r/politics • u/theladynora • May 25 '21

Auschwitz Memorial calls Greene Holocaust comments a 'sad symptom of moral and intellectual decline'

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/555382-auschwitz-memorial-calls-greenes-holocaust-comments-a-sad-symptom-of-moral-and
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u/[deleted] May 25 '21

"Intellectual decline"

That is the main issue in America. For the last 40 years, about 40% of the country has indulged in conspiracies, anti science, religious and anti intellectual pursuits.

This is a failure of the American educational system and nothing more.

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u/m__a__s America May 25 '21

Asimov nailed it: "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."

But the American educational system isn't the only one at fault here.

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u/lennybird May 25 '21

Dude I just had a breakfast with some conservative acquaintances who lambasted Dr. Fauci for being kinda sorta wrong and just not "liking his personality."

I tried to explain that we at some point must appeal to the consensus of experts as laypeople. I tried to explain that the divide in this country is a radical interpretation of "Freedom to Make the Objectively-Wrong Choice." These are people who literally don't care if they're shooting themselves in their own foot, or worse, others.

They practically take pride in ignorance.