Anti-Intellectualism : Why We Hate The Smart KidsBy Grant Penrod

The context of this definition implies that people in American society today have aquired such a demonstrative way to define those who choose to apply themselves in and out of the classroom. The writer illustrates the statement that even at the prestigious institute Harvard University, the concept of being academically superior to others is not only frowned upon, but is hidden. With its notorious success and respect from all over, a feeling of shock is taken in a sense that students are known for their great attitude and drive for greatness. However, students at Harvard have adopedt the sense of being “ashamed” for their success and passion. Following the claim, the phrase “Nerds are ostracized while athletes are idolized” is expressed to provoke awareness from the reader of this harsh characterization of those who put academics first. Within the opening paragraphs, the writer values getting the concept across that people today have a problem of looking down upon those who are intelligent, resulting in these certain individuals being penitent in regard of their talents and aspirations, regardless of the school or academic

In the world of academia, from Graff’s perspective, street smarts are associated with anti-intellectualism. Graff states “we associate the educated life, the life of the mind, too narrowly and exclusively with subjects and texts that we consider inherently weighty an academic.” He argues that educators should broaden their aspect of material they once preserved as inefficient. Graff implies that a person who is studious enough can find substance in any content. He reasons that intellect can be uncovered and observed in various forms, hence the name “hidden intellectualism.” He suggests that the Education system overlooks the interest of the students because they consider their interest irrelevant.

In Gerald Graff’s essay Hidden Intellectualism he aims his writing towards schools, universities, teachers and the academic community. He responds to the situation of; teachers, schools and colleges overlooking intellectual potential of “street smarts”. His purpose in this essay is to acknowledge the readers that that there are different types of intellectualism and to point out flaws in the academia. The message Graff is trying to convey is that schools and teachers need to approach education in a different and more engaging way. In this paper, I will explain Graff’s point of view by showing you how he uses sports, personal experiences, students non-academic interest and rhetorical appeals. To give you a better understanding of Graff’s

A college degree is a valuable asset that could ultimately lead to a productive life in society due to the received education, but people without a college degree do turn out more than adequate in regards to societal success. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the forecasted 30 fastest growing jobs between 2010 and 2020, five do not require a high school diploma, nine require a high school diploma, four require an associate 's degree, six require a bachelor 's degree, and six require graduate degrees to get the jobs (College). In an article called “College Education” by ProCon.org,

In Hidden Intellectualism by Gerald Graff, he begins with the argument of “street-smarts” versus “school-smarts”. Graff explains that school-smarts can be hidden within street smarts and can be learnt through not just talking with friends, but also from the media and our surroundings, hence the “hidden” intellectualism. He goes onto explain that “schools and colleges overlook the intellectual potential of street-smarts” (198) because these types of intellectualism are actually considered anti-intellectualism. Graff then begins to discuss that intellectualism is often looked down upon within schools, and people that are considered “school-smart” are seen as nerdy, or boring. We learn that as a child, Graff was afraid of bullying and

Most people, when asked, say that a person is intelligent if they have “book smarts.” People that are book smart can write and converse about subjects taught in school. On the other hand, people with “street smarts” aren’t seen as intellectuals because the subjects they are knowledgeable about are not traditional. In his essay called “Hidden Intellectualism,” Gerald Graff insists that schools and colleges are missing an opportunity to translate street smarts into academic work.

Gerald Graff is a professor of English and education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Graff, in his essay, emphasizes the importance for instructors to teach and increase enjoyable courses that students shall truly understand. Graff assures that all kids have hidden intellectualism trying to emerge from within, and as a teacher he feels partly accountable to help those kids develop their competencies in educational work. The essence of Graff’s argument is for students to know that intellectualism lurks within them all, and they need to implement their potential at school. Furthermore, he enriches the essay based totally on his own life experiences, along with his hidden intellectualism, while he attended school during the anti-intellectualism

Towards the end of his third paragraph, Fridman delivers a short statement, “Nerds are ostracized while athletes are idolized,” that strongly projects America’s anti-intellectual values. While “nerds” and “athletes” are two obvious, contrasting beings, the antitheses reflected with the isolation of “nerds” and the praising of athletes heavily pushes the notion that “nerds” are being thrown out of a society that only appears to incorporate anti-intellectual values and undervalues scholars. In Fridman’s eighth paragraph, he illustrates how ballplayers, or athletes, are “much more respected and better paid” than the professors of the most reputable universities. Like before, he displays the divergent individuals with conflicting facts, income and respect in this case, that oppose intellectualism and promote anything but intelligence. Fridman’s use of antithesis deepens the questioning and challenge to overcome anti-intellectualism standards in American

“Hidden Intellectualism” an article written by Gerald Graff is a very interesting piece of writing intended for the audience of high school and college educators. Throughout the text Graff argues that high schools and colleges are failing to incorporate topics that interest street smart students into the school system, which is therefore resulting in street smart students failing to do well academically in high school and college. He uses his own personal anecdote to support this. Graff successfully persuades his audience that high school and colleges can develop a student’s intellectualism by using topics that already interests students. He successfully does this through the use of development, conventions, and evidence.

In the United States, there has been, and always will be a debate on education.While some feel it is very important and crucial to success, others feel it is unessential to our happiness and well being. Many assume that education and success are directly associated with intellectualism. In this essay, I will review the current trend in research on intellectualism, which many feel is to enforce pursuing a higher education, due to a common belief among the American people that those who do not receive a higher education are seemingly less intelligent. Research on this topic increasingly suggests that those who receive a higher education, tend to make more money, rating them as more successful in the eyes of

Many intelligent kids are being overlooked because of the stigma of being a “nerd,” as well as the fact that anti-intellectualism is becoming more popular. A man, author Grant Penrod, wrote “Anti-Intellectualism: Why We

In “Should the Obama Generation Drop Out?” Charles Murray believes that “a large majority of young people do not have the intellectual ability to do genuine college-level work” (95). Although this is true, not every career field requires the same level of coursework and may require different levels of intellectual ability. Also, academic intelligence should not be viewed as the only type of intelligence out there, and people with other gifts and talents should definitely be acknowledged and respected as well. Of course, most well-paying jobs require more than a high school education “…but it need not mean four years on a campus” (Murray 95). For instance, people who are aspiring to become a

In “Hidden Intellectualism,” Gerald Graff believes that individuals, who are ot interested in school, have a chance to be intellectual by inspiring them on subjects they themselves are interested in instead of forcing them to correspond with cliché historic figures. Graff begins his essay acknowledging the perception communities have on behavior of streetwise people who are looked at as “anti-intellects.” (264) Furthermore, he explains how society connects intelligence with historic heroes instead of modern subjects like sports or fashion; which Graff emphasizes is the issue. Graff supports his claim by providing a personal experience of growing up; he was that “anti-intellectual” (265) who preferred sports magazines and biographies rather

When looking at the bigger aspect having an education is different from a degree. An education can be formal, informal, self-directed, on the job training, professional licenses and certifications, or any other form of education. It’s easy to discount icons such as Michael Jackson, George Washington, Gandhi, Bill Gates, Lebron James and many others who did not go through a traditional four year degree program (College Dropouts). I can imagine the amount of hard work, training, practice, and study they had to go through to achieve their success and often equal or far exceed the amount of effort an average person puts into an average 4 year degree. Even

After all that I’ve done to defend competitiveness I must tell you that competitiveness does get out of hand. You’ve all seen those movies where someone hijacks their roommate's alarm clock, so that they can get the best position . You’ve all seen what happens when you let the desire to win take over your life, and let jealousy influence competitiveness. Everything can get out of hand. So I believe that