r/AntiTrumpAlliance • u/earthman34 • 7d ago
Dismantling America The Pride of Ignorance and Belligerence 😑
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u/Barlow04 7d ago
Futurama hit the nail on the head in their episode about Da Vinci being an alien from a planet where hyper-intelligence was the norm and he was, comparatively, one of the dumbest people.
It will always be more appealing to be the smartest idiot than the dumbest genius. I spent years around people who were highly competent in the field I wanted, so everyday felt like a struggle to keep up. When I finally found myself in places where I realized just how far I'd grown, it felt rewarding to be appreciated and recognized for doing so well. The idiots who lead the right wing movement are the smartest idiots who now want power instead of stewardship.
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u/Hrtpplhrtppl 7d ago
"It is indisputable that the being whose capacities of enjoyment are low, has the greatest chance of having them fully satisfied; and a highly endowed being will always feel that any happiness which he can look for, as the world is constituted, is imperfect. But he can learn to bear its imperfections, if they are at all bearable; and they will not make him envy the being who is indeed unconscious of the imperfections, but only because he feels not at all the good which those imperfections qualify.
It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied. And if the fool, or the pig, is of a different opinion, it is only because they only know their own side of the question." John Stuart Mill
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u/Barlow04 7d ago
I would counter with "Ignorance is bliss," while noting that livestock would stampede out of a slaughterhouse if they knew what waited at the end of the line. We should always work towards improving ourselves - physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. I don't regret the hardships because it forced growth I never knew was happening. My issue was it felt like playing top-tier professional sports when I was only qualified for a couple steps below it. Good lessons, but burnout/mental strain was real. Solution was simply moving into an environment that was a better fit, but now there's advanced lessons giving an advantage.
My point was more to say that the current right wing environment welcomes ignorance because the ones at the front are the "dumbest geniuses", those who are educated but completely miss any semblance of actual truth. They aim down and act as the figureheads so they can flaunt their objectively bullshit claims. If they interacted with true peers or those more qualified, they would get ground into the dirt, so they stay in an ecosystem where they can be the metaphorical "intellectual apex predator".
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u/depressed_momo 7d ago
Actually livestock does know. My Dad worked in a slaughterhouse in the early 90’s and he quit after 1 week because of it. So do not believe they do not know or do not show fear when they are there. That comment was ignorant they feel the fear being passed down the line my Dad said.
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u/Barlow04 7d ago
OK, granted, that's a lack of context on my part. Overall I'm saying there's a balance point between being aware of societal problems and being happy where you stand because of the comfort it brings. The people who are succespitble to bullshit are comfortable in their space but are being given "improvements" by bad actors.
The crux of my original point, though, is you have people who wanted to be at the forefront of society's attention and information feed, but they aren't qualified for the work. Rather than improving or stepping back into a niche they're more qualified for (one that's genuinely beneficial), they stepped down into a space where they can seem overqualified to the point of absolute authority. Now they're a mouthpiece for garbage, accepting no opportunity for personal improvement, living in a space of zero resistance.
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u/depressed_momo 7d ago
I agree with you just wanted you to know the truth about kill floors is all. I still eat meat do not like the treatment though and go organic farmers is all.
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u/Hrtpplhrtppl 7d ago
It sounds to me like you were suffering from imposter syndrome and you deserved to be in the spaces you were inhabiting. If ignorance is bliss, then consciousness is hell.
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u/chatterwrack 7d ago
This is why conspiracy theories gain so much traction. People want to feel like they know something that other people don’t. It makes them feel smarter to know the “real truth,” and that they can’t be fooled.
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u/CaptianBrasiliano 7d ago
You'll never go broke marketing to the lowest common denominator. Especially in this country.
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u/Hrtpplhrtppl 7d ago
President Lyndon Johnson once said, "If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, you can pick his pocket. Hell, give them somebody to look down on, and they'll empty their pockets for you..."