[extropy-chat] Enlightenment and the election

J. Andrew Rogers andrew at ceruleansystems.com
Wed Nov 10 01:41:56 UTC 2004


Brent Neal wrote:
> You know, if the smart folks tend to preferentially vote for someone,
> I'd consider that carefully.  Even though our status as educated seems
> to attract disdain from you, my experience is that we tend to think
> more about our own choices, and not what our preacher tells us to do. 


There is no evidence in this particular election that the smart folks
preferentially voted any one way.  Most self-described big city liberals
are as provincial and poorly educated as your average flyover country
resident, they just choose to let their ignorance shine in different
areas, and tend to believe in the myth of their intellectual skills a
little more.  Just because you like a different flavor of Kool-Aid does
not change the fact that you are still drinking Kool-Aid.  There is no
shortage of tools and frauds on both sides, and being trendy or
fashionable is not an indication of credibility.


In practice, blue state folks are just as ignorant of science,
mathematics, and culture as red state folks.  They just specialize in
different sub-areas when it comes to ignorance.  If you do not recognize
this (no matter which side you claim to be on), then you are precisely
the type of person I am talking about.

I do find that some stereotypes tend to be true.  Red-Staters tend to be
historians and tend to view things in a historical context, whereas I
find that most Blue-Staters have an appalling lack of knowledge of
history.  Blue-Staters tend to be more ethnically worldly than
Red-Staters, though not to the extent that many Blue-Staters appear to
believe.  Red-Staters are more religious on average, but not that much
and not in any way that makes a difference, since Blue-Staters have
their own quasi-religious belief systems that Red-Staters generally do
not share.

I tend to find the religious right-wing more tolerable than the
"intellectual" left-wing in that the religious right does not try to
make any claim as to the superiority of their own brain power as
individuals (that is reserved for god), whereas I've found that the
intellectual left tends to take the superiority of their thinking skills
and knowledge to be axiomatic (and hence whatever garbage may result
from it).  Appeals to god are so much cleaner and pleasant in comparison.

I don't really fall under either side, and have lived in both "parts" of
the country most of my life.  Claiming clear intellectual superiority
for team you voted for is hubris born of ignorance.


j. andrew rogers





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