Is the "Average American" AFRAID of "smart people"?

[johnaries]

OK, looking back to the 200 Election (Oh, no. not again!) and the "excuse" that a lot of Americans voted for Bush over Gore (not a majority, but enough to allow Bush to steal the election) because "he's the guy I would like to have a beer with":
I know, it sounds outrageous to us here on DU, but what are these people REALLY saying?
Remember, we here on DU have access to more information than the "average American" and are much more well-informed.
Think about it - the Average American has dealt with one version or another of a "used car salesman". The old saying "if you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit" is alive and well in the USA.
Al Gore is one of the smartest people on the planet. He is a true Renaissance Man, in that although he is not an "expert" in any particular field, he is wise enough to understand any expert in almost any field.
Al is th Leonardo da Vinci of our time.
To most of us here on DU, this is exactly what we are looking for!
But, to many others in the US, he consistently "talks over their heads".
So many people in the US are used to people trying to "baffle them with bullshit", they can't recognize when someone is dazzling in their brilliance.

It's not their fault.

Now, before I go any further, I am NOT defending the Republican Leadership. They are the most foul people on Earth. I am defending the victims of Republican Leadership, who are bing unwittingly manipulated by this despicable "leadership".

We are used to putting out the message, and thinking that if the Truth is known, everyone will flock to our cause.

However, the Truth is often complicated, and people tend to prefer simple explanations. They want Black and White, when the world is not even shades of grey but a veritable rainbow kaliedescope of colors.
But every time someone tried to explain that to them, it sounds like another used car salesman try to "baffle them with bullshit".

The bottom line is TRUST. How do we get them to trust the guy who is smarter than the rest of us and talks over so many people's heads?

Most people trust someone that they can have a beer with or invite to their bar-be-que.

Let's also remember that Human Beings prefer to believe things that they WANT to believe. That makes it extremely difficult when you are trying to warn someone about something like Climate Change. Something that seems "over the horizon" when they want to buy an SUV and they are more concerned about how well their kid is playing in Soccor than whether or not their will be a world left when their kid becomes an adult.

Al Gore has gained a lot of credibility. He has won award after award. But, he has fallen out of love with politics, and can any of us here blame him? I am still holding out a glimmer of hope that he will still run, but even as his biggest cheerleader I have to admit that he probably won't run and I don't blame him one damn bit.

I only hope that whoever wins the Dem nomination will learn from Gore's example.

[nightrider767]

1. It's Not Easy Being An AMerican

I think AMericans are just apathetic. Not because they aren't intelligent people, but because deep down they realize that:

A. The system is rigged. American democracy is a myth. The grassroots are either dead or irrelevant.

B. The candidates stink. Even if they didn't stink, they certainly wouldn't go far out of there way to make any difference in the average persons life.

C. Even the news is rigged. AMericans know that news corps are for profit, so the news is filtered, screened, tested, polished and displayed. It's no wonder people never read articles in their entirety.

D. It's never going to end.

So people buys home, get cable, watch tv, drive big cars and try to forget the insanity of it. I think we're all waiting for a leader who inspires. Someone who makes us dream and believe in ourselves again. SOmeone who could open up washington once and for all, and use that transparency and the will of the people to clean house in COngress.

[niyad]

2. I would never invite the brain dead to MY bbq--I prefer the company of intelligent people.

sadly, however, I understand at a most personal level what you are talking about. until I went to college, I was regarded with disdain, and, in some cases, actual fear, because, horror of horrors, I was not only intelligent, I was female (double whammy there)

sad commentary on the american populace.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

5. I understand. -- I went thru the same thing.

In high school I was smart, taking college prep courses, wore glasses, played two instruments in the orchestra, and couldn't get a date. Everybody knew that smart girls couldn't get dates unless they were also cheerleaders or drill team leaders. I had no interest in those activities because they were related to sports.

I saw absolutely no reason to act stupid.

It's amazing how many men are threatened and intimidated by an intelligent female. And even worse, I'm short!!

[supernova]

3. 200 Election: Septimus Severus vs Didius Julianus

That really was a hard fought contest:

200 AD Septimius Severus-Septimius Severus came to power at the point of a sword. Severus first challenged Didius Julianus who was the highest bidder to become emperor at a auction held by the Praetorian Guard. Severus went on to defeat Septimius Albinus and Pescennius Niger, each head of his own legion and each claiming the right to be Emperor.

http://www.historycentral.com/dates/200ad.html

[MrSlayer]

4. No, they just don't like them.

You know how it is, America is like high school. The smart people are derided and the jocks and bullies are lauded.

[man4allcats]

6. Re: Is the "Average American" AFRAID of "smart people"?

The average American is an idiot. According to MENSA of which I am not a member, 2% of the population has an IQ equal to or greater than Al Gore's. That doesn't necessarily mean the remaining 98% are genetically stupid. If they are too ignorant to listen to and evaluate the ideas and concepts of a smart person, then they don't deserve the freedom they are losing. Democracy requires work and thought. It doesn't require a population of geniuses. Don't want to put forth the mental effort required to be a free and independent person? Fine. Anyone that lazy is nothing more nor less than an idiot!

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. Yes but anti authoritanism is a hallmark of closed societies

too... and the GOP has worked hard to make intellectuals effete crazy people

[Think82]

8. I dunno. I like to have beers with people who can form complete sentences

[napi21]

9. People vote for the candidate THEY LIKE. Few really know about

their candidate's positions on things or what promises they've made, or even their voting record if they have one. They don't pay much attention to political ads on TV until a few weeks before the election, and then vote on the PERSON they see and hear because THEY JUST LIKE THAT GUY!

The statement "he's the one I'd like to have a beer with" is a bit of an oversimplification, but it's TRUE!

[DrDan]

10. absolutely - look at the total disdain for those teaching at the university . . .

or public school teachers . . .

The average reich-winger cannot understand, therefore, they turn away from intelligent people. They have been taught to do that from the likes of rush, and sean, and glenn.

[KT2000]

11. America is all about me

How does that candidate make me feel about myself.
Smart ones make people feel stupid and they require us to think by challenging us - too much work. America has become sloppy, lazy, cheap and selfish on the whole.

[Danger Mouse]

12. Bush gained as much support as he did...by playing the fool.

[piedmont]

13. As much as I like Al, comparing him to da Vinci is a loooooong stretch.

Leonardo was a MASTER of several fields that were/are required advanced cognition and dexterity.

[Uncle Joe]

14. I don't believe it's the average ones so much as the insecure ones.

The media know this, after decades of studying mass psychology and marketing, they know exactly how to divide or distract the people, whenever the people get too close to any Inconvenient Truth. They know which bells to ring in order to make any given dog lather at the mouth, Pavlov would be proud. All those marketing polls and surveys they send out serve one primary purpose, how can they make money from it. Instead of using this precious vast accumulation of information on the American People to uplift, enlighten, inspire and unite them, too much of it is used to tear down, confuse, distract and divide the people.

We're all programmed to a large extent by our life experiences, region, race, gender, age, income status, even high school group, jock, nerd, freak, loner etc. Two military maxims come to mind here, know your enemy and divide and conquer. Some in the Republican Party consider the Democratic Party enemies and vice versa, as opposed to being political opponents or competitors. The media are more than happy to whip this frenzy up because most if not all of the owners and CEOs of the media lean Republican because they make so much money they don't deal with the harsh realities most Americans do, most of them simply can't relate. The only way, their sympathetic party could stay in power is by them cynically exploiting those two military maxims. No doubt the media hedge their bet by enabling some sympathetic Democrats who are more concerned with feathering their own nest than representing the people that voted them in to office.

[cigsandcoffee]

15. The average American is smart, IMO.

They can be too trusting of broad generalizatiosn and empty promises, but they're not fooled for long.

[ikojo]

16. There is a strong anti intellectual strain in the American

culture. Americans appreciate what smart people do for the country, but when push comes to shove, they don't want to be around smart, well read people. Just look at the schools....are pep rallies held for academic achievement?

[nightrider767]

18. I think this debate over done

I think most people are alike in most countries and it's not an American thing. People tend to gravitate toward people they have things in common with. Morons tend to hang with morons, egg-heads with egg-heads, and the average IQ's with average IQ's.

If you're an egg-head, half the things a moron says to you will blow right past you. The conversation will drag and the whole event will turn into one huge bore. But the important thing to remember is that the lower IQ person feels just as bored and bothered talking to you. They may actually walk away thinking you're the dummy.

You're speaking a language they don't understand. And there's no recovering because even if you slowly clue them in, they start to feel uncomfortable and maybe even threatened.

So if you're an IQ 130+ and are not the hit of the party or the talk of the town at "Mel's Pub" don't blame it on America. It's human nature..

[sandnsea]

17. Who am I when I vote for you

They are masters at turning Dem voters into sniveling bark eaters who wouldn't fight a rabbit for a carrot if they were starving, or would study the entire ecosystem while refusing the carrot to their crying child.

They are masters of manipulation because they come out of radio where you need to use concise and vivid words.

That's what we need to learn.