John, re: "Oh, please, the list of sterling southern authors, intellectuals, playwrights, etc. could get rather long rather fast."
I think a more telling question would be to ask how long the list of enlightened, intellectual southern legislators would be?
I suspect that the southern legislators reflect southern attitudes and that the south is, in fact, anti-intellectual. What result could you expect given the prevalence of rigid, faith based thinking which is anti anything that could be considered contrary to their literal and strict interpretation of the bible. That's a fine recipe for ignorance and not much of a soup for accepting scientific thinking. To the contrary, to maintain many of those beliefs requires a rejection of scientific thinking.
But don't take my view, just look at what the legislators that the southerners elect have to say about things. Those people are either lying or ignorant and they play to cheering crowds and usually compete with like thinkers for office there.
And, of course, there are amazing authors, intellectuals and great thinkers in the south but I think its pretty clear that they are the exceptions. I'm no literary expert but aren't some of the southern authors noted for their insights into ignorant, intolerant and anti-intellectual southern thinking? Ed |
