From Publishers Weekly: Inspired by Richard Hofstadter’s trenchant 1963 cultural analysis Anti-Intellectualism in American Life, Jacoby (Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism) has produced an engaging, updated and meticulously thought-out continuation of her academic idol’s research.
Dismayed by the average U.S. citizen’s political and social apathy and the overall crisis of memory and knowledge involving everything about the way we learn and think, Jacoby passionately argues that the nation’s current cult of unreason has deadly and destructive consequences (the war in Iraq, for one) and traces the seeds of current anti-intellectualism (and its partner in crime, antirationalism) back to post-WWII society.
Unafraid of pointing fingers, she singles out mass media and the resurgence of fundamentalist religion as the primary vectors of anti-intellectualism, while also having harsh words for pseudoscientists.
Through historical research, Jacoby breaks down popular beliefs that the 1950s were a cultural wasteland and the 1960s were solely a breeding ground for liberals.
Though sometimes partial to inflated prose (America’s endemic anti-intellectual tendencies have been grievously exacerbated by a new species of semiconscious anti-rationalism), Jacoby has assembled an erudite mix of personal anecdotes, cultural history and social commentary to decry America’s retreat into junk thought. (Feb. 12)
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From The New Yorker: Identifying herself as a “cultural conservationist” (but by no means a cultural conservative), Jacoby laments the decline of middlebrow American culture and presents a cogent defense of intellectualism.
America, she believes, faces a “crisis of memory and knowledge,” in which anti-intellectualism is not only tolerated but celebrated by those in politics and the media to whom we are all “just folks.”
The Internet, for all its promise, is too often “a highway to the far-flung regions of junk thought.” Meanwhile, twenty-five per cent of high-school biology teachers believe that human beings and dinosaurs shared the earth, and more than a third of Americans can?t name a single First Amendment right.
In such an environment, Jacoby argues, the secular left and the religious right can have no fruitful dialogue on issues like the separation of church and state.
She offers little hope that the situation will improve, opining that, despite increasing levels of education, “Americans seem to know less and less.” — Click here to subscribe to The New Yorker
I am getting sick and tired of this shrill, sarcastic “female moose.” John McCain has packaged a big barrel of compost and strapped it around her neck, and she is machine-gunning the manure packed with deliberate deceit and distortions at the Obama campaign.
Wasilla, Sarah’s hometown was once the starting line for the Iditarod, a grueling dogsled race across 1150 miles of hazardous terrain. And as evidenced by the audience reaction at the Republican convention last Wednesday night, Sarah Palin is comfortable leading vicious packs of howling animals.
McCain’s “Killer Moose” has been rampaging across America disparaging Obama as a lowly “Community Organizer,” totally oblivious of these facts:
• Obama has been a U.S. Senator (2005-present) — 3 Years
• Obama was an Illinois State Senator (1997-2004) — 7 Years
• Obama is a senior lecturer, University of Chicago Law School (1996-present) — 10+ Years
• Obama was a practicing CIVIL RIGHTS attorney (1993-96) — 3 Years
• Director, Developing Communities Project (1985-1988)(Community Organizer) — 3 Years
Even more important is the fact that Obama slayed the most potent political machine in the country — the Clintons, not by luck, but fair and square, and by the rules in place, with zero support from the Democratic establishment — a display of competence and superior organizational skills. Obama’s excellent grass roots experience as a “community organizer” enabled him to build the most awesome ground operation in the history of U.S. politics.
Pundits like to parrot incessantly how Hillary Clinton won 18 million votes — conveniently forgetting that Barack obama received 18 million primary votes too, and won more states.
Barack pulled it off because he ran a thoroughly professional campaign, surrounded himself with top of the line surrogates and displayed superior motivational and leadership skills.
On the other hand, Sarah Palin was picked from the wilderness of Alaska by a desperate McCain, and we have no clue as to how she could perform as vice-president — other than what she reads on behalf of McCain’s THUGS at town-hall and open-air meetings, and that she won a beauty contest. An associated press compilation gives evidence of — How Sarah Palin’s career stacks up to Democratic nominee Barack Obama’s
A female blog poster I bumped into sums it up this way: Sarah Palin is a joke, a token, and an insult — “Look! Here’s a VP with a labia!” Fuck. That. We women are smarter than that.LOL!
Obama’s campaign responded: “The speech that Governor Palin gave was well delivered, but it was written by George Bush’s speech writer and sounds exactly like the same divisive, partisan attacks we’ve heard from George Bush for the last eight years. If Governor Palin and John McCain want to define “change” as voting with George Bush 90% of the time, that’s their choice, but we don’t think the American people are ready to take a 10% chance on change.”
Vice presidential nominee Joe Biden had this to say:
We know nothing about this woman. Absolutely nothing, yet pollsters are quick to cook-up stats claiming that she is ready, on the basis of a malicious speech written for McCain by George Bush’s cabal — afraid of the consequences of losing power.
Remember what Biden said recently: “We will not be stopped from pursuing any criminal offence that’s occurred.” Members of Congress are “doing the right thing, they’re not making false accusations about anything … they’re collecting data, subpoenaing records, they’re building a file”, Biden said. “If there has been a basis upon which you can pursue someone for a criminal violation, they will be pursued — not out of vengeance, not out of retribution, out of the need to preserve the notion that no one, no attorney general, no president — no one is above the law.” …[ more ]
That’s enough to send the “shivers and quivers” up the spines of the Bush and Cheney criminal enterprise — a ruthless gang of looters who have seized every aspect of “America’s treasures” – political, cultural, financial, constitutional, militarial……you name it.
In the last eight years they have looted America mercilessly, and the sad thing is that roughly half of the electorate has no clue about what is going on. Their political education is limited to guns, abortion and kicking the asses of Muslims and immigrants all over the world. The fact that Bush has perverted, distorted and tarnished America’s image beyond repair — does not even feature fleetingly in their thinking. To them, GOD is on America’s side because George Bush “speaks directly to him.”
Idiots!
They hear a speech by Sarah Palin and McCain (both puppets of this cabal) — and they go: “WOoOo AHH!,” …she is ready!
Nope! It’s a rip-off!
Last Thursday when McCain trumpeted: “A Change is Gonna Come,” and vowed to put the country “back on the road to prosperity and peace,” ..he was lying through the “skin of his teeth,” and he knows it!
Bob Herbertof the New York Times knows that too: “It stretches the mind almost to the breaking point to think of John McCain as an agent of substantive change. He once believed that Phil Gramm was the most qualified person in the United States to be president. And he now believes that Sarah Palin is the most qualified to be vice president.” “From the speakers’ faux populist gibberish, you would never have known that the Republicans have used their titanic power to lead the country to its present sorry state.” ….[ more here ]
One of the most devastating crimes that the “High Cabal” committed was the coup d’etat in the year 2000, with Florida state officials and the Supreme Court conspiring to foist an unelected George Bush on the American people.
Hail To The Thief!
Bush has done everything in his power to see that his corporate backers receive any and all assistance his administration can provide:
• Tax breaks for the obscenely wealthy
• Failure of governmental oversight for any and all regulations
• Non-prosecution for corporate crimes
• Appointment of insider foxes to guard the federal chicken coops: [ more here ] and [ here ]
These crimes must be prosecuted and stopped by the Obama team, if and when they assume the presidency — a task that seems to be getting more difficult, especially now that McCain has ditched his “Maverick” stance, and is officially the puppet of the “High Cabal,” complete with a “compost throwing” side-kick — Sarah Palin, the “Insult Moose.”
Overheard:
[ Enlarge ] At a Barack Obama rally in Ohio, perhaps the most critical swing state of all: “I think McCain is using it as a ploy to sway Hillary voters, but Palin is entirely against everything Hillary stands for, and I think women will find it offensive,” said Emily Miller, 25, of Toledo. “It will backfire.”
Debra Esthmeyer, 28, of New Knoxville, Ohio, said, “I’m insulted, as a woman. If Sarah Palin were a man with her same credentials, there is no way John McCain would have picked her.” Palin’s “no Condoleezza Rice. She’s no Hillary Clinton,” Esthmeyer said. “She’s no Michelle Obama, either.”
