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Egghead
In U.S. English slang, egghead is an epithet used to refer to intellectuals or people considered out-of-touch with ordinary people and lacking in realism, common sense, sexual interests, etc. on account of their intellectual interests. A similar, though not necessarily pejorative, British term is '' boffin''. The term ''egghead'' reached its peak currency during the 1950s, when vice-presidential candidate Richard Nixon used it against Democratic Presidential nominee Adlai Stevenson. It was used by Bill Clinton advisor Paul Begala in the 2008 presidential campaign to describe Senator Barack Obama's supporters when he said, "Obama can't win with just the eggheads and African-Americans." Origins In his Pulitzer Prize-winning historical essay on U.S. anti-intellectualism, historian Richard Hofstadter wrote: "During the campaign of 1952, the country seemed to be in need of some term to express that disdain for intellectuals which had by then become a self-conscious motif in U.S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Anti-intellectualism
Anti-intellectualism is hostility to and mistrust of intellect, intellectuals, and intellectualism, commonly expressed as deprecation of education and philosophy and the dismissal of art, literature, history, and science as impractical, politically motivated, and even contemptible human pursuits.''A Handbook to Literature'' (1980), Fourth Edition, C. Hugh Holman, Ed. p. 27 Anti-intellectuals may present themselves and be perceived as champions of common folk—populists against political and academic elitism—and tend to see educated people as a status class that dominates political discourse and higher education while being detached from the concerns of ordinary people. Totalitarian governments have, in the past, manipulated and applied anti-intellectualism to repress political dissent. During the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) and the following Francoist Spain, dictatorship (1939–1975) of Francisco Franco, the reactionary repression of the White Terror (Spain), White Terror ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Obrazovanshchina
Obrazovanshchina (, 'educationdom', 'educaties', 'smatterers') is a Russian ironical, derogatory term for a category of people with superficial education who lack the higher ethics of an educated person. The term was introduced by Alexander Solzhenitsyn in his 1974 essay "Obrazovanshchina" (translated as "The Smatterers") as a criticism of the transformation of the Russian intelligentsia, which, in his opinion had lost high ethical values.ОБРАЗОВАНЩИНА ''Obrazovanshchina'' essay at Solzhenitsin's official website (retrieved February 15, 2014) The essay and the term caused criticism from liberal intelligentsia, such as Solzhenitsyn's long-time opponent Grig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Nerd
A nerd is a person seen as overly intellectual, obsessive, introverted, or lacking social skills. Such a person may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, little known, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly technical, abstract, or relating to niche topics such as science fiction or fantasy, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Additionally, many so-called nerds are described as being shy, quirky, pedantic, and unattractive. Originally derogatory, the term "nerd" was a stereotype, but as with other pejoratives, it has been reclaimed and redefined by some as a term of pride and group identity. The term may be considered a synonym for geek. Etymology The first documented appearance of the word ''nerd'' is as the name of a creature in Dr. Seuss's book '' If I Ran the Zoo'' (1950), in which the narrator Gerald McGrew claims that he would collect "a Nerkle, a Nerd, and a Seersucker too" for his imaginary zoo.American Heritage Dict ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Atel (slang)
Ā̃tel () is Bengali term referring to a person who is proficient in academic practice but lacks practical knowledge, or someone who pretends to be intelligent. Use According to Indian author Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri, winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award, In the May 2017, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina said in the session of parliament pointing towards the rescued social activist and author Farhad Mazhar after the disappearance: Former chairman of the Department of Language Studies of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Shafiuddin Ahmed said in response to the question of "how much our generation is progressive": Indian film director Raj Chakraborty, in his interview, mentioned the word in the answer of "what types of films will you use to choose to make as a producer", he said, See also * Egghead *Obrazovanshchina Obrazovanshchina (, 'educationdom', 'educaties', 'smatterers') is a Russian ironical, derogatory term for a category of people ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Highbrow
Used colloquially as a noun or adjective, "highbrow" is synonymous with intellectual; as an adjective, it also means elite, and generally carries a connotation of high culture. The term, first recorded in 1875, draws its metonymy from the pseudoscience of phrenology, which teaches that people with large foreheads are more intelligent. The term is deeply connected to hierarchical racial theories from the 19th century. The German physician, physiologist, and anthropologist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (1752–1840) argued "for human diversity alonglines of racial differences as evidenced by skulls shapes and measurements. ..One metric of Blumenbachs classification was the line of the forehead, said to be higher among ' Caucasians' and lower among 'Mongolians' and ' Ethiopians' and this is the origin of the still common usage of 'highbrow' and 'lowbrow' ". Applications "Highbrow" can be applied to music, implying most of the classical music tradition; to literature—i.e., litera ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Stuart Berg Flexner
Stuart Berg Flexner (1928–1990) was a lexicographer, editor and author, noted for his books on the origins of American words and expressions, including ''I Hear America Talking'' and ''Listening to America''; as co-editor of the '' Dictionary of American Slang'' and as chief editor of the ''Random House Dictionary ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary'' is a large American dictionary, first published in 1966 as ''The Random House Dictionary of the English Language: The Unabridged Edition''. Edited by Editor-in-chief Jess Stein, it contained 315,0 ..., Second Edition''. Personal life Flexner was the son of clothing retailer David Flexner and Gertrude, née Berg.The Scribner Encyclopaedia of American Lives: 1986-1990, ed. Kenneth T. Jackson, Karen Markoe, Arnie Markoe, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998, p. 294 He was twice married, first to Miriam Bogen and then to Doris Louise Hurcomb. Bibliography * ''How to Increase Your Word Power'' (1971) * ''Family Word Finder: A New ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Russian Culture
Russian culture ( rus, Культура России, Kul'tura Rossii, kʊlʲˈturə rɐˈsʲiɪ) has been formed by the nation's history, its geographical location and its vast expanse, religious and social traditions, and both Eastern culture, Eastern and Western culture, Western influence. Cultural scientists believe that the influence of the East was fairly insignificant, since the Mongols did not coexist with the Russians during conquest, and the indigenous peoples were rather subjected to reverse cultural assimilation. Unlike the Scandinavian and more Western Europe, western neighbors, which have become the main reason for the formation of modern culture among Russians. Russian Russian literature, writers and Russian philosophy, philosophers have played an important role in the development of Western philosophy, European thought. The Russians have also greatly influenced classical music, Russian ballet, ballet, theatre, List of Russian artists, painting, Cinema of Russia, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
American Culture
The culture of the United States encompasses various social behaviors, institutions, and Social norm, norms, including forms of Languages of the United States, speech, American literature, literature, Music of the United States, music, Visual art of the United States, visual arts, Theater in the United States, performing arts, American cuisine, food, Sports in the United States, sports, Religion in the United States, religion, Law of the United States, law, Science and technology in the United States, technology, as well as other customs, beliefs, and forms of knowledge. American culture has been shaped by the history of the United States, Geography of the United States, its geography, and various internal and external forces and History of immigration to the United States, migrations. America's foundations were initially Western culture, Western-based, and primarily Culture of England, English-influenced, but also with prominent Culture of France, French, Culture of Germany, Ge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Geek
The word ''geek'' is a slang term originally used to describe Eccentricity (behavior), eccentric or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert or enthusiast obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit. In the past, it had a generally pejorative meaning of a "peculiar person, especially one who is perceived to be overly intellectual, unfashionable, boring, or socially awkward". In the 21st century, it was reappropriation, reclaimed and used by many people, especially members of some fandoms, as a positive term. Some use the term self-referentially without malice or as a source of pride, often referring simply to "someone who is interested in a subject (usually intellectual or complex) for its own sake". Etymology The word comes from English dialect ''geek'' or ''geck'' (meaning a "fool" or "freak"; from Middle Low German ''Geck''). ''Geck'' is a standard term in modern German and means "fool" or "fop". The root also survives in the Dutch lan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Bengali Culture
The culture of Bengal defines the cultural heritage of the Bengali people native to eastern regions of the Indian subcontinent, mainly what is today Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura, where they form the dominant ethnolinguistic group and the Bengali language is the official and primary language. Bengal has a recorded history of 1,400 years. After the partition, Bangladeshi culture became distinct from the mainstream Bengali culture, thus their culture evolved differently, still there are many commonalities in Bangladeshi culture & West Bengali culture which connects them both together as Bengali culture. The Bengalis are the dominant ethnolinguistic group. The Bengal region has been a historical melting point, blending indigenous traditions with cosmopolitan influences from pan-Indian subcontinental empires. Dhaka (Dacca) became the capital of Mughal Bengal (Bengal Subah) and the commercial (financial) capital (1610-1757) of Mughal India. Dhaka ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in San Bruno, California, it is the second-most-visited website in the world, after Google Search. In January 2024, YouTube had more than 2.7billion monthly active users, who collectively watched more than one billion hours of videos every day. , videos were being uploaded to the platform at a rate of more than 500 hours of content per minute, and , there were approximately 14.8billion videos in total. On November 13, 2006, YouTube was purchased by Google for $1.65 billion (equivalent to $ billion in ). Google expanded YouTube's business model of generating revenue from advertisements alone, to offering paid content such as movies and exclusive content produced by and for YouTube. It also offers YouTube Premium, a paid subs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
