America’s Powerful Intellectual Class Finds ‘Joy in Making Us Obey and Be Compliant,’ Warns Scholar

The Epoch Times Header

The so-called experts ‘infantilizes’ the American public through deciding what gets to be seen and what’s censored

America’s intellectual class has been given so much power by the public that their misuse of such power is threatening the fundamental freedom of speech in the country, says scholar and author Tom Harrington.

“It’s absolutely remarkable how easily we’ve gone from free speech to asking, ‘How can I make my way around the censorship that’s here?’” Harrington said in a recent interview with Jan Jekielek on “American Thought Leaders” that premiered on May 11. “Sometimes, there’s this idea that reality just is. That’s partially true but in the cultural realm, there’s always someone developing it and distributing it who has more access to power.

“Those people generally are well-educated people who we hold up as exemplars of knowledge. They have a lot of power and they are deferred to quite readily.”

Harrington warned that people are delivering a lot of their power into the hands of “experts” who tend to have a “flipness” with which they have used such power.

“Worse than flipness, there seems to be almost a perversion and a joy in making us obey and be compliant for compliance’s sake. This is very troubling in a society.

“You need the intellectual class or the credentialed class to have the reality of their status back up the title of their status. It seems to me these two things have separated in these last few years, and that’s really troubling to me.”

Harrington pointed out that censorship and cancellation are “two cudgels” used against the public.

“We’re beginning to see that a lot of this hooting down is not as spontaneous as many of us would like to believe. With the recent ‘Twitter Files,’ and the case that the attorney generals of Missouri and Louisiana are trying now, we’re finding out that this was anything but spontaneous. There were a number of government actors working in concert with private actors to achieve a censorship that, frankly, for those of us of a certain age, is unimaginable.”

By Jan Jekielek and Naveen Athrappully

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

Watch Full Video on EpochTV

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

Columns

Why Fishermen Are Catching Fewer Lobsters in Maine

For veteran lobsterman Travis Dammier, it was the end of another trip at sea on a solo voyage to earn a living.

Viewers like you

There is no constitutional authority for any spending on public broadcasting – period. Any questions: See Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.

Beyond the Trump-Musk fallout?

We are witnessing an unprecedented, unhinged Democrat effort to use lawfare, big Democrat donors, street theater, congressional disruptions, potty-mouth videos, the administrative state, the legacy media, and discredited pollsters to stop the Trump agenda.

Trans-wormal

No worm ever said "I am anthropomorphizing, I am a butterfly" to a toad or flock of geese and expected acknowledgement and support.

In Greenland’s Icy Capital, Past Troubles Haunt Hopes for the Future

As geopolitical realities and ongoing economic growth raise the stakes, U.S. interest in Greenland and the dream of independence may change things in a big way.

News

Why Drug Price Reform Alone Won’t Heal America

What happens when medications become too cheap, plentiful, and automatic and we don’t reform how drugs are used? We risk clinical harm.

Trump Says Musk Will Face ‘Very Serious Consequences’ If He Backs Democrats

President Trump warned that Musk could face “serious consequences” if he decides to back Democratic political candidates in upcoming elections.

Judge Declines to Block Trump Admin From Dismantling Library Services Agency

A federal judge cleared the way for the Trump admin to move forward with plan to dismantle the federal agency that funds libraries nationwide.

Supreme Court to Review Alabama’s Death Row Case Concerning IQ Test

The Supreme Court will consider how courts should weigh multiple IQ tests when assessing a death row defendant’s claim of intellectual disability.

US Travel Ban Will Not Hinder Los Angeles Olympics, LA28 CEO Says

Trump’s directive banning citizens from 12 countries from entering US exempts athletes. Officials confident Games have full backing of administration.

Musk Mulls New Political Party Amid Feud With Trump

Elon Musk is considering launching a new political party in wake of his public fallout with President Trump over a major Republican tax and spending bill.

Citigroup Reverses Course on Controversial Firearm Policies

Citigroup reversed its policy requiring retail business clients to refrain from selling firearms to those who haven’t passed background checks.

AI Is Taking Thousands of Jobs; Is Yours at Risk?

Just as the internet radically changed how America conducts business, AI is also making waves in the workplace by taking thousands of jobs.
spot_img

Related Articles