Anti-intellectualism is a longstanding epidemic in the U.S., with its prominence fluctuating throughout history. Modern politics are a true embodiment of how political ideologies can shape cultural thought surrounding the legitimacy of academia, higher education and the role of those institutions in society.
Today under Trump’s second term, universities are facing withdrawn government support – with his administration pushing for changes in how they operate, investigations and revoking imperative funding in some cases.
State-level attacks on DEI demonstrate government interference in academic control of curriculum and department decisions, that are traditionally made by the institutions themselves, especially private ones.
Universities find themselves in a tough position, trying to balance the need for federal support and funding with protecting the autonomy of academia.
In public education, conservatives have become increasingly concerned in recent years with the “woke agenda.” Groups like Moms for Liberty, Turning Point USA and Trump’s administration itself have moved to “end radical indoctrination in K-12 schooling” by putting teachers on watchlists, further expelling DEI programs – arguing equity is discriminatory, advocating for policies that restrict teachings on race, gender and identity, opposing classes on critical race theory, LGBTQ+ rights and other diversity initiatives.
These conservative moves to uphold traditional principles in the classroom are not as astounding as they seem on the surface. In a country built on the genocide of native peoples, slavery, imperialism and the exploitation of labor, where women didn’t get the right to vote until 144 years after the nation was founded, it makes all the sense in the world for conservative values to be consistent with ensuring marginalized communities stay marginalized. At their core, these values are anti-intellectual– actively resisting education opportunities that challenge traditional, often oppressive views of history and society.
Despite the abhorrent privilege-hoarding nature of conservative attitudes that condemn higher education for its progressive agenda, in some ways, I resonate with anti-intellectualism, not in regards to hostility to knowledge, but in tension with academia.
College students, with mountains of assigned reading of various scholarly literature, know well how pretentious academia can be. With my own assigned readings, I’ve noticed academics using needlessly jargon-filled writing that is time-consuming for me to break down and understand.
Yes, it is hard, it is a lot of work, but that’s not the problem. Writing that is on such a high level it’s nearly incomprehensible — writing that intellects put on such a high pedestal — frustrates me to no end. While the material is interesting and valuable, the way it’s written almost feels like it’s gatekeeping the knowledge for its own self-interested incentives of self-importance.
Scott Galloway, a professor of marketing at the NYU Stern School of Business described this phenomenon in a snippet of a presentation posted to his social media like this:
“We [academics] used to be the upward mobility of the middle class and America. We’ve now become a caste system as we’ve become drunk on exclusivity, failing to realize we’re public servants, not luxury brands, and failed to increase the number of seats across universities across America so we can say that 90% of our applicants didn’t get in. Which in my view is tantamount to a homeless shelter bragging that we turned away 90% of the people last year.”
This is not to say that the public has zero responsibility for the circumstances of their education and learning, especially in an age where technological advancements like the internet or even just public libraries are widely accessible. The system itself and barriers that have been put in place along the way have created a landscape where access to knowledge is increasingly restricted, not by lack of ability, but by gates of elitism.
As a result, pretentiousness in the scholarly sphere not only alienates the majority, but helps perpetuate a systemic cycle where a select few, often the already privileged, can contribute to and be a part of the intellectual discourse and issues that shape society, policy and the future.
By being an elitist club, academia is upholding a system that intentionally keeps people uninformed to control them.
If we truly believe in the democratization of knowledge, then the language, the access and the structure must evolve to reflect that, rather than preserving an elitist standard that undermines the very purpose of learning.
Our education systems need a massive overhaul, and one starting point for that may be reviving a passion for learning throughout society, among people of all ages. I think about the 2-6-year-olds on the autism spectrum who I work with, and day in and out, I am amazed by their profound love for learning. Their curiosity, passion and zest to know the ins and outs of the world– whether it’s for their ABCs, numbers, colors, animals, music, or construction trucks — is something we can all learn from.
I speak for myself too, when I contend that as a society, we need to relearn how to love seeking knowledge, being curious and making discoveries big and small. Learning should not merely be a task or a means to an end. Learning is a lifelong choice — to enjoy oneself, for fun, to grow, connect, explore and reform.
