Why were the early 2010s so vapid and anti intellectual?

[Nihilist74]

It was a time period similar to the 80s. George W Bush was president from 2000-2008. He helped pass a lot of tax cuts for the rich just like Ronald Reagan did. I would imagine he cut a lot of capital gains taxes too. There was a lot of corruption with defense contractors for the Iraq war.
I wonder if a lot of people felt like the Vietnam era felt similar to the Reaganomics 80s? I don't think they had a lot of trickle-down economic policies then so it probably was not as similar.

[Veggie50]

Ha, OP acting like that's a 2010's thing, instead of always having been so.

Due to social media, it just becomes more visible.

[Combatbutler]

Seeing people today actively killing themselves BY. THE. THOUSANDS. in the name of lies by refusing to get vaccinated or do even the slightest precaution to not kill each other of a plague I'm horrified at the very real prospect the solution is to let them die.

I never in my wildest nightmares imagined people could be so stubborn as to willfully kill themselves over lies to this scale. But, eventually, after taking many, many innocents out with them, we might be left with children seeing the wake of devastation capable of going "well, that sucked. Let's try something different." Involving actually trusting doctors and thinking critically about ideas before accepting them.

How is any of this surprising? To be honest, stuff like this is basic humanity in a nutshell.

[Powerogue]

How is any of this surprising? To be honest, stuff like this is basic humanity in a nutshell.

I'm still young enough this is my first apocalyptic scale, ignorance-driven mass-suicide event.

[Karreck]

There has always been a strong undercurrent of anti-intellectualism in America.

[Combatbutler]

I'm still young enough this is my first apocalyptic scale, ignorance-driven mass-suicide event.

Unfortunately an apocalyptic threat is unnecessary for such human behavior, people usually just hide it better.

[Dzonathan]

Tell me OP how did making higher education as a standard worked out?

[Magical Mudcrab]

Seeing people today actively killing themselves BY. THE. THOUSANDS. in the name of lies by refusing to get vaccinated or do even the slightest precaution to not kill each other of a plague I'm horrified at the very real prospect the solution is to let them die.

Them dying isn't the problem, the problem is that them getting sick from not being vaccinated will get other people sick and cause those people to die. We push for the anti-vax crowd to change their mind because in their efforts to kill themselves and their families they will drag other people down with them, esp. people with compromised immune systems or cannot get vaccinated for legitimate reasons.

[Ursus]

Tell me OP how did making higher education as a standard worked out?

That arranged can be.

[Kaleredar]

So... the early 2010's which was Obama's admin (2009-2016) is somehow Bush's fault? Don't get me wrong, I thought Bush was an absolute dummy and a puppet for his party, but how is that not Obama's fault?

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It's great! I had a part time professor that worked for Nasa for a few years (till Obama stripped their funding) with a masters degree in astrophysics was working full time at a sprint kiosk in a best buy. Clearly everyone having a degree is a good thing, that way if everyone has degrees, then no one sticks out and how you have people with absurd student debt working crappy jobs so that way you know that even your burger flippers have a bachelor's degree! (this actually is a true story)

But seriously, this is the problem when people scream free education or push for everyone to have degrees. The average degree becomes the standard and anything below it is sub par because employers can always get something better.

It was begun under Bush’s tenure and continued as a conservative reaction to Obama.

…and continues to this day with Trump and his anti-mask, anti-vaccine sycophants.

[Khaza-R]

As opposed to currently? Everyone being hyper focused politics and attempting to bring it into every facet of life.

Yeah, I would gladly take the early 2010s over this BS anyday.

[Dzonathan]

What is this post trying to say? I feel like it's trying to shit on education for some reason? But before I make the obvious jokes present....

That higher education is no longer a meaningful deal breaker like it used to be.
Employer always seek special people who stand out.
Higher education no longer stands out as its just a matter of taking a painful loan.

[Shadowferal]

That higher education is no longer a meaningful deal breaker like it used to be.
Employer always seek special people who stand out.
Higher education no longer stands out as its just a matter of taking a painful loan.

You're proving the thread's point.

[Dzonathan]

Nice take. I will go let my colleagues know that we all didn't have to get Master's desgrees and PhDs in order to become clinicians, all we had to do was be special.

Because all you needed to get was just those degrees and nothing else amirite?

[Shadowferal]

Because all you needed to get was just those degrees and nothing else amirite?

Better those degrees than try to convince an employer that "you got this!"

[Wewlad]

I'll take honest vapidity (ie laid back and unpretentious) over faux-intellectualism that OP reeks of.