The bullying of intelligence is a national and global threat--

I'm struggling with the pull to write about my fears regarding American Fascism, but then, you probably fear the same thing. I could write about the kids and I, how we had a nice day yesterday at the quiz bowl tournament-- but I am sure you know they did the best they could and had fun. 

It's dark and 26 degrees out. It pushes me to a level of darker introspection, and that's exactly the place I don't really want to be right now. The upcoming election is literally making my stomach heave-- folks who are supporting the GOP right now are either malevolent or duped. Most of the ones I know are duped; they take a laissez-faire attitude about the whole thing, thinking that if Trump gets in and it doesn't work out, then we'll just ride it out and elect someone else next time. I fear that there will not be a "next time," given what he's actually said. They say, "oh, it's just grandstanding and bluster." Why would anyone elect a conman on purpose? What happened to prizing honest, intelligent, deep-thinking people who earnestly want to help the most people be happy, healthy, and safe? 

Why don't Americans prize integrity? I mean, of course, some of us do. But this praise for stupidity, bluster, and bullying-- how insecure are the people who choose that sort of behavior as their champion's best qualities? 

Quiet intelligence never impresses, and especially not now with so much media skimming the surface and waffling about. When will it be "cool" to be smart? 

I saw this yesterday, and I see this in my classroom, too. When someone is smart, they often stay silent, because loud, flamboyant, and rude gets laughs and peer-approval. The numbers for quiz bowl teams have dropped immensely; even the host team could only muster one student to represent their school. ONE. This school used to have 3-4 teams of very competitive kids. Same for our school; we used to field 2-3 teams of qualified, academically-minded kids. Now, I'm grateful to have one team, and they look embarrassed to be there. They shouldn't be; they are good kids, but their peers don't support or respect what they are doing. 

It's hard to watch, really. They doubt themselves, they shy away from praise, and they hesitate to speak up. It was not that long ago that I had kids falling all over themselves, hitting the buzzer and shouting out answers. The last time I had a hugely competitive team was about 15 years ago, actually. And we know what's come about in that time period; far too much media/social media influence, far too much aggrandizement of ignorance as being somehow "noble." The intellectual people of this country have often been sidelined, but never to this degree. When the GOP insiders want to prosecute Dr. Fauci for being...smart... we are in big trouble. 

We should not hesitate to call out evil and willful stupidity, to confront the bullies that would tear down institutions of learning and honor, and to work to support the kids who want to be the real heroes; those who will bring their minds and hearts to the tasks that confront us globally-- if they are not bullied into silence and compliance.

Pray for us all,

C