Spring Break
Intellectual elitism: the radical notion that educated people know things
Cameron Ferranti
Issue date: 10/21/08 Section: Opinion
I found myself in a familiar place a recent evening; in front of the television watching Fox News, because I usually get more of a laugh there than with some of the lamer Adult Swim shows (Oblongs, anyone?).
A popular topic among those on the red side is intellectual elitism. You know, those latte-drinking, ivory tower liberals who think their opinions are more valid because they have facts and an education to back them up. What nerve.
I can't wrap my head around the idea that someone's opinions could be less valid due to their expertise. On one hand, I can understand how Jim-Bob the (insert blue collar job) might be shaken up by long strings of big words, but how can people actually make political arguments based on this?
"The ivory tower crowd are saying that we should take this course of action," say pundits in an incredible tone of smugness.
Yeah, that's right, guys. The guy with the background says this, but don't listen to him. He thinks he's smarter than you. He doesn't drink at the townie bar or have a position in a company. Shows how much his opinion is worth. The sarcasm here should be apparent.
Bill O. the clown (not to rip off Keith Olbermann's terminology) regularly makes implications that if someone dedicates years of their life to a course of study, they must be out of touch with society, out of touch with "real people."
This idea is ridiculous. If anything, an educated person has a better understanding of society at large. Such arguments are ad hominem cop-outs.
By saying "ad hominem," I'm using technical terms to describe part of an argument-specifically, personal attacks.
I would like to point out that I am not engaging in another fallacy here, either. It is equally moronic to assume that anything a person says is true due to their education. An example of this would be reactionary hate-monger Dr. Michael Weiner (pseudonym: Michael Savage), whose degree in nutritional ethnomedicine has little to do with the topics he addresses on his radio show.
A popular topic among those on the red side is intellectual elitism. You know, those latte-drinking, ivory tower liberals who think their opinions are more valid because they have facts and an education to back them up. What nerve.
I can't wrap my head around the idea that someone's opinions could be less valid due to their expertise. On one hand, I can understand how Jim-Bob the (insert blue collar job) might be shaken up by long strings of big words, but how can people actually make political arguments based on this?
"The ivory tower crowd are saying that we should take this course of action," say pundits in an incredible tone of smugness.
Yeah, that's right, guys. The guy with the background says this, but don't listen to him. He thinks he's smarter than you. He doesn't drink at the townie bar or have a position in a company. Shows how much his opinion is worth. The sarcasm here should be apparent.
Bill O. the clown (not to rip off Keith Olbermann's terminology) regularly makes implications that if someone dedicates years of their life to a course of study, they must be out of touch with society, out of touch with "real people."
This idea is ridiculous. If anything, an educated person has a better understanding of society at large. Such arguments are ad hominem cop-outs.
By saying "ad hominem," I'm using technical terms to describe part of an argument-specifically, personal attacks.
I would like to point out that I am not engaging in another fallacy here, either. It is equally moronic to assume that anything a person says is true due to their education. An example of this would be reactionary hate-monger Dr. Michael Weiner (pseudonym: Michael Savage), whose degree in nutritional ethnomedicine has little to do with the topics he addresses on his radio show.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
foomanchu
posted 2/16/09 @ 10:12 PM GMT
You sound like an intellectual elitist yourself.
Cam Harvard Ferranti
posted 3/11/09 @ 2:43 AM GMT
How is that?
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