I enjoy the kind of analysis the author talks about, and also see the anti-intellectualism among younger folks. I too have felt disconnected from the many peopl

I enjoy the kind of analysis the author talks about, and also see the anti-intellectualism among younger folks. I too have felt disconnected from the many people who aren't interested in taking a deeper look into things. But when posts like these are making the case for intellectualism I can't really blame people for finding it distasteful. The author gives a moral argument for why one should engage in critical analysis, but that's weak; there are far more morally just and productive things to do with one's limited time and effort than analyze TikTok trends, and also, people do just need some room for lighthearted fun. People don't engage with memes because they think it's righteous, so to say they shouldn't because that's righteous doesn't make a lot of sense. I think the best argument to be made for looking deeper into things is that it's fun. Learning is fun, analyzing is fun, understanding how things work is fun. I particularly like this tweet from the post: > "let people enjoy things" ok i enjoy critical analysis and being a hater I believe the perception of so-called intellectualism as something relegated to those with the time, effort and convictions to engage with it does far more to repel people than attract them. The case may be that it helps fight consumerism and whatnot, but that should arise naturally as a result of curiosity; curiosity with a goal kinda misses the point of curiosity. So while I disagree with this: > We can — in fact, we must — interrogate the culture and society that simultaneously shapes us as we shape it. Otherwise, we submit to our own perceived powerlessness to make change. I strongly agree with this: > The way to resist anti-intellectualism is not to say that the “intellectuals” are a distinct, superior class of educated elites, but rather that we are all capable of becoming intellectuals ourselves, if we so choose.