Certainly, much may be learned about a culture through a consideration of the characteristics considered necessary to achieve great things. In order to succeed in today's world, one must possess a variety of qualities: athletic prowess, a perfect figure and an oversized sport utility vehicle.
At the risk of ascribing myself the status of an arrogant prick, which actually might constitute a step up from the reputation I hold in certain circles around campus, I have noticed that society seems to place a diminishing amount of value on intelligence.
Unfortunately, I was introduced to the general sentiment that opposes intelligence at a very early age. In elementary school, I was placed in a program for 'Gifted and Talented' students, isolating me in a world of hands-on activities and Magic Cards.
With the assistance of a child psychologist, my parents apparently determined that my athletic inability and general gawkiness were not enough, and they decided to give the other kids an additional reason to beat me up. The fact that merely enrolling in the 'smart kid' class in the fourth grade provides a sufficient basis for torment ranging from swirlies to wedgies excellently illustrates the deep roots of antagonism towards intelligence in our society.
With the dominating presence of such a large and esteemed university, one might jump to the conclusion that Madison forms an oasis of intellectualism in a parched landscape of grammatically incorrect executive officials and reality television. In many respects, we are very lucky to reside in a vibrant community where the pursuit of knowledge is still considered a worthy enterprise. Certain occurrences, however, have led me to question Madison's commitment to intellectualism, like the indiscretion of the intoxicated individual who paraded down State Street last Saturday night wearing only polka-dot boxers and screaming about bodily functions.
I must admit that I have not played much of a role in contributing to the intellectual growth of those around me. To be perfectly honest, the typical evening in my apartment rarely includes intellectually stimulating activities like discussion of John Calvin's doctrine of predestination.
In fact, you are much more likely to find me sprawled out in a stupor on the floor, using my limited mental capacity to participate in a conversation regarding the flatulence of one of my roommates.
Although I find the degradation of society's respect for intelligence rather obvious, I sometimes wonder if people might actually be getting dumber. If this is truly the case, a variety of factors might be at the root of the overall decrease in intelligence. Quite possibly, the average IQ is dropping sharply as a result of this very column, seeing as people can only read the word 'flatulence' so many times without experiencing some sort of mental deterioration.
In addition, the general level of intelligence might be decreasing due to the useless facts that are cluttering our brains. For instance, the average teenage girl can immediately list the favorite Jell-O flavor of every Backstreet Boy, but she often has difficulty remembering how to tie her own shoes.
Whether or not people are actually getting dumber, the fact remains that society no longer seems to place value on intelligence. Although this might be very bad for the future of the world as a whole, it might be a blessing in disguise for people like me, whose deepest thoughts involve wondering whether anybody in discussion section will be offended if I scratch the itch on my left buttock. Maybe it's a delayed reaction to all those wedgies.
