Mike Rowe's response to snarky pseudo-intellectual snowflake

Your Virginia Tech Politics and Religion source
Forum rules
Be Civil. Go Hokies.
Post Reply
User avatar
UpstateSCHokie
Posts: 11907
Joined: Thu Aug 22, 2013 11:31 pm

Mike Rowe's response to snarky pseudo-intellectual snowflake

Post by UpstateSCHokie »

It used to be that people were called racist for expressing political views that were not in 100% agreement with the left. We are now at a point where people are being called racist unless the specifically promote 100% of the political view of the left. If you try to be apolitical, you're now a racist. Where is the left trying to go with this?

==========================================

Mike Rowe Absolutely Destroys Guy Who Accuses Him Of Being A White Nationalist
Derek Hunter
1:05 AM 08/23/2017

“Dirty Jobs” host Mike Rowe had some choice words Tuesday night in response to a question he got accusing him of harboring “white nationalist” sympathies.

Rowe posted a question submitted to him on his Facebook page that accused the TV host’s advocacy for the skilled trades of amounting to anti-intellectualism, and therefore racism.

A man named Chuck Adkins asked, “One of the tenants of white nationalism is that college educated people are academic elitests. Comment? No? I’m not surprised. You never take a political stand because you don’t want to alienate anybody. Its bad for business. I get it. But there is a current of anti intellectualism in this country – promoted by Republicans. Those people love you, and they think your initiative is their initiative. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is kickin our ass academically.”

Rowe, a popular jovial TV personality, went off in a long, brutal response.

“Since we’re being candid, allow me to say how much I dislike your post. Everything about it annoys me – your smug and snarky tone, your appalling grammar, your complete lack of evidence to support your claims, and of course, the overarching logical fallacy that informs your entire position,” Rowe wrote. “What really bugs me though, is the fact that you’re not entirely wrong. It’s true; I haven’t shared any political opinions this week, in part anyway, because doing so might very well be ‘bad for business.'”

“What can I say? I work for half-a-dozen different companies, none of whom pay me to share my political opinions. I run a non-partisan foundation, I’m about to launch a new show on Facebook, and I’m very aware that celebrities pay a price for opening their big fat gobs. Gilbert Gottfried, Kathy Griffin, Colin Kaepernick, Milo Yiannopoulos…even that guy from Google who just got himself fired for mouthing off. There’s no getting around it – the first amendment does not guarantee the freedom to speak without consequences. And really, that’s fine by me,” he continued.

“So no – I’m not going to share my personal feelings about Charlottesville, President Trump, or the current effort to remove thousands of statues of long dead soldiers from the public square. Not just because it’s ‘bad for business,’ but because it’s annoying. I can’t think of a single celebrity whose political opinion I value, and I’m not going to assume the country feels any differently about mine,” Rowe wrote. “So, rather than blow myself up, or chime in with all the obvious observations about the cowardly scum in the pointy hats, I’m going to talk instead about my belief that comments like yours pose a far greater threat to the future of our country than the existence of a memorial to Thomas Jefferson, or a monument to George Washington. Ready?”

Then Rowe started in on Adkins’ insinuations.

“You say that White Nationalists believe that everyone who goes to college is an ‘academic elite.’ You then say that Republicans promote ‘anti-intellectualism.’ You offer no proof to support either claim, but it really doesn’t matter – your statements successfully connect two radically different organizations by alleging a shared belief,” Rowe said. “Thus, White Nationalists and The Republican Party suddenly have something in common – a contempt for higher education. Then, you make it personal. You say that Republicans “love” me because they believe that my initiative and ‘their’ initiative are one and the same. But of course, ‘their’ initiative is now the same initiative as White Nationalists.”

He continued “Very clever. Without offering a shred of evidence, you’ve implied that Republicans who support mikeroweWORKS do so because they believe I share their disdain for all things ‘intellectual.’ And poof – just like that, Republicans, White Nationalists, and mikeroweWORKS are suddenly conflated, and the next thing you know, I’m off on a press tour to disavow rumors of my troubling association with the Nazis!”

“Far-fetched? Far from it,” Rowe continued. “That’s how logical fallacies work. A flaw in reasoning or a mistaken belief undermines the logic of a conclusion, often leading to real-world consequences. And right now, logical fallacies are not limited to the warped beliefs of morons with tiki torches, and other morons calling for ‘more dead cops.’ Logical fallacies are everywhere.”

Not near done, Rowe wrote, “As I type this, a Democrat on CNN is making an argument that says, ‘because Thomas Jefferson owned slaves, those Republicans now opposed to tearing down his memorial are ‘pro-slavery,’ and therefore aligned with the modern day KKK.’ That’s a logical fallacy.

“Over on Fox, a Republican is arguing that ‘any Democrat who has not yet condemned the Senator from Missouri for publicly wishing that Donald Trump be assassinated, is guilty of wishing for the exact same thing.’ That’s a logical fallacy.

“Yesterday, on The Science Channel, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, a noted astronomer, tweeted that the ability of scientists to accurately predict the solar eclipse, was proof that predictions of global warming were also accurate. That’s a logical fallacy.”

Then Rowe turned the tables on his accuser, continuing, “Want to hear another one? Imagine something like this, unfolding over on MSNBC.

“‘Good Evening, America, our top story tonight… Chuck Atkins is a racist! Why? Because he can’t spell. Just look at his grammar! In a recent post on Mike Rowe’s Facebook page, Mr. Atkins, while bemoaning America’s global academic standing, not only misspelled ‘elitist,’ he used ‘tenants’ when he meant ‘tenets.’ He neglected to use a hyphen in ‘anti-intellectual,’ and he misplaced several commas and apostrophes! But why is he a racist, you ask? Simple. Because everyone knows racists are ignorant. Chuck Atkins is clearly a poor speller. Poor spelling and grammar are signs of ignorance. Ergo – Chuck Atkins is a racist! Boom! The matter is settled!”

“There’s not much we can do about the news, but here on Facebook, I think we can do better. This isn’t Twitter,” Rowe said. “We’re not limited to a few inflammatory sentences and a flurry of emojis. Take a moment, Chuck. Think. Make a rational argument. Otherwise, just link us to a cat video. People love those, and they’re almost never ‘bad for business.’ (Unless of course, the cat gets hurt. People hate that.) Just don’t assume that people will care about your beliefs, if you’re not willing to back them up with some relevant facts and a rational conclusion. Here, for instance, are a few facts that matter to me, with respect to my foundation and the recurring charge of ‘fostering anti-intellectualism.'”

Rowe then defended his charitable work, writing, “mikeroweWORKS is a PR campaign for the skilled trades. For the last nine years, we’ve partnered with numerous trade schools, raised millions of dollars for work-ethic scholarships, and called attention to millions of jobs that don’t require a four-year degree. But that doesn’t mean we’re ‘anti-intellectual.’ We’re not even ‘anti-college.’ We simply reject the popular notion that a four-year degree is the best path for the most people. And we’re hardly alone.

“Millions of reasonable people – Republicans and Democrats alike – are worried that our universities are doing a poor job of preparing students for the real world. They’re worried about activist professors, safe spaces, the rising cost of tuition, a growing contempt for history, and a simmering disregard of the first amendment. These people are concerned that our universities – once beacons of free speech – now pander to a relatively small percentage of students who can’t tolerate any political opinion that challenges their own. And they’re concerned – deeply concerned – that millions of good jobs are currently vacant that don’t require a four-year degree, or any of the catastrophic debt that comes with it.”

Returning to the original attack, Rowe concluded, “Again – these are not the concerns of ‘anti-intellectuals.’ They are the concerns of people who care about the future of the country. I don’t know how many of these people are Republicans, but I can assure you that no one who actually supports my initiative is remotely confused about my feelings on education, because I’ve been crystal clear on that topic from the very beginning. To quote Thomas Jefferson, (while I still can,) ‘If a nation expects to be ignorant and free and live in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.’ On this point, my foundation does not equivocate.

“In other words, Chuck, I have no idea what The White Nationalists think about my efforts, or the Republicans, the Democrats, the elitists, the Italians, the Presbyterians, the unions, or the self-proclaimed anti-intellectuals. And really, I couldn’t care less. My question is, why do you? Mike”

After his long rant, Rowe added two postscripts to lighten the mood a bit.

“PS. Ok, I’ve just re-read this, (in a desperate search for typos,) and I want to apologize for pointing out that you’re a lousy speller. This is probably not the time to trot out The Grammar Nazi, but your tenor and tone pissed me off, and I responded in my own snarky way. Sorry,” he wrote.

“PPS Maybe this is how political correctness begins? Maybe we start by correcting each other’s grammar, and then move on to the business of correcting everything else? Today a missing hyphen, tomorrow a missing monument. Or, maybe not,” he concluded.

http://dailycaller.com/2017/08/23/mike- ... tionalist/
Image

“Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” ― Voltaire (1694 – 1778)
nolanvt
Posts: 13116
Joined: Thu Aug 22, 2013 9:01 pm
Alma Mater: Marshall Univ.

Re: Mike Rowe's response to snarky pseudo-intellectual snowf

Post by nolanvt »

Good stuff. I like Mike.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Fully vaccinated, still not dead
CFB Apologist
Posts: 3192
Joined: Fri Aug 23, 2013 5:27 pm

Re: Mike Rowe's response to snarky pseudo-intellectual snowf

Post by CFB Apologist »

Ahh yes, over half of America is "anti-intellectual" at the same time college enrollment and costs are at an all time high. Typical, brilliant, leftist, communist logic.
User avatar
BigDave
Posts: 8012
Joined: Mon Aug 19, 2013 11:20 pm
Alma Mater: Virginia Tech
Party: Republican

Re: Mike Rowe's response to snarky pseudo-intellectual snowf

Post by BigDave »

“Yesterday, on The Science Channel, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, a noted astronomer, tweeted that the ability of scientists to accurately predict the solar eclipse, was proof that predictions of global warming were also accurate. That’s a logical fallacy.”
Seriously? Did he say that? While I obviously have doubts about AGW, I have always respected Neil DeGrasse Tyson. But that's just insane. There is no "predicting" involved in the eclipse - it is calculated. It's not any more a "prediction" than it's a "prediction" that if I have $1000 in my checking account and I spend $200, my new balance will be $800. That's not a "prediction". Claims of global warming, sea level rise, etc, are "predictions". They are "predictions" aided by scientific research, computer modeling, etc, but they are predictions. The eclipse timing is a calculation.
Posted from my Commodore 64 using Tapatalk
cwtcr hokie
Posts: 13399
Joined: Thu Aug 22, 2013 1:25 pm

Re: Mike Rowe's response to snarky pseudo-intellectual snowf

Post by cwtcr hokie »

good job Rowe, excellent response
Vienna_Hokie
Posts: 2052
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2016 7:12 pm
Alma Mater: VT
Party: libertarian

Re: Mike Rowe's response to snarky pseudo-intellectual snowf

Post by Vienna_Hokie »

BigDave wrote:
“Yesterday, on The Science Channel, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, a noted astronomer, tweeted that the ability of scientists to accurately predict the solar eclipse, was proof that predictions of global warming were also accurate. That’s a logical fallacy.”
Seriously? Did he say that? While I obviously have doubts about AGW, I have always respected Neil DeGrasse Tyson. But that's just insane. There is no "predicting" involved in the eclipse - it is calculated. It's not any more a "prediction" than it's a "prediction" that if I have $1000 in my checking account and I spend $200, my new balance will be $800. That's not a "prediction". Claims of global warming, sea level rise, etc, are "predictions". They are "predictions" aided by scientific research, computer modeling, etc, but they are predictions. The eclipse timing is a calculation.
Tyson moved from scientist to entertainer a while back. While his scientific opinions are more valid than those of Bill Nye the actor guy, they are still his opinions and need to be looked at through the prism of who pays him.
Looks like the only thing 1984 got wrong was the date.
User avatar
awesome guy
Posts: 54187
Joined: Wed Aug 21, 2013 7:10 pm
Party: After 10
Location: Plastic Flotilla:Location Classified

Re: Mike Rowe's response to snarky pseudo-intellectual snowf

Post by awesome guy »

Any liberal loser here could be "Chuck"
Unvaccinated,. mask free, and still alive.
User avatar
USN_Hokie
Posts: 30831
Joined: Wed Aug 21, 2013 9:58 pm
Party: Draintheswamp

Re: Mike Rowe's response to snarky pseudo-intellectual snowf

Post by USN_Hokie »

BigDave wrote:
“Yesterday, on The Science Channel, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, a noted astronomer, tweeted that the ability of scientists to accurately predict the solar eclipse, was proof that predictions of global warming were also accurate. That’s a logical fallacy.”
Seriously? Did he say that? While I obviously have doubts about AGW, I have always respected Neil DeGrasse Tyson. But that's just insane. There is no "predicting" involved in the eclipse - it is calculated. It's not any more a "prediction" than it's a "prediction" that if I have $1000 in my checking account and I spend $200, my new balance will be $800. That's not a "prediction". Claims of global warming, sea level rise, etc, are "predictions". They are "predictions" aided by scientific research, computer modeling, etc, but they are predictions. The eclipse timing is a calculation.
NDT is a perfect example of a smart person who looks like an idiot the moment he sticks his pinky toe outside his swim lane. On this comment, he looks silly no matter how you look at it.
I'll add that NDT is famous for half-witty quotes that are really stupid. For example he has another one where he compares the frequency of solar eclipses to the frequency of the Olympics and uses this to argue they aren't rare. Psst...Sherlock, solar eclipses have a very narrow swath, whereas the Olympics are visible everywhere via TV. Having an Olympics a distance close enough for you to drive to would indeed be rare.
Post Reply