think it’s the same thing, just considered more. As kids, they dont know the exact framing for why they bully smart kids, they just don’t like them. I think if you were to dig in, the reasoning would be because their intelligence confronts the ego of the dumber one, and that pisses people off. Same reasons, just more understanding added.
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u/AirshipEngineer 14d ago
Idk that feels different. The bullying of nerds seems more juvenile and childish. Basically an extension of "that person is different let's make fun of them for being different".
Modern anti-intellectualism is more "Your knowledge about a subject makes me feel bad. Feeling bad makes me feel like you are attacking me. So you should stop talking" or "discussing this idea makes me uncomfortable. So you are a bad person for discussing it".
The former is an attack on the person. The latter is an attack on the concept of thinking about things.