See that blue button with Richard Dawkins on it? Click on it (not yet- I haven’t finished ranting at you) and you will go to the Carnival of the Elitist Bastards. Who? A bunch of bloggers generally pissed off with everything being so damn stupid.
Why am I proud to be an elitist? The question should be why are you so unconcerned not to be?
We are people who are just annoyed that there is a movement against intellectualism. I am sick and tired of being clever being seen as somehow a bad thing. Someone who can kick, throw or hit a ball gets paid millions of pounds, while those who actually work worry about the recession.
People revel in not being good at maths.It’s seen as something funny. I know I’m good at day to day maths, but I am amazed how many people don’t understand basic principles.
“How does this affect you?” you say “why should you care?” Because a dumbed down population affects the economy and the planet.
People who don’t understand basic maths GET TO VOTE, often based on what they think will be best for the economy. They can’t do percentages, for FSM’s sake, how are they supposed to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of a Keynsian solution?
It is a fact that people, all of us, even Stephen Hawkins, are stupid to one degree or another. We are very good at ignoring evidence that doesn’t back up our personal beliefs. Jeremy Clarkson doesn’t like the fact that cars are contributing to destroying the planet. Solution? Insult environmentalists. Republicans don’t like the fact that Neo-Con ideas have screwed up the market. Call Obama a socialist. The Religious Right don’t like the fact that science shows the Bible isn’t literally true. Solution? Attack anyone who relies on evidence rather than 4000 year old fairy-stories.
And where does it leave us? Click on the break, and I’ll tell you. Forcefully. (more…)
