George Bush ran a campaign where he bragged about being an anti-intellectual, dismissing his Harvard and Yale pedigree, pretending he was an American every day, ordinary everyman, and as a result of that, played up his fumbling speech because it signified that he was a good guy. That is deeply and profoundly anti-intellectual.
Interpretation
The quote criticizes the anti-intellectual stance taken by George Bush during his campaign, showcasing the value of authenticity over educational pedigree.
Michael Eric Dyson highlights the irony of George Bush's campaign tactics, where he embraced an anti-intellectual persona in order to connect with the average American voter. By downplaying his prestigious education from Harvard and Yale, he sought to portray himself as a relatable figure, which in Dyson's view, undermines the importance of intellectual discourse and rhetoric in leadership and politics.
In practice
This quote can be used in a political debate to discuss the importance of intellectual engagement in leadership.
Hip hop scholarship must strive to reflect the form it interrogates, offering the same features as the best hip hop: seductive rhythms, throbbing beats, intelligent lyrics, soulful samples, and a sense of joy that is never exhausted in one sitting.
Oprah Winfrey represents the most ingenious and creative expression of black spiritual genius in the public mainstream that we've had in quite a long time, if ever.
My ambition didn't grow out of nowhere. It was planted in me by a community that nurtured me.
When Dr. King was murdered, I had no idea who he was. But as soon as I heard his words on television that night when I was 9 years old, I was dumbstruck, awestruck by their power.
I grew up in Detroit. I was a teen father. I lived on welfare for three years. I have a brother serving life in prison, though I believe he's innocent.
Charity is no substitute for justice. If we never challenge a social order that allows some to accumulate wealth--even if they decide to help the less fortunate--while others are short-changed, then even acts of kindness end up supporting unjust arrangements. We must never ignore the injustices that make charity necessary, or the inequalities that make it possible.
Everybody that's trying to get anything progressive done in this country knows that the biggest barrier is getting money out of politics.
There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
Our most dangerous tendency is to expect too much of government, and at the same time do for it too little. . . . We must strive for normalcy to reach stability.
If government were a product, selling it would be illegal.
In Palestine, the Israelis claim they found a land without people,' a Syrian officer explained to us. 'Now they will take southern Lebanon and claim they have found another land without people if these refugees do not return.
In the midst of these pleasing ideas we should be unfaithful to ourselves if we should ever lose sight of the danger to our liberties if anything partial or extraneous should infect the purity of our free, fair, virtuous, and independent elections.
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