Last edited Sun Jun 14, 2026, 12:01 AM - Edit history (1)

there is a general/broad embracing of ignorance, superstition, and anti-intellectualism in American life which is longstanding and transcends partisan affiliation, although it appears to be worsening over the past few decades and some particularly ugly and dangerous strains certainly have partisan political identity.

While numbers vary by source/survey, a commonly cited recent figure is that 40% of US adults have not acquired or read a single book in the past year, and that 20% of readers account for 80% of book consumption, with the middle 40% accounting for the other 20% of books. And while book purchasing is not the end all be all of measuring it, "living a life of the mind" is certainly a minority position in the US presently.

has been happening for decades - instituted by Republicans.

I knew that we were really done for when a neighbor told me that correcting tests and papers in red was now forbidden - it hurts children's feelings. Same thing for participation trophies - my kids dumped them in the garbage as soon as they got home.

I do expect some people here to disagree with me.
I could go on a rant, but I'll stop here.

Most of the conservative parents I know are super anti-participation trophies. It's part of the "let's not hurt people's feelings" stuff that they laugh at liberals over.

but rather it's now the task of those left standing to clean up after it.

The MAGA influencers sometimes say things I can agree with. They might help stem support for Trump, but we’re the ones who have to set the course for this country if we’re ever to regain the trust from the rest of the world.

Nixon had nominated a perfectly awful judge to the Supreme Court, and this judge (G.H. Carswell) was criticized as being a mediocre judge, with the direct implication that only exceptional judges should be nominated to the Supreme Court. A Republican Senator from Nebraska named Roman Hruska came out with this memorable quote as to why Nixon's mediocre judge should be confirmed despite his obviously not being qualified to sit on the SCOTUS:

"So what if he is mediocre? There are a lot of mediocre judges and people and lawyers. They are entitled to a little representation, aren’t they? We can’t have all Brandeises, Cardozos, and Frankfurters and stuff like that there......"

Yes, there ARE a lot of mediocre judges and people and lawyers. Not only are they indeed entitled to a little representation, Senator Hruska (R-Nebraska) had just proved conclusively that they DO have representation--right there in the Congress of the United States, in fact! No Republican has yet to explain why we can't have all "Brandeises, Cardozos and Frankfurters." The whole idea behind a SUPREME Court was to indeed have the best, and have those few really exceptional (i.e. NOT mediocre) legal minds on the SCOTUS.

It’s true that the Right has been anti-intellectual. Hmm. The anti-DEI is probably just the latest attempt to clean the decks of competent people.

To our credit, Democrats pounced on Hruska’s outrageous, insulting comment as soon as he said it.

This only holds if you believe a proper interpretation of the law necessarily must bend to the common good - whatever you think that is. Laws are made by political processes whether or not the process is equitable. I'll take an intellectually average judge with a concern for the little people over an intellectual giant of the right any day because there is a moral blindness that underscores right wing philosophy - and it begins with the sin of pride, e.g., we are special, we have been set apart, we are selected by god to lead, our shit doesn't stink, etc.

A whole bunch of our current problems are, I think, the result of making the teaching profession less attractive. If you are a talented person with a calling to teach, you might, just might be willing to take less money. But, you're not going to be willing to take parents who don't support you, kids who openly disrespect you, and hyper-populated administrators who push paper and make your life miserable while hogging the pay that should go to you.

It's a serious problem. The job needs to be good or the good will leave it.