An American Value That Must Be Condemned: Anti-Intellectualism
Anti-intellectualism is not a modern phenomenon. It is deeply embedded in American history, shaped by the nation’s founding ideals and sustained by populist rhetoric. In early America, the notion of the “self-made man” took precedence over academic learning. To be intellectual was to be disconnected from faith, morality, and action—values upon which they believed America was built.
The Weaponization of Ignorance
Anti-intellectualism, the skepticism or outright hostility toward education, expertise, and critical thinking, isn’t just a result of people lacking access to education. Instead, it is reinforced by cultural and political forces that devalue knowledge. While wealth does influence the quality of education a person receives, the larger issue is how society—through political rhetoric, media, and policy choices—discourages intellectual engagement, even among those with formal education. Researcher Matt Motta found that one in three Americans holds anti-intellectual views. This attitude is not confined to those without formal education; even degree holders can harbor deep distrust toward experts, academia, and science-based facts.
The Modern Faces of Anti-Intellectualism
A clear example of anti-intellectualism is the weaponization of terms like “woke”, “DEI”, and the politicization of COVID-19. Once a call for social awareness, “woke” has been twisted into a pejorative used by the political right and some centrists to mock progressive movements as insincere. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made this hostility explicit at a 2022 GOP rally, declaring, “We must fight ‘the woke’ in our schools… in our businesses… in government agencies. We can never, ever surrender to woke ideology. And I’ll tell you this, the state of Florida is where woke goes to die.”
The COVID-19 pandemic turned scientific expertise into a political battleground. Instead of being seen as necessary public health tools, masks were framed as symbols of government overreach and liberal hysteria. Donald Trump, DeSantis, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott positioned their resistance to COVID safety measures as a defense of “personal freedom,” despite overwhelming medical consensus on their effectiveness. The rejection of expert advice became an act of ideological defiance, transforming skepticism toward knowledge itself into a political identity. This deliberate undermining of medical expertise not only contributed to preventable deaths but also reinforced a culture in which science and fact-based reasoning were dismissed in favor of partisan loyalty.
Reclaiming Curiosity
As I wrote last week about not letting being benched lead to disengagement from politics, this article yields the same sentiment. It is our responsibility to challenge these narratives, seek out credible sources, and engage in conversations that promote knowledge over propaganda and populism. Anti-intellectualism thrives in apathy, but by remaining proactive in our pursuit of truth, we push back against the forces that seek to undermine critical thought.
