Maga opposition to expertise?

[Anonymous]

Could some of the Maga opposition to expertise (scientists, economists, medical workers, etc) be rooted in racism and mysogyny?

They are increasingly encountering doctors, nurses, etc who are nonwhite and/or female instea of the white Christian male they've been brainwashed to worship so is the issue for them really the fact that Dr. Jha is not Dr. John Wayne?

[Anonymous]

Yes but I also think the internet has helped the death of the expert. Now anyone can be an expert. Remember all the MAGA who “did their own research” during Covid? You know the folks who barely passed their high school science classes but suddenly understands complex scientific studies set ups and FDA regulatory process. MAGA has a general disdain for the educated. I know because my Fox News brainwashed dad would call me up and start ranting against my education. The same one that he used to be so proud of before he was poisoned.

[Anonymous]

Yes, OP. You are both right but folks don't like to admit they are racist.

[Anonymous]

It has to do with giving everyone participation trophies when they were little.

[Anonymous]

It’s an opposition to education.

[Anonymous]

Hell yeah! My homophobic in laws refuse to acknowledge mayor Pete’s transportation expertise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It has to do with giving everyone participation trophies when they were little.

This is silly. Boomers and GenX didn’t have these.

[Anonymous]

They are like their leaders (remember Trump with the hurricane map?) The internet makes everyone an expert these days and then you get the Kruger Dunning-Kruger effect.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

I remember reading a MAGA thread where someone pointed out that the OP made a grammatical error. OP's response was typical. "What makes these grammar rules the right ones, anyway?"

They spurn accepted practices in science, medicine, and now grammar. I just can't with these people.

[Anonymous]

No. Fundamentally is populist agitators whipping up angry working class against “intellectuals” and education to get or to keep their grip on power.

In some cases there might be race or gender as an additional reason for hate but this is not primarily a race/gender/religion/ sexual orientation issue. The most hated person, Dr. Fauci, is a white man as Trump and hacks who promoted hydroxy whateveritsname fake cure. Look at tucker Carlson’s shows. He is a white super privileged man who got the best education, certainly not a farmer from Oklahoma or a miner from Arkansas, but he styles himself as the man of the people, standing up against the educated coastal elites (he is one of them!!!) who laugh at the plight and desperation of white working class middle America, sipping champagne in their country clubs and spending $$$$ to give white glove treatment to hordes of illegals, and so on while hardworking Americans are scraping by. Look back at Germany in the years going to 1933, the cultural revolution in China. Hate for educated and competent people, just a ploy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could some of the Maga opposition to expertise (scientists, economists, medical workers, etc) be rooted in racism and mysogyny?

They are increasingly encountering doctors, nurses, etc who are nonwhite and/or female instea of the white Christian male they've been brainwashed to worship so is the issue for them really the fact that Dr. Jha is not Dr. John Wayne?

This is how authoritarianism works. All knowledge is empowered in the leader, everyone else is just making noise. So belittling scientist, whether COVID or Climate, belittling "liberal campuses", undermining public education - it is all part of the same extreme right wing game.

Stop letting them do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. Fundamentally is populist agitators whipping up angry working class against “intellectuals” and education to get or to keep their grip on power.

In some cases there might be race or gender as an additional reason for hate but this is not primarily a race/gender/religion/ sexual orientation issue. The most hated person, Dr. Fauci, is a white man as Trump and hacks who promoted hydroxy whateveritsname fake cure. Look at tucker Carlson’s shows. He is a white super privileged man who got the best education, certainly not a farmer from Oklahoma or a miner from Arkansas, but he styles himself as the man of the people, standing up against the educated coastal elites (he is one of them!!!) who laugh at the plight and desperation of white working class middle America, sipping champagne in their country clubs and spending $$$$ to give white glove treatment to hordes of illegals, and so on while hardworking Americans are scraping by. Look back at Germany in the years going to 1933, the cultural revolution in China. Hate for educated and competent people, just a ploy

Very true.

[Anonymous]

^ Good insights, PP.

I also have a theory: many MAGA-type positions aren’t easily compatible with facts. Climate change was an early example. I’ve done a lot of research on abortion, and there are so many falsehoods there. Etc, etc, pick s subject. The increased polarization of media sources means that false claims get repeated again and again as truths.

But sooner or later, true statistics will rear their ugly heads and cause trouble. Then, your only options are either to deny the truths even further (which is part of my theory for how they get deeper and deeper into crazy ideas) or attack the messenger.

[Anonymous]

Y'all cain't take away mah freedom.

[Anonymous]

They are all paranoia and stereotypes. Even the educated MAGAs are anti-intellectual simpletons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s an opposition to education.

+1. Republicans went against education under Reagan. Prior to the 1980’s they were the “educated” party