It’s Not Too Woke to Be Educated, Start Teaching Yourself More!
You may have heard of the term “anti-intellectual” before, especially if you exist in certain online spheres. This concept refers to an individual who is a skeptic, but not in a critical way or in a way that utilizes thought or research. Instead, the anti-intellectual relies on a comfortable base of knowledge, leaving little room to expand their ideas or take input that seems different or unheard of to them.
These sorts of people do exist and certainly exhibit strong traits of stubbornness and agitating ways of arguing, however traits of anti-intellectualism exist in droves among most people in the United States today. Even if you consider yourself to be a woke person, considering human rights and using your voice for good, there is always information you can learn that will benefit you and the people around you.
One excellent method of expanding your knowledge is by reading, which you are doing right now! Whether it be through novels, articles, scripts, or any creative/academic piece, reading will enhance your knowledge and understanding of the world around you. One of the best human qualities you can achieve from reading is a deeper understanding of other humans’ experiences. There is always a struggle or triumph that exists in the world that would benefit your perspective if you learned about it. The possibilities are endless in terms of what you can read to do this, but I would recommend getting into fantasy novels (a thing I am starting to do myself) as this is a perfect way to suspend your disbelief and grow your empathy.
Another method of learning that I love is watching video essays. Most of my time spent online has turned into consuming long form video essays on YouTube. My taste is geared towards race politics and gender, but starting wherever your interests lie is the best gateway to unlocking your brainpower. The algorithm can be a scary and dystopian thing, but it can be of great use if you can figure out how to steer it in the right direction and achieve lots of new thoughts.
