Reply #54: It's because we live in an anti-intellectual culture [View All]

aided and abetted by the mass media, which tell us that all we need is athletic ability, physical beauty, and the Right Stuff (literally stuff, as in material possessions).

Only nerds know things.

Being ignorant is cute.

If you know things that other people don't, you're an elitist, and not one of the cool kids.

If you do know things, you shouldn't be singled out in any way, because that would make you snobbish.

Preferably, you should atone for your intelligence by taking up a sport or cheerleading, and then maybe, just maybe, the cool kids won't laugh at you or beat you up.

If you like to read, your relatives will think there's something wrong with you.

When you're grown up, people will be surprised if you know things outside your narrow specialty.

They will shrug when you talk of your travels and say, "I've got everything I want right here."

They voted for Bush because Gore was "too intellectual."