Anti-intellectualism

Interesting discussion on Slate's XX blog about Palin and anti-intellectualism, including the following post:

I don't doubt that there are some people who proudly call themselves anti-intellectual. I think most people who fall into the category, whether they'd call themselves that are not, are too consumed by everyday concerns—working hard, paying the bills, maybe raising kids or taking care of elderly parents, and trying to squeeze it all in before collapsing in a heap at the end of the day—to worry about the same things that elites do. And when they're tired or stressed out, they really don't like being told their views are worth less than someone else's.

I've become increasingly frustrated with the idea that people who aren't informed are simply too busy- too loaded down with work and dealing with kids and bills- to find the time to pay attention to what's going on, and that elites are people with loads of free time who sit around drinking lattes and reading the Essays of Montaigne. I'll posit that most folks are awfully busy, and that there are plenty of "elites" who work demanding, 80 hour a week jobs, have kids, etc. The difference, perhaps, is that some people choose to read the newspaper on the train and some people do the Jumble. Some people put the kids to bed and watch American Idol and others watch Nova or Charlie Rose. The newspaper and Nova are just as accesssible to the "Joe Six Packs" as they are to the "elites," so the question is where people put their priorities. I don't think it's at all problematic to think that perhaps the people who think that it's more important to be informed about science or government than to know what Perez Hilton said about Britney should be the ones running the show.