Luke Guzman
Weekly #2
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how much I loathe the rise of anti-intellectualism. I
don’t know what sparked it initially or why people feel so righteous that they are correct, but it is
having such devastating effects on our society. It’s dragging our country into the dirt.
I used to be addicted to “debating” people on Twitter(2018-2024). I’ve noticed that in
order to justify the actions of whoever it is they are defending, they HAVE to view it through an
anti-intellectualist lens. For example, almost the entire right-wing movement is disingenuous and
anti-intellectual. For godsakes, look at their propaganda puppet right now, Nick Shirley. He
seriously is developmentally behind. If you show defenders of this movement any sort of data,
charts, theory, or reasoning, they look at you like you are crazy for even believing in your
sources. There is no ground for agreement or consensus with these people and it’s all because
the data would prove that the people they prop up, support, and stand behind are direct
antithesis to their morals.
This all comes back to anti-intellectualism. Justifying and creating a permission structure
that allows for federally contracted officers to execute civilians in the street, violate our
amendments, impede on our natural rights, and divide our communities.
I am really worried for the young people that are just a little younger than me. This
emergence of AI and reliance on it is fueling anti-intellectualism. A lot of people take the
information they get from AI for face value, like it’s fact. It is baffling that there is no questioning
why it is saying what it’s saying or where it got its sources from. My brother was cooking dinner
for my brother and I last summer. He messed up the roux and his first thought was to ask
ChatGPT. My brother and I couldn’t stop laughing for the next few days that the meal served to
us was a CHATGPT MEAL. We made so much fun of him it was so funny.