I’m a nerd. Always have been. I’m always that girl in class in the classroom that raises her hand to answer every question, and, constantly strives to maintain high grades. I’m that kid that will let out an audible “Oh!” every time a new math concept clicks in my head, and I also happen to memorize world maps for fun. But all of these traits are often considered “nerdy” here in the US. Nerd, geek, and dork are just a few of the many words Americans have coined to refer to the academically interested people of the nation. The students that seem to do well in school often receive derision and spite from fellow classmates instead of a “Hey, great job!” Year by year, decade by decade, the United States is gaining a reputation as an ignorant, anti-academic country filled with buffoons that would rather sit and watch “Keeping up with the Kardashians” than study. We need to acknowledge that we have an incompetent educational system, and find some ways to fix this. In order to further examine this epidemic in education, or lack thereof, first, we will discuss the real problem when it comes to this anti-intellectual attitude, learn about the implications for this in society, and finally, consider some possible solutions to this grave issue. 

First of all, let’s think about the show The Big Bang Theory. Nearly every main character on the program is stereotyped into being automatically geeky, socially awkward, and at a genius level intelligence. The new CBS show, Scorpion, depicts a group of savants who, once again, are portrayed as social outcasts. Seeing a pattern here? This evinces that as a society, we consider smart people to naturally fit the mold of having incompetent skills in interacting with others. Marcelo Gleiser, an American scientist, said on NPR (National Public Radio) that the main problem that scientists face is the nerd stigma, often derived from TV shows (he also cited the Big Bang Theory). He is afraid that this viewpoint is spreading fast through effective means like television. The millions of people watching TV include children, who from a young age are constantly exposed to these cynical attitudes. This can only be hindering national progress as children retain the notion that being smart equals being weird.

As huge a reason as that alone is for the anti-intellectualism we see in America, there is yet another problem: the issue of funding. We need to fund this project, we need to fund that research study… but among this, where does education really fall on the government list of priorities? The US Constitution leaves the responsibility for funding K-12 education up to the states. However, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in 2014, almost every state is providing less per-pupil funding for K-12 than they were six years ago. Fourteen states cut per-student funding by more than 10 percent, Kansas among them. In fact, Kansas has cut 16 percent of their funding, the fourth highest cut in the nation. If this trend continues, how will the quality and attitude towards education ever change? Especially in this 21st century, when America continually strives to secure a growing economy and workforce, this is a major cause for concern.
Speaking of money, let’s talk briefly about teachers. These are the people that are teaching the next generation everything they need to know in order to become successful out in the real world. These are the people that most students cite as their inspiration, their reason for prosperity. Yet shockingly, these are the very people for which the average starting salary is 34k in Kansas, according to 2013-14 data from the National Education Association. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the annual salary average for new truck drivers were about 40k. An entry level butler can expect about 39k a year. The injustice of how much our country’s educators get is appalling. Where would the president be without his school teachers? Where would anybody be, for that matter? If the pay teacher’s receive is any indicator of our nation’s academic performance, it is an accurate one.

Next, let’s consider what an anti-intellectual attitude means for the well-being of our society. Surely, some of you have heard this, “Oh, they’re Asian, so that must mean they’re super smart!” I certainly have. Actually, I admit to thinking it, too! These stereotypes emerge largely from the perceived gap between these ethnicities and Caucasian Americans. In a Program for International Student Assessment conducted in 2012, Shanghai, China, was ranked number one overall in the world, with Hong Kong pulling in as second.  Where was the US, you may ask? 24th in reading, 28th in science, and just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, 36th in math. This major discrepancy between the two countries is leading to the assumptions of millions of children that Asians are all super intelligent. This is a hurtful label for many kids, and cannot be eliminated until we tear down the anti-academic concepts that are running rampant throughout America.

This leads me to my next, more serious point. Bullying is a problem that has constant efforts to eradicate it. Yet, this mission is close to impossible without furthering our national academic standards. Three students from the same high school in Ohio committed suicide in 2007. Janet Klee, a counselor at a suicide survivor group, said, “These kids were extremely bright, and the bullies thought they were nerds. These were good kids who were easy targets for bullying." An easy target for bullying. This should by no means be the case in a developed country such as the US. There are countless stories of so-called “bully-cides”, deaths relatively common among teenagers that are tormented by peers in school for being intellectually curious, as the three kids in Ohio were, or simply judged to be different from the norm. What we must change is the considered norm. We can’t allow children who happen to be more interested in the academic side of things to be harassed for their passions.

The common epithet of America is the land of opportunity. The very kids that are being bullied due to their intellect are the ones being denied that very opportunity. They are the ones being denied the opportunity to study, to feel the freedom of having whatever passion they wish to. The growing anti-intellectual society is stifling millions of bright minds, minds that could be the future of this country. What kid will want to deal with teasing from their peers just to answer questions in class? None. They’d rather just stay quiet, and learn to meld in with the others. It is in this way that we are continuously losing new ideas and thoughts generation by generation.

Finally, let’s consider some ways to shift away from the negative anti-intellectual stance we as a country all too often assume. After seeing the PISA results, American Education Secretary Arne Duncan called the findings a "picture of educational stagnation." He told press that America needed to "raise academic standards, make college affordable, and do more to recruit and retain top-notch educators." This is exactly what we as a country need to achieve. If we put our top priority on education, we would be in a much better situation than the status quo. First off, teachers deserve better pay for their efforts. After all, these are the people that are giving kids the ability to shine outside the bubble of school. The China Education Center says, “China has a consistent teacher development system. Teaching has historically been and remains today a highly respected profession in China”.  Surely it is no coincidence that country is the top nation in academics. We have no hope of bolstering our performance on a global scale without sufficiently supporting educators willing to lead us in the right direction.  In addition to this, schools in general should foster a more academic, open environment. David Anderegg, a professor of psychology and author of Nerds: Who they are and why we need more of them, believes that the way to do this is by virtually banning words carrying negative connotations towards intellectuals such as nerd or geek. This would halt this type of degrading attitude in schools. Also, lowering college tuitions is key to changing millions of graduates’ viewpoints on education. The American Freshman National Norms for the Fall of 2013 showed that 57% of students chose not to attend their first choice of school. 67% of these students cited their reason as not being able to afford tuition. This might lead to the thinking of “I can’t go to that school anyway, what is the point of actually trying in class anymore?” In October of 2014, Germany made public college tuition-free, for both international and domestic students. If Germany can make this happen, surely the US can work out a way to do this for the generations to come. Essentially, the United States must step up its game when it comes to the education system, and we as a people need to switch off “Keeping up with the Kardashians” and start keeping up with our academics. We must rid this nation of the spectre that is our anti-intellectual inclinations, the attitude that is causing adverse repercussions in this society. The completely reliable source of Urban Dictionary says as the definition of nerd: Someone who enjoys learning and obtaining new information in general for its own sake. Instead of those type of people being the minority, let’s become, America, the land of the “nerds”, and the home of the educated.