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Donald Trump talks at a fourth-grade level. Maybe that’s why the Fox News audience loves him
Salon ^ | 1/10/2016 | Phil Torres

Posted on 01/12/2016 8:35:37 AM PST by simpson96

It's a cliche to say that democratic states can't function properly without an informed electorate. But it’s absolutely true. And this is why, heading into the 2016 election year, I'm nervous about the future. With Donald Trump leading the Republican presidential contenders, even many Republican die-hards are shaking in their boots.

But Trump isn't the cause, just the symptom. The deeper cause is a strain of anti-intellectualism that runs through the roots of American culture. And while this strain is found on both sides of the political spectrum (see some liberals on vaccines and chemtrails), it's mostly concentrated among religious conservatives on the political right. For those who espouse anti-intellectualism, conspiracy theories have the same clout as legitimate science, the opinions of non-experts are just as credible as those of the experts, and ideology takes precedence over the cold hard facts.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: alinsky; framing; gopestablishment; lakoff; liberalelitism; liberalframing; liberallies; newtotalitarianism; secularhumanism
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To: simpson96

No liberal can be taken seriously when he chides anyone about critical thinking. And Trump is certainly not a product of the religious right, the Tea Party, or any traditional conservative movement in the USA. He’s a populists spouting some conservative values, like the border, guns, and trade. He is not and never has been a movement conservative.


61 posted on 01/12/2016 9:01:29 AM PST by elhombrelibre (Against Obama. Against Putin. Pro-freedom. Pro-US Constitution. Go Cruz.)
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To: choctaw man

Ha ha. I’m crushed. When I was in the 4th grade I was this panzy’s education equal.

One of his teachers should have explained the intellectual weakness in ad hominum arguments. In addition to being embarrassingly juvenile.


62 posted on 01/12/2016 9:01:30 AM PST by ChildOfThe60s (If you can remember the 60s, you weren't really there....)
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To: simpson96

Expert..... well, you know a EX is a has-been....and a pert is a drip under pressure.....therefore you have a drip under pressure. A guy that compares Fox viewers with 4th Graders is really smart for a PHD....which is “Piled Higher & Deeper”...Love deem libs.


63 posted on 01/12/2016 9:01:31 AM PST by mastertex
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To: simpson96

“It’s a cliche to say that democratic states can’t function properly without an informed electorate.” “And this is why, heading into the 2016 election year, I’m nervous about the future.”

The reality, Mr. Torres, is that it is the informed electorate who are turning against the democrats, and recurrently in the past it has been the uninformed voters who have propped up the Democratic party.

I would wager to guess that you are a strong believer in, for example, anthropomorphic global warming, and likely consider yourself on the side of enlightenment and science. On what do you base this? What’s your scientific background? Have you looked at any raw data? Do you have an understanding of carbon cycles, or expertise in computer modeling, or an understanding of ocean currents, etc. etc.? If not, you are uniformed, and trusting what you are told.

You’ve made a choice what to believe, and the sources you’ve decided to believe have significant conflicts of interest, including very much so the specific scientists advocating for a field upon which their careers are predicated. Who is Freeman Dyson, and what is he famous for? He is what you would call a ‘denier’ of global warming science. Is that because he doesn’t know science? Is it because he is uninformed? Are you better informed than he is? Why would you think that? This is but one example.

The point is that it is fairly elitist to write off the opinions of millions of people as ‘uninformed’ just because they don’t agree with your worldview. If you define ‘informed’ as believing to be true the same things that you believe to be true, then you are the one with your head in the sand.


64 posted on 01/12/2016 9:02:02 AM PST by pieceofthepuzzle
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To: Finny

I’m voting for Cruz in the primary but I will support Trump should he win the nomination. The alternatives are to support Hillary or sit on my hands and allow Hillary to win are unacceptable.


65 posted on 01/12/2016 9:02:17 AM PST by Blood of Tyrants (There's a right to gay marriage in the Constitution but there is no right of an unborn baby to life.)
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To: simpson96

Expert..... well, you know a EX is a has-been....and a pert is a drip under pressure.....therefore you have a drip under pressure. A guy that compares Fox viewers with 4th Graders is really smart for a PHD....which is “Piled Higher & Deeper”...Love deem libs.


66 posted on 01/12/2016 9:02:21 AM PST by mastertex
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To: simpson96

Dear Morons at Salon

Competent public speakers speak to reach the widest possible audience. That you do not know that, yet choose to wite snarky comments about it, indicates a grotesque intellectual incompetency on your part.


67 posted on 01/12/2016 9:04:11 AM PST by MNJohnnie ( Tyranny, like Hell, is not easily conquered)
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To: Maverick68
They REALLY, REALLY are afraid of what Trump is going to do to the ENTIRE system.

Everyone should be really afraid of what Trump will do to the entire system if he wins. He has a 26-year history of left-leaning moderate big government love, and only eight years ago praised Hillary and Bill Clinton to high heaven.

Vote for that at your own risk and when what you vote for wins and happens, you SHOULD be willing to be accountable. But you probably won't.

68 posted on 01/12/2016 9:04:16 AM PST by Finny (Voting "against" is a wish. Be ready to own what you vote for.)
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To: simpson96

So...Trump talks at a fourth grade level. I am not a Trump supporter, but if he is the candidate, I will vote for him. Let’s compare responses, shall we?

SITUATION: Man and woman of Middle Eastern extraction shout “Allahu Akbar” and open fire with semi-automatic weapons on innocent people, killing many. Immediate available data shows support for ISIS and middle eastern terrorism terrorism.

OFFICIAL TRUMP RESPONSE: “Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on. (From press release)

OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE RESPONSE: “At this stage, we do not yet know why this terrible event occurred. We do know that the two individuals who were killed were equipped with weapons and appeared to have access to additional weaponry at their homes. But we don’t know why they did it. We don’t know at this point the extent of their plans. We do not know their motivations. And I just received a briefing from FBI Director Comey, as well as Attorney General Lynch, indicating the course of their investigation. At this point, this is now a FBI investigation. That’s been done in cooperation and consultation with local law enforcement. It is possible that this was terrorist-related, but we don’t know. It’s also possible that this was workplace-related. And until the FBI has been able to conduct what are going to be a large number of interviews, until we understand the nature of the workplace relationship between the individual and his superiors — because he worked with the organization where this terrible shooting took place — until all the social media and electronic information has been exploited, we’re just not going to be able to answer those questions.”

Now, most non-infantile liberals would say: “Gee. They were of middle eastern extraction, shouted ‘Alluha Akbar’ and slaughtered innocent people, while social media shows they support ISIS. Sounds like terrorism to me.”


69 posted on 01/12/2016 9:04:30 AM PST by rlmorel ("Irrational violence against muslims" is a myth, but "Irrational violence against non-muslims" isn't)
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To: simpson96

Phil Torres (1982) is a philosopher, author, and musician.

Torres is an Affiliate Scholar at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, where he writes about ethical issues surrounding cognitive enhancement, atheism, and existential risks

Torres has also published in online magazines like Salon, The Progressive, Humanity+, and American Atheist. In 2015, he founded the X-Risks Institute (for the Study of Extremism), which focuses on understanding the evolving relationship between advanced technologies and apocalyptic terrorism.

******

The United States is scarier than the Islamic State - Salon.com

“Even our closest allies fear that we are a menace militarily and environmentally. The threat is lethal and real”

Phil Torres

“the world as a whole voted the United States to be the No. 1 threat to world peace “by a large margin.” Even some of our closest allies identified America as the most significant menace.”


70 posted on 01/12/2016 9:05:56 AM PST by kcvl
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To: simpson96

Author probably has a bad case of butthurt. Literally.


71 posted on 01/12/2016 9:06:17 AM PST by McGruff (Trumpnado Warning issued for Iowa and New Hampshire)
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To: fella
Bully tactics and trash talk are things I see an awful lot from Trump!! Very very rich to criticize someone for using Trump's main tactics against him.

Trump is as big a joke as Hillary and Sanders.

72 posted on 01/12/2016 9:06:55 AM PST by Finny (Voting "against" is a wish. Be ready to own what you vote for.)
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To: rlmorel

Phil Torres
@phil_torres
His expertise may be entomology, or the scientific study of insects, but Phil Torres’ interests are as wide and varied as the vast Amazon forest where he spends many of his days. His scientific discoveries have made international news and been featured on National Geographic, CNN, MSNBC, Wired and more, and he’s also appeared on Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, and the BBC. Follow Phil on Twitter @phil_torres and go to TheRevScience.com for more of his work.

An expert in bugs, not economics, business, or politics.

Also Phil has no God. So that means he thinks he is his own God. He has a fool for a deity himself.

Trump thinks outside the box and made lots of smart moves, this must bug this Lib loser.


73 posted on 01/12/2016 9:10:14 AM PST by Zenjitsuman (A)
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To: simpson96
"What's most dangerous about Fox News, though, isn't its cynical use of Orwellian doublespeak, as in "Fair and Balanced" and "No Spin Zone," to conceal a conservative agenda. Nor is it the network's repeated failure to accurately report the facts. Rather, the most dangerous consequence of Fox News is that it discourages that most important form of rigorous curiosity called critical thinking."

Ah, yes, critical thinking. To a liberal that means "agree with me or I'll see you put to death when I have enough power."

74 posted on 01/12/2016 9:10:20 AM PST by IYAS9YAS (I got nothin'.)
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To: simpson96
For those who espouse anti-intellectualism, conspiracy theories have the same clout as legitimate science, the opinions of non-experts are just as credible as those of the experts, and ideology takes precedence over the cold hard facts.

Says the idiot who believes in human-caused global warming.

75 posted on 01/12/2016 9:10:50 AM PST by Talisker (One who commands, must obey.)
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To: simpson96

Leadership lessons from Sesame Street

A.G. Lafley, executive chairman of Proctor and Gamble, uses the management philosophy of keeping things “Sesame Street simple” when dealing with the complexities of a large organization. Lafley often claims that innovation occurs when things are simplified.

http://biz.idahostatejournal.com/?p=15315


76 posted on 01/12/2016 9:11:42 AM PST by jimbo123
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To: simpson96

Wait. Is that...pajama boy?


77 posted on 01/12/2016 9:12:21 AM PST by Behind Liberal Lines (Obama loves America the way OJ loved Nicole's)
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To: simpson96

Actually, it’s a proven fact that if you speak to a younger level you’ll have more listeners. Congress should learn from this.


78 posted on 01/12/2016 9:13:59 AM PST by al_c (Obama's standing in the world has fallen so much that Kenya now claims he was born in America.)
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To: simpson96

99 percent of the democats on congress can’t even string a proper sentence together.


79 posted on 01/12/2016 9:14:50 AM PST by jersey117
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To: simpson96
If by anti-intellectualism he means mistrust of ivory tower college professors spewing Communist drivel, then sure, count me in.

80 posted on 01/12/2016 9:15:39 AM PST by BitWielder1 (I'd rather have Unequal Wealth than Equal Poverty.)
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