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calimary

(90,078 posts)

66. Dayum! Quote of the CENTURY!

Thu Aug 22, 2013, 04:16 PM

Aug 2013

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”
— Isaac Asimov (via invisiblelad)

Good post, MrScorpio!!! Sad, infuriating, and disgraceful as hell. But one of the best quotes I've ever read. That's as good as one I found that was attributed to Adolf Hitler - "what luck for the leaders that men do not think."

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�There is a cult of ignorance in the United States..." [View all] MrScorpio Aug 2013 OP

+ 1 cantbeserious Aug 2013 #1

K & R !!! WillyT Aug 2013 #2

Yes. PDJane Aug 2013 #3

Ignorance is bliss is becoming the national past-time snappyturtle Aug 2013 #4

Read H.L. Mencken's words on the Scopes Trial hobbit709 Aug 2013 #5

"Mencken had built his career as a sharp-tongued opponent to all such established orthodoxies." Bernardo de La Paz Aug 2013 #85

k&r brother n/t RainDog Aug 2013 #6

Message auto-removed Name removed Aug 2013 #7

It's not hard to see who's to blame... MrScorpio Aug 2013 #8

Message auto-removed Name removed Aug 2013 #9

+1 Believing vs Thinking Beartracks Aug 2013 #11

+1000 kentuck Aug 2013 #25

...and part of the Gadsden Flag on the other side of the doorway. Buns_of_Fire Aug 2013 #63

Amen to that brother! Phlem Aug 2013 #10

March of a stupid people Agony Aug 2013 #12

The Marching Morons Jackpine Radical Aug 2013 #15

Day Of The Moron hobbit709 Aug 2013 #17

I used to love Piper, but hadn't read any of it in decades. Jackpine Radical Aug 2013 #18

Gutenberg Project has all his stuff hobbit709 Aug 2013 #19

I've got a lot of Gutenburg stuff on my readers. Jackpine Radical Aug 2013 #21

congrats are due you on 15k milestone!!! Agony Aug 2013 #22

Yes!!! navarth Aug 2013 #57

Advertising and Branding has Reached a Pinnacle ...And it needs to get Taken Down... KoKo Aug 2013 #81

Best line... Grins Aug 2013 #48

I recall the scene vividly. Yup. Jackpine Radical Aug 2013 #60

I think it's deliberate Richard D Aug 2013 #13

Our Republicans are proud to continue the Dark Ages. Half-Century Man Aug 2013 #14

The truth sulphurdunn Aug 2013 #80

they want an all-encompassing FATHER church--think about how they treat mothers. niyad Aug 2013 #89

Uhhh, no I'm right, A surf, in this case, is a wet peasant. Half-Century Man Aug 2013 #93

Willfully, no, gleefully ignorant. Proud to be dumbasses NightWatcher Aug 2013 #16

Amen to that one! kentuck Aug 2013 #20

USA USA (chant) paland99 Aug 2013 #23

yes, depressingly true. n/t irisblue Aug 2013 #24

The way I put it,... Spitfire of ATJ Aug 2013 #26

Isaack WHO? Rebellious Republican Aug 2013 #27

Not just ignorance, chervilant Aug 2013 #28

Many thanks for the reference, I am not familiar with this author! Rebellious Republican Aug 2013 #30

Choice Bernardo de La Paz Aug 2013 #73

Thanks. defacto7 Aug 2013 #29

This cult has been around and promulgated by even our Presidentes .... MindMover Aug 2013 #31

And would-be presidents: Bernardo de La Paz Aug 2013 #77

Especially in Louisiana... dsharp88 Aug 2013 #32

Mr Asimov makes a good point. Omnith Aug 2013 #33

This message was self-deleted by its author ieoeja Aug 2013 #36

Remember Falwell and others repeating the line louis-t Aug 2013 #46

Back in the '60s, I saw a bumper sticker that read Art_from_Ark Aug 2013 #86

Republic of......Ireland? the Congo? Texas? SammyWinstonJack Aug 2013 #61

Bookmarked sakabatou Aug 2013 #34

Cult is the proper term bluedeathray Aug 2013 #35

My inlaws belong to a "cult of ignorance." It's their church! mountain grammy Aug 2013 #37

My irony meter just broke its needle. grantcart Aug 2013 #38

Purple Puzzledtraveller Aug 2013 #39

+10000 heaven05 Aug 2013 #40

America, land of the dumbshits. Sad, but true. polichick Aug 2013 #41

Didn't a high percentage of Louisiana Republicans NewJeffCT Aug 2013 #42

I've always said, BillyRibs Aug 2013 #43

Ignorance? kentuck Aug 2013 #44

Excellent quote Bunnahabhain Aug 2013 #45

I rec alost every post you write. Some I may have missed but... Little Star Aug 2013 #47

no shit Chaco Dundee Aug 2013 #49

But... dinosaurs and man coexisted! Only 4 elements! Pi is exactly 3! Teach the controversy! ck4829 Aug 2013 #50

there's a cult of arrogance too hfojvt Aug 2013 #51

It's arrogant to be smart and call out stupidity? CBGLuthier Aug 2013 #52

it's arrogant to think you are smart hfojvt Aug 2013 #54

Nonsense CBGLuthier Aug 2013 #56

and so have I hfojvt Aug 2013 #64

Stupidity always begets violence Ocelot Aug 2013 #67

Unfortunately, hfojvt wrote "You wanna call her stupid and you might just lose some teeth." nt Bernardo de La Paz Aug 2013 #69

The discussion is not about strawberry shortcake vs. thermodynamics. Bernardo de La Paz Aug 2013 #68

the OP made no mention of Louisiana hfojvt Aug 2013 #98

People can be great and stupid at the same time. Duh. Bernardo de La Paz Aug 2013 #65

actually it does hfojvt Aug 2013 #95

You conflate intelligence with knowledge. The two are different. nt Bernardo de La Paz Aug 2013 #99

When 29% of Louisiana Republicans surveyed blame Obama for the poor response to hurricane Katrina, tclambert Aug 2013 #88

Ignorance is worthy of sympthy Shankapotomus Aug 2013 #94

Goman na hitoga kirada AsahinaKimi Aug 2013 #83

Gort, Klaatu barada nikto. tclambert Aug 2013 #87

... AsahinaKimi Aug 2013 #92

dozo yoroshiku hfojvt Aug 2013 #96

demo AsahinaKimi Aug 2013 #97

The movie "Idiocracy" is prescient Ocelot Aug 2013 #53

It was a documnetary... GoCubsGo Aug 2013 #72

Fudruckers! ileus Aug 2013 #55

More than a cult, it is an epidemic. n/t Egalitarian Thug Aug 2013 #58

"The saddest aspect of life ..." Bernardo de La Paz Aug 2013 #59

A graphic for MrScorpio's original post Bernardo de La Paz Aug 2013 #62

My favorite photo of Asimov is of him sitting in an armchair built out of his many,many books. Bluenorthwest Aug 2013 #84

Dayum! Quote of the CENTURY! calimary Aug 2013 #66

let's not insult the cult members noiretextatique Aug 2013 #70

Isaac nailed it Hydra Aug 2013 #71

Bravo, Mr. Asimov. Paladin Aug 2013 #74

They have pushed the purity nonsense to the extreme DearAbby Aug 2013 #75

Two philosophies (Neil deGrasse Tyson) Bernardo de La Paz Aug 2013 #76

Thank you! redstatebluegirl Aug 2013 #78

"I give it three months": Bernardo de La Paz Aug 2013 #79

It is one thing to uninformed and to know it, felix_numinous Aug 2013 #82

Damn straight!! (nt) paleotn Aug 2013 #90

Asimov was a brilliant man. Hekate Aug 2013 #91