Feeling Intellectually Superior to Others

[Nick]

[NOTE: This discussion was split off from the Obama Presidency thread.]

Right-wing media is fueled by superstition, gullibility, and xenophobic hostility. Left-wing media is fueled by blatant cheerleading, intellectual elitism, and an overdeveloped sense of enlightenment. Both are hypocritically selective in their praise and their outrage.

If you're only looking for the facts, avoid both types (e.g., Fox and MSNBC). If you're looking for facts and a sick kind of entertainment, indulge both types but don't get indoctrinated.

[Hubbitron]

Guardian UK.

[Nick]

I'm mainly talking about news broadcasts with pundits and interviews. For print, The Week provides a decent overview.

[Doc Holliday]

Fox and MSNBC are the journalistic equivalent of orange and teal or DRC or fast food or reality television or any advertising in general. It appeals to our most base emotions and thoughts without any kind of scientific inquiry. It's sole purpose is to tunnel vision it's audience into a pool of sustaining customers. Thus the 'main-stream media' boogie-man which keeps you from entertaining the idea of even checking out the competition. It's crack, baby!

[bbobb]

Right-wing media is fueled by superstition, gullibility, and xenophobic hostility. Left-wing media is fueled by blatant cheerleading, intellectual elitism, and an overdeveloped sense of enlightenment. Both are hypocritically selective in their praise and their outrage.

If you're only looking for the facts, avoid both types (e.g., Fox and MSNBC). If you're looking for facts and a sick kind of entertainment, indulge both types but don't get indoctrinated.

Personally I'm all for intellectual elitism. If you're stupid enough to think evolution is a lie then you deserve to be looked down on

[Nick]

I'm sure there are plenty of people that look down on you for violating their own litmus tests, whatever those may be. Congratulations on being part of the problem, I guess?

[FirstBlood]

So denying science isn't the problem, looking down on people for it is?

No thanks.

[Nick]

What good does it do, especially since most people don't even think about evolution long enough to form a deep opinion? And not just evolution; bbobb said he had no problem with intellectual elitism. Why is it reprehensible for the rich to look down on the poor but laudable for you to look down on someone that probably never cared enough about your pet issue to challenge his preconceptions?

There are lot of honest people that contribute positively to the world and who hold outdated concepts. Many live in a setting that doesn't foster inquiry into whatever you hold dear. And many would come around to your opinion if they were exposed to more information in an environment not rich with hostility or derision.

It is very bad to use your religion to try and crush your children's sense of inquiry and wonder. It is also bad to use your education or common sense in such a way as to discourage the development of someone else's education and common sense.

If you were somehow born with all the answers whole and easily accessible inside you, I will call you my master and learn from you. If you think knowing what you know, much of which you yourself accepted with little investigation, inherently puts you in a position to lord it above 20% or more of the world's population, I call you a fool.

Nowhere is man made free by mockery.

[bbobb]

My problem isn't them being stupid per se. It's the willful ignorance. They're exposed to the information but refuse to believe that it's true. If you're choosing to be stupid then you deserve to be looked down upon

[FirstBlood]

What good does it do, especially since most people don't even think about evolution long enough to form a deep opinion? And not just evolution; bbobb said he had no problem with intellectual elitism. Why is it reprehensible for the rich to look down on the poor but laudable for you to look down on someone that probably never cared enough about your pet issue to challenge his preconceptions?

There are lot of honest people that contribute positively to the world and who hold outdated concepts. Many live in a setting that doesn't foster inquiry into whatever you hold dear. And many would come around to your opinion if they were exposed to more information in an environment not rich with hostility or derision.

It is very bad to use your religion to try and crush your children's sense of inquiry and wonder. It is also bad to use your education or common sense in such a way as to discourage the development of someone else's education and common sense.

If you were somehow born with all the answers whole and easily accessible inside you, I will call you my master and learn from you. If you think knowing what you know, much of which you yourself accepted with little investigation, inherently puts you in a position to lord it above 20% or more of the world's population, I call you a fool.

Nowhere is man made free by mockery.

There's a lot of wisdom in this post but the fact that it's in response to having a problem with people that deny science just ruins it.