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comment by mk
mk  ·  4652 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: The Republicans who want ignorance to get equal time in schools
The thing I like least about the GOP is their tolerance of anti-science politics and narratives.

No doubt, the Democrats are guilty of ignoring data when it doesn't fit their politics, but the tolerance (and often promotion) of complete bunk by the GOP is offensive.

I have an open ear for smaller government, and for economic strategies that leverage the private sector instead of the public, when able, but there is just so much anti-intellectual baggage in the Republican party nowadays that it is very difficult to find a candidate that I could possibly support. The Dems have their own baggage, but I usually find it to be far less ridiculous.

Michigan's Governor Rick Snyder is a Republican, and I find him to be a fairly reasonable person. I voted for him. I don't agree with everything he is doing, but I can understand where he is coming from. He has rational arguments for his decisions. The GOP desperately needs more Rick Snyders, and a lot fewer James Inhofes. The GOP not only has too many people that say ignorant things, it has too many people that are afraid to contradict this ignorance.

That said, I don't think pieces like this do much to improve the situation. Ridicule of ignorant folks will not change them. The media needs to be ridiculed for giving ignorance an equal voice.





briandmyers  ·  4651 days ago  ·  link  ·  
“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.'” ― Isaac Asimov
mk  ·  4651 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Nice quote. Thanks.

I'd add that the tenor of anti-intellectualism in the US is raised by the media. By and large, the US news media is primarily about selling advertising space. As a result, the content that gets people to watch wins out over content that serves a journalistic ideal. Cable news is basically just news-based opinion; everything is spun as a conflict or debate. Ignorance is a great ingredient when that's your goal.