Why Does American Culture Celebrate Ignorance?

Question

Serious question on society and culture.

There is clear evidence of defaming intelligence, academia, and a general mood of disparaging scientific methodologies in films, tv, and online media from the USA. Clever students are called geeks and nerds, medical research is attacked from religious nuts, science and technology are sometimes blamed for all the world's ills.

Hollywood fiction is preferred over actual history, the etymology of words in the English language is ridiculously quoted and perpetuated (e.g. I recently read that "History" is apparently derived from his and story because it's a male-dominated world!), and religious dogma over-rules scientific evidence. It must be the only country on the planet whose citizens seriously question the evolution of life. Learning a 2nd language is discouraged, and geography is limited to one continent. There are so many examples of perpetuating this culture of ignorance, it's impossible to list. What do you think?

Julia Encarnacion: examples of blame on Science & Tech:

The mad scientist ploy in movies.
The way science and technology is portrayed when consumer products - energy, transport, foods and medicines turn out to be bad. It's not the greedy corporations, the guilty politicians, nor the irresponsible consumer who is blamed - but the guy who was paid to invent it.
Films and programs that encourage the view that scientists and academics are cold-hearted, while ignorant people are more "human". (If anything it's always opposite!)

francegreendog: Obviously I am referring to the general mood of the populace outside academic institutions. Just take a glance around the online forums. - So many people whining about satan and evolution, moaning about the unfairness of bi-lingual people who know english and spanish earning more than them. etc.

Jessica T:
Thanks for a very insightful answer. Not trying to start an argument, just really want to know the driving force behind this perceived culture of ignorance.

Oh, I forgot to add to francegreendog that giving pitiful examples from the 3rd world to distinguish yourself does not really work.

Neck and neck between electrosmack and Jessica T so far. Both very good answers.

BTW: I do have a dad. :)

Electrosmack:

While I do agree with your sentiments, it still does not provide me with any useful insights about American culture. Kids playing video games and parents encouraging them to party, etc happens all over the world - if anything even more so than in the US, but they seem to do consistently better in education.

Any other insights (Use of PbO in gasoline before the ban? environmental factors? dominant culture of materialism? - would be much appreciated.

ritzysmom:

Very good effort. In the same informative way as electrosmack about familial responsibility, but I appreciate the additional information about the options and lowered quality in the education system. Thanks. ;)

Timeponderer:

Very good answers. I appreciate your additional insight about nationalism and populism. I have the feeling that you have a lot more to write on populism, and if you do, please elaborate on this subject if you feel so inclined. Thanks mate.

Jessica T, ritzysmom, and timeponderer:

Many thanks for your insights. If you wish to edit to add further comments, please be my guest. I think all three of you deserve to be the best answer, and I may have to put it to a vote. I'm leaning towards timeponderer at the moment, but it seems unfair to give the best answer to an Aussie who appears to be more insightful about American culture than Americans. :) . On details alone, I am tempted to give it to ritzysmom, but I am not decided yet. Your patience is appreciated. :)

Answer 1

Religion - The US is one of the most religious western countries. But particularly, it is the most fundamentalist. This fosters anti-intellectualism as science and reason is seen as a threat.

Nationalism - It's the "land of flags and anthems" as the saying goes here in Australia. Again, thinking is a threat. And knowing nothing about the outside world is a social virtue.

Populism - In contrast to the rhetoric, you're stuffed if you're born down the severe social ladder in the USA, more than just about any other western country. 'Ordinary' people thus gang up and see themselves as all that is virtuous. Being dumb is something to be proud of. The 'ruling' intellectual class can't be trusted and is to be opposed.

Right Wing Economics - This philosophy, through ignorance, struggles to understand the practical benefit of science, in particular pure science. But definitely can't see the value in other intellectual pursuits.

Answer 2

Ignorance Yes Nationalism No

Answer 3

Right now, Americans believe the world revolves around us. In most ways it does. We proved ourselves as a superpower in WW1 and WW2, and we tried to continue that mantality in the Vietnam War. Recently however, mostly after Vietnam, and the 1960's, we feel that the world still revolves around us, and we do nothing keep it that way.
Parents complain how we have stupid kids who don't want to go to school, but at the same time we encourage those same kids to go party, and play videogames. They do nothing, and so their kids are spoiled brats. They turn a shoulder, and say it's alright, when their kids start mimicking what they saw in a stoner movie.
In the near future, due to outsourcing, lack of motivation, bad parenting, laziness, and stupidity, countries like China, India, and Japan are going to overthrow the U.S. as the "King of the World."
Our situation is made worse by the controversy over illegal immigration, and the War in Afghanistan and Iraq.
To get back to our original glory, we have to encourage education, encourage being smart, and encourage hard work as the only way to be anything.

Answer 4

I don't know that it is celebrate ignorance as much as a self centered society, a high degree of vanity, a high degree of laziness. You are talking about a society where students find it more important to be seen in the company of a star athelete or a cheerleader than the president of the Honor Society. Where parents push their kids into every sport, plus dance and/or gymnastics for girls, for it to look good on their extracurricular list on college applications instead of having them take classes in foriegn language or science camp or ethnic exchange programs. Or even just to go wander through a field and see what they can see and use their imaginations and exercise their minds. And these parents (usually dads, but moms aren't immune) scream their heads off at members of opposing teams and belittle their kids if they don't play well. Mothers who will stalk their daughter's rivals for cheerleading squads.
A family is thought of as freaks if they don't have TV, with cable, the latest Nintendo machine with games, the kids each having their own room with their own TV, vegging for hours watching one moronic show after another.
A society that regals in worship idols of baseball and basketball, anorexic TV stars, brain dead drunk teen queens. Our country is so lost in itself that most of America couldn't think its way out of a paper bag.
It has a lot to do with us pushing kids towards MBAs instead of the sciences because it make them more money and we are deluded that money will bring happiness.
Many Americans know diddly zip about American history, let alone world history to know how our country got where it is today and how the world got the way it is today and why our government makes the choices it does and how our system of government should and can run.
I think we need more classes in geography, world history, sociology and cultural awareness. Right now they are only electives, and less than a handful of kids take those classes. My parents say that American history classes are nowhere near as in depth as when they were kids and I've seen the textbooks they had from high school and they had a lot more than the ones I went through school with. My sisters who graduated in '94, just 8 years after I did, had even less. The last history they were taught was the VietNam War. Nothing on Watergate, the Cold War through the 70's, the Iran Hostage crisis of '79-'80, the Reagan Administration--nothing of the modern history that unfolded in the 20 years before they entered high school. A lot of which has bearing on the situation we are facing in the Middle East right now.

Answer 5

Well, yes and no. I'll speak frankly with you. I think you are an arrogant bastard...BUT... you are right on some points. I am ashamed to admit that America is falling behind. We are a gluttoneous lazy people. I certainly don't blame relgion for this (after all Christianity,if you wish to call it a religion, teaches against gluttony and consistantly urges it's followers to seek truth and learn). I think there are several contributing factors to the down fall of your great society. One, teachers unions. How you ask? Because once a teacher has tenure he/she is untouchable. This teacher may come to work partitially drunk from the night before, and sleep his headache off during class, and if he has tenure he can get away with this. There is just too much red tape to fire a teacher. Our school system is disguisting. We pump students full of preservative filled foods (which cause intense energy crashes) and put little emphasis on anything other than testing. What can you expect from such a system? Let's face it, our youth just isn't learning. Then you have this "what's in it for me" attitude. Nobody has a work ethic these days. Why work by butt off for a so-so job when the lady down the street gets fat and happy off of a corrupt welfare system? There is no incentive to work; only to collect. It's easier to come in our country illegally than to apply for citizenship, it's easier to abort an unborn child than to adopt, beaurocratic systems are killing us! If we let parents pick their students schools and no longer fund the cesspool infastructures we call public school, and privatized many of those corruption filled systems like medicare and welfare and even social security we would start to see a change. Let's get rid of our handout dependency and create facilities that help people get on their feet, teach them to work. Help those who need it. Instead of blaminig religion which apparently is anti-science (news to me, a Christian putting herself through medschool) let's blame ourselves for being too ageneda focused and partisan to see our great nation fall apart at the seams!

Answer 6

Hi !

It's so strange I was on the French version (I live in Paris) of Yahoo and it suddenly shifted into the American version.

Anyway, I wanted to tell you that your point of view is widely shared outside the USA, but specially by people who pretend to be smart like my university teachers.

Behalf of all young people like me from western cultures, I thank Hollywood for all its dumb movies, and I am grateful to all your nuts (anti-darwinists ???) who make us laugh very loud.
But that's why we love you cause here in Europe there are so much people who wish to act the same way that I feel you are not hypocritical as we, Europeans, are.

And you gotta know that Michael Moore is an idol in Europe, so as Bill Clinton or Barack Obama. We also know who are the dumbest people incapable of beating the Nazis in WW2 ...

Oh I must add that we, European people, are often jealous of your intelligence regarding stories and imagination, how can you create so much ?????????

Answer 7

hollywood fiction is not exactly ignorance. although i don't think you're talking about all americans when you say this but rather the religous americans? 2nd languages are not discouraged, although there are bigoty people in america who feel like english is the best and only language they should know. I think it's religion..i mean the east isn't that great either. look at the people in africa..people stoning people for being homosexuals. Female genital mutilation. Are these things not ignorant as well?

Answer 8

Very well stated...
It's only getting worse too...

You just have to call people out on their idiocy...

Fight the good Fight...
+++
To Julia:
In what movie is Christianity blamed for anything (that isn't actually its fault) history doesn't count...

Science Blamed:
Terminator (tech. blamed for ill-fated future)
Matrix (again tech. blamed for humanity's down fall)
Dr. No...in James Bond
The Island of Dr. Monroe
etc...

Answer 9

Science and technology are blamed in movies for the world's ills? Maybe I'm missing those movies.

From where I sit, religion (especially Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular) is routinely demeaned and trashed in movies and TV shows.
.

Answer 10

Isn't this country wonderful! This correction first. As for the word "History" it is not "his" and "story" because of a male-dominated world. It is "His" and "story" because of our Lord Jesus Christ. The greatest history book that America owns is the Holy Bible. We don't have enough scientific evidence for religious dogma to over-rule it. We have a bunch of assumptions, theories, guesses, "what ifs" and "it just could be." YES, YES, you are right. We seriously question the evolution of life as the origin of man. We certainly question this theory. Hollywood fiction is preferred over many things, but only by a few. Hollywood is something that we are becoming ashamed of. Our women in Hollywood are getting to be too lowlife and this deeply concerns many. When the women of a nation are classed without morals, the country is in serious trouble. This is the only serious flaw that I see.

Other than Hollywood women and their pornography, this is one great big beautiful country. Our protection and provision is provided by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our God and our Creator who says your evolutionary theory is wrong and God doesn't give His glory to anyone. God said our universe declares His glory. God said for you to look around you, because God said you have no excuse not to believe in Him. God said the scientists have no excuse not to believe in Him.