Many moons ago I noted here at the blog that I’d be drafting an encyclopedia article on “Anti-Intellectualism in American Life.” I’ve begun and am now deep into endeavor. I have a reasonably thorough outline, and many words drafted (out of 3500 possible) with that structure in mind. I like what I’ve done so far, but this is a good spot for posing a question—i.e. a blog survey, a blurvey(!):
What’s a sub-topic, event, person, or issue from the last 40-45 years that *you believe* shouldn’t be missed in an article covering this time frame?
If you’re inclined to participate, please use a sentence or two to justify your contribution. I promise to reply to, and maybe even argue with, every suggestion. – TL
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There should definitely should be something about the Republican strategy of painting Barack Obama as an out-of-touch egghead elite. Although this was a less explicitly racial line of attack than what has come out of Tea Party circles, it was nonetheless deeply gendered. Some media scholars have written on gender and representations of Obama in the press.
I’m not sure if there’s a neat, simple “issue” to examine here, but I think the dominance of professional schools (specifically business and education) over the last 40 years is in part a reflection of the shift from college denoting “intellectual” to college as a credential/skill. Undoubtedly, a number of factors contributed to this shift, but anti-intellectualism (at least anecdotally from my undergrad years at a Christian university) is a significant one.