America is a country who’s population is constantly accused of being “anti-intellectual”. Other people, predominantly the British and the French, attack the American way of life saying that we as Americans do not put enough emphasis on culture; things like painting, literature, music, film, fine cuisine, and other artistic features of society. We are a nation always innovating, yet somehow we do not understand how to appreciate things past. We knock down ancient architecture to make way for modern skyscrapers. We cut funding to schools for the arts. We encourage sports and athletic achievement over free expression through music and dance. These are accusations I am fully prepared to fight, and yet part of me agrees with what these people have to say.
It is true that most Americans would rather spend an afternoon sitting on the couch watching a football game than going to a museum, music concert, or poetry reading-or even playing football themselves. I would be wiling to bet that at least half of the people in school today have not read a book in the past three months other than those necessary for school. So why is this? Why are Americans so hesitant, even suspicious when someone appears to value knowledge and artistic talent over a good throwing arm, or the ability to hit a ball?
I recently came across an article in a newspaper that described the events that happened at a town’s local football game. During halftime, the school’s band cam out to play a set-as bands do. However, when the band ran a few minutes over their scheduled time the players and coaches began to get antsy. They asked the band director to get the band off the field so that they could continue the game, but it went so much further than this. The football players, the coaches, and even the parents started yelling at the members of the band to stop playing and get off the field. They, the parents in the stands, began to throw pretzels, food wrappers, and other objects at the band in an attempt to get them to leave.
This is an extreme example of American “anti-intellectualism”, but it goes to show that some people are so enveloped by sports culture that they will actually berate and attack children for doing something that is important and dear to them. How could anyone be so rude and ignorant as to yell at high school students to stop playing during half time. It’s not like they were going to stand there and play all night- just until their song was finished.
This is the kind of thing we need to fight. I’m not saying that we should force Americans to read literature or appreciate paintings, or develop an affinity for ballet, but we do need to make sure that we preserve these things for those who do enjoy them. We need to combat prejudices and ignorance to make sure that people realize things like music and writing can be just as important, if not more important than football or reality television. The arts are important, and it is crucial to ensure their future.
I definitely agree that the arts and humanities is something that should be preserved in the United States. I often don’t understand why American’s can be seen as anti-intellectual. For starters, America is significantly younger than places like Europe. If we were to create a museum the size of the Louvre, it wouldn’t be anywhere near as full, because we’ve had significantly less time to both curate ancient works as well as make them ourselves. These people are surrounded by their country’s ancient art and Renaissance culture on a daily basis that can be seen through architecture and art installations, but is there a problem with creating new modern buildings? Aren’t those a piece of art as well? We have our own art forms and they have theirs, so I don’t think Americans should be criticized by other country’s standards. However I do feel that in the US there is a decrease in support for the arts and humanities. I definitely don’t agree with tearing down buildings with artistic and historical importance, and by no means is being disrespectful to those involved in the arts appropriate. We’re a country of diverse interests so i definitely agree with you when you say we need to preserve things such as the arts for those who do enjoy them.