There’s a popular meme about over-analysis in English class referring to the hypothetical text ‘the curtains were blue.’ The joke goes that the English teacher would pontificate about these colored curtains, connecting it to the character’s depressed state or lack of will to live. The punchline is that all the author meant was that the curtains were blue. 

Education and analysis aim to gain critical thinking skills about what we consume. It doesn’t matter whether the author intended depth when writing — although they often do — the important part is excavating subtext. It’s not about the outcome of being able to discern the meaning of the curtains; it’s about the process of expanding your mind with the possibilities of what the curtains could mean.

Jokes like the aforementioned one or slang like ‘it’s not that deep’ only further paint education and analysis as something frivolous and unnecessary. This can be characterized as anti-intellectualism, which is opposition or hostility to intellectual pursuits or reasoning. While on the smaller scale this attitude seems present in education, on the broader scale, anti-intellectualism is rotting the core of democracy — an informed electorate.

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For instance, one of President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders outlined a new, bold plan for “patriotic” secondary school education for doctrine that must be taught to students.

According to the order, “patriotic education” means a presentation of America’s history grounded in “a clear examination of how the United States has admirably grown closer to its noble principles throughout its history … and the concept that celebration of America’s greatness and history is proper.”

The executive order’s description of how history classes should be taught is a direct affront to the pursuit of critical thought and analysis. It alleges that there is intense indoctrination happening in American schools, despite there being no evidence. Guiding education to fit a certain worldview isn’t new, different states teach history differently, often aligned with its politics, but this is the first one brought to the federal level. The Trump administration is supporting anti-intellectualism by spreading propaganda to fit a specific worldview.

One of the largest anti-intellectual battlegrounds is university education, a contentious partisan issue. According to the Pew Research Center, 59% of conservative-leaning or conservative people view college as having a “negative impact on the U.S.” compared to only 18% of liberal or liberal-leaning people. 

Universities, including USC, should be bastions of critical thought and discussion. 

At its best, USC’s General Education and writing requirements are essential for maintaining a standard of analytical and humanistic education that is necessary for a world dominated by complicated questions about democracy and humanity that require complicated answers. 

However, I have noted discontent from students about general education requirements. Many people I’ve spoken to have expressed annoyance at needing to take a humanities course as a STEM major. Yet this sort of attitude neglects the value of a well-rounded education. 

The overlaying view seems to be that education is not for education’s sake, rather it is just a stepping stone to a future career. This focus on professional output continues the trend of anti-intellectualism since people will pick majors that yield the path of least resistance to a lucrative career like STEM or business, which are among the most popular majors at USC. 

This isn’t a problem unique to USC. Business, engineering and pre-medical tracks have always been popular, consistently ranking as the most degrees conferred by American universities. Humanities degrees, despite them garnering five times more graduates now than in the 70s, still remain behind the aforementioned degree paths. 

However, it’s more than just an educational issue; it’s also a cultural one. Isaac Asimov, a famous science fiction author and former biochemistry professor at Boston University, summed up cultural anti-intellectualism well when he said, “There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’”

Socially, intellectual pursuits in the arts and humanities are not valued as much as other facets of education, with degrees in the humanities and arts topping the most regretted degrees lists. When faced with financial turmoil, the arts and humanities are often the first to go. 

In the 2024-2025 budget, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a $10 million cut to the California Arts Council. Although 75% of this funding was restored, it is quite telling that arts funding — a kind of education paramount in developing empathy — was threatened when the state faced financial struggles. 

Re-investment in the humanities and intellectualism is a holistic approach. Funding must be reallocated on both the state and national level towards primary and secondary schools that incentivize a cohesive and expansive education on history, English and other humanistic pursuits that focuses on developing critical thinking and analytical skills rather than just the output of a successful resume or degree.