In religion (the WT being an excellent example) or politics (it's a common attitude of a lot of electorally successful leaders such as Bush and Chirac)... why does it work so well?
Anti-intellectualism and demagogy
by Narkissos 22 Replies latest jw friends
-
-
nicolaou
Anti-intellectualism works because it's easy - it allows individuals to follow the line of least mental effort. When confronted with an argument that demands attention, consideration, thought and mental flexibilty it's just so much easier to take the 'mick' out of the brainiac or nerd in front of you.
Pathetic and lazy but true.
-
AlanF
Most people are mentally lazy and don't want to think for themselves. Like Dubs, they want an authority figure to tell them what to do, tell them what to think, tell them that everything will be alright in the hands of the authority. They want to be sheep and will follow anyone who claims to be a shepherd.
AlanF
-
SixofNine
See: "the board" for references.
Funny, I was having a little private rant about some of the STupiD a*** **** ***** *********** 8***88*s on this board, when I saw your post title. It gave me quite a grin.
Still, the problem isn't stupidity or mental retardation in most cases, is it? It's intellectual dishonesty, coupled with a lazy arrogance. Also known as "that which allows things like Jehovahs Witnesses and Country Music to exist". Also, Narkissos, I've read you enough to be almost jealous of the ease with which you can accept the human urge to mythturbate*, well this is the fruitage of that evil deed (need?). I know, I know, it's just the way we are, but aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrggghhhhh.
*Leolaia, please see to it that I am properly credited when this wins the word-of-the-year competition in 2005 :-D
-
Maverick
Very good question! It does seem that artistic and intellectual types are looked down upon. I wonder if them that spread all the BS worry about the people who look too close or think too much about what is being said and done?
If history is any example it is a good idea for a countries citizenry to be concerned when artists and intellectuals are targeted, mass oppression can not be too far behind.
-
upside/down
Mythturbate? I think I'm guilty of that! No hair on my palms yet, do I need to "confess" to the elders? lol Oh wait- wrong word.
Jesus summed it up- most people are like sheep! While a few are like wolves. The tricky ones are the wolves in sheeps clothing. They look so much like elders err. "shepherds".
Never underestimate the power of charisma.
u/d
-
Khazar
Watch it, SixofNine. Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and Toby Keith are going to whip your a____ for lumping country music with JW's.
-
frankiespeakin
Lets face it we are only so interested in what is really happening,,we like to have someone we can use to scare away the bogie man or the bad people as I think president said once in a interview.
We like to seperate ourselves from the world's pain so we look often to those that can sugar coat it for us. Man is a herd like animal and in the herd some take the lead because they know how to fling the shit better and faster than the next guy (thinking of hippos here).
-
seven006
I have long seen a large part of the problem as "how" people are taught to think. They are not taught how to be individual thinkers but more thought processors and storers. They accept too easily as absolutes, things that they are taught, in the style they are taught, as well as the superior authority of those doing the teaching. This is an age old way of teaching and learning and stifles any personal creativity of thought and intellectual growth. This is exactly how the JW's as well as most religions operate.
The JW's take this highly structured way of teaching/programing style even further by the way they produce their question and answer system in their so called study guides. They see their followers as intellectual children and do everything to keep them that way. Along with the fear of disagreeing with the all knowing GB, this style of programing eliminates any open dialog which might produce creative thought and unstructured questioning. Once a person fully accepts their process of thinking, the subject matter (however crazy it may sound) is easily accepted as an absolute. The JW's are not only masters of telling people "what" to think, but first and foremost "how" to think.
Creative independent thinking takes some work and is not always taught in a manner that helps develop it. As Alan said, most people are mentally lazy. That is why they look at actors, singers, and athletes as people they hold in high regard as if they are what we all aspire to. Not because they do anything to help mankind but more that they simply entertain our lazy minds. Western society, especially here in the good old USA, encourage this push button, new and improved, MTV mentality as something that will make one "fit in" and be more easily accepted by those of like mindlessness. Questions like "what do you think about that" and "how does that make you feel" are usually left for provoking thought after the fact in the process of behavioral therapy. If those questions and that process of independent and creative thinking through dialog in "learning how to think" was put to use in the beginning, there would be a few thousand less self help books and TV shows like Oprah and Dr. Phil titillating our stagnant and lazy minds today. There would also be a lot less cult like religions who call independent and creative thinking a path to death. Once you exchange independent thinking with simply believing, they've got you.
Dave
-
Forscher
I'm glad you inmcluded a lefty demagog in your list (Chirac). Demagogery isn't an exclusive possesion of the right. Remember the good ole USSR. They had no room for independant thinking. And I've seen my share of anti-intellectualims among the intellectuals on university campuses. Many times I ran into liberal demagogs who couldn't stand a reasoned opinion that differed from their fuzzy, feel-good dogmas.
:-)