Thinking, or Some Poor Semblance Thereof

Professor Re-Reformed,  :)

First, allow me to fill in a pop culture gap for our younger readers that you tossed out in your last blog title. Here's the link for the background on the television show, Room 222.

"What we need are more groovy teachers like you." (LOL)



For all the explanations that Hedges offers up in this chapter of what is wrong, I was actually struck by a question he asks: "How will we cope with our decline? Will we cling to the absurd dreams of a superpower and the fantasies of a glorious tomorrow, or will we responsibly face our stark, new limitations? Will we heed those who are sober and rational, those who speak of a new simplicity and humility, or will we follow the demagogues and charlatans who rise up in moments of crisis and panic to offer fantastic visions of escape?" p. 145

The question above represents not only this chapter but the entire work, indeed the entire culture. A shockingly accurate example of where we are is on display in this election cycle. While we are looking for answers to those pointed questions, we are constantly presented with simple explanations and divisive rhetoric. Words are twisted, intentions misrepresented, and misinformation offered up as fact. This week, while Santorum was pandering to his ultra-conservative base, he said:

"President Obama once said he wants everybody in America to go to college. What a snob.”


“There are good decent men and women who go out and work hard every day and put their skills to test that aren’t taught by some liberal college professor trying to indoctrinate them...”

And a good bit of other nonsense I won't quote here. Are we now drifting so far off course that we not only don't want deep thinkers but we want the very IDEA of intellectualism to be something that carries with it a smear of disdain and suspicion? Must every professor be labeled a liberal? Is all teaching to be categorized as "indoctrination?" 


We see this so often.  A truth--that everyone doesn't need to go to college--shrouded in vaporous accusation and twisted into some insidious scheme for brainwashing the masses. Meanwhile much of that work has already been accomplished in all sorts of other ways including politicians, like Santorum, explaining (to cheering crowds, no less) that critical thinking isn't important. Though the 99% crowd wants to make it clear that there is economic class warfare the equally damaging war may be the one being waged against anyone capable of turning ideas over, recognizing nuance, and speaking the truth about those "stark new limitations" Hedges wants us to recognize.

We are now barreling headlong towards a wasteland devoid of critical thought. I find it interesting that more people don't see the danger in that. But as you like to point out we have no historical reference any more for how that might play out.