Is Anti-Intellectualism A Problem?

The term anti-intellectualism has taken to TikTok and the book community has begun to put out videos on the subject, either in support of the idea or in opposition.

Because of these videos, creators on both sides of the argument have been receiving harsh responses and the mood of booktok has become even more fragmented in light of the ongoing issues with scams and inappropriate behavior.

We aren’t here to judge anyone for what they read. We just want to bring light to an idea that is becoming increasingly popular and will likely play a role in content moving forward.

What is anti-intellectualism?

According to Merriam-Webster, anti-intellectualism is the opposition or hostility to intellectuals or to an intellectual view or approach.

In the scope of the book community, this would look like attacking someone because of their intellectual view of a book.

The current argument revolves around the idea that the rise in anti-intellectualism is because content creators are putting out videos that summarize the entirety of a book into only its trope, leaving out vital information that could influence someone’s decision on whether to read it or not.

For example, It Ends With Us could be reduced to a ‘damsel in distress’ trope.

Yes, that example was a stretch but you get the point.

While there are elements that would relate to this trope, there are more triggering factors and depictions that should also be noted for anyone wanting to read it.

In the example above anti-intellectualism plays a role if someone brings up that the creator should also note other topics that could be triggering to people or that really showcase what the book is about and are then shown open hostility or opposition.

Is anti-intellectualism an issue?

As with everything, there is a point where it can become a problem.

It becomes an issue when people begin to tear others down because they bring to light, in a respectful way, an issue that they believe should be addressed and are then attacked because of it.

When people have open discussions respectfully, anti-intellectualism isn’t a problem because it is a conversation rather than a witch hunt.

While anti-intellectualism has always existed, social media has put it in the front seat because the drama it creates drives up views and keeps people on the platform longer than they normally would be.

How do we solve anti-intellectualism?

We don’t.

If you want the truth, we can’t force everyone to be kind and engage in a respectful discourse.

What we can do though is try our best to listen to other people’s views and, instead of lashing out when we don’t agree, make a conversation out of it.

We don’t need to attack people to get clout. We should be working to create an open dialogue among each other, especially in a community that values words so much.

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Take this as your sign to be kind and try to understand where someone else is coming from. You might not agree with them but there’s no reason to be rude. You likely aren’t going to sway their opinion with hostility.