Mike Rowe: Millionaire's Arguing With Millionaire's Over Who Hates the Millionaire's the Most !

I think he is actually more a liberal, but it seems dirty jobs changed the way he sees the world a little. He tries not to chose one side or the other, he just tells stories I have noticed.

He was interviewed by Tucker Carlson after this ninny, Chick Atkins, linked him to being a Nazi a in 2017:


Off The Wall
Chuck Atkins says...
"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."



Hi Chuck

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. 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.

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. 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? Let’s start with a closer look at your claims.

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. 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 - according to you - is now the same initiative as White Nationalists.

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. 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.

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.

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. 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.”

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.

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

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.

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.


https://www.realclearpolitics.com/v...ccuses_him_of_supporting_white_supremacy.html

 
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He seems to have a lot of common sense, whatever he is.
He seems to have a lot of common sense, whatever he is.
I have enjoyed most of the programs he has done.

I thought cptlo306 would like where Mike said, "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.) "

:laughbunny:
 
Rowe is not anti-intellectual. He has a Bachelors degree and has proven his intellect many times over. Hell he proved it in his response to the poster bashing him.
 
Rowe is not anti-intellectual. He has a Bachelors degree and has proven his intellect many times over. Hell he proved it in his response to the poster bashing him.
I read it several times... and yes, his brain works quite well. It was funnier each time I read it because he sliced diced and filleted the guy.

Loved this: 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!"
 
I read it several times... and yes, his brain works quite well. It was funnier each time I read it because he sliced diced and filleted the guy.

Loved this: 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!"
I cracked up when I read that. He made the guy look really stupid.
 
Rowe is not anti-intellectual. He has a Bachelors degree and has proven his intellect many times over. Hell he proved it in his response to the poster bashing him.
Right. But he takes a common sense approach that 1) not everyone is cut out for college, and 2) a lot of college degrees these days are nearly worthless.

Unless a person is going to college for a really good field that there's money in, the trades are where it's at right now.
 
Right. But he takes a common sense approach that 1) not everyone is cut out for college, and 2) a lot of college degrees these days are nearly worthless.

Unless a person is going to college for a really good field that there's money in, the trades are where it's at right now.

Both my sons are going into or are in the trades. One has his mechanical engineering and welding degree and has a good job. The other helped put his wife through dental school and now that she is a dentists, he can go back and finish college... at least that was the plan, but he changed his mind. They moved to a new state and he heard about a program that does training and apprenticeship to become an electrician that is in the new city they live in. He rewired his 1920's house and has helped friends with electrical projects and he liked doing that... so he thinks this would give him something he likes and could have his own business.

I will tell you I do wish they would also get a business degree, or at least some business management classes, which neither of them has taken. Each of them wants to eventually work for themselves, but running a business takes more than being good at what you do. The welder has a wife who could do all that for him, she has her business degree... but he does not even know what he does not know... therefore he does not appreciate what she could help him accomplish and shuts her down when she offers. A few classes in business would expand his view of the help she could provide him to make the next step to do what his dream is.

I have always felt that there is a value to college. The problem now is you must take a bunch of mandated progressive courses too. Colleges and Universities have changed, and yes the massive debt with no job at the end is a bad investment.
 
Both my sons are going into or are in the trades. One has his mechanical engineering and welding degree and has a good job. The other helped put his wife through dental school and now that she is a dentists, he can go back and finish college... at least that was the plan, but he changed his mind. They moved to a new state and he heard about a program that does training and apprenticeship to become an electrician that is in the new city they live in. He rewired his 1920's house and has helped friends with electrical projects and he liked doing that... so he thinks this would give him something he likes and could have his own business.

I will tell you I do wish they would also get a business degree, or at least some business management classes, which neither of them has taken. Each of them wants to eventually work for themselves, but running a business takes more than being good at what you do. The welder has a wife who could do all that for him, she has her business degree... but he does not even know what he does not know... therefore he does not appreciate what she could help him accomplish and shuts her down when she offers. A few classes in business would expand his view of the help she could provide him to make the next step to do what his dream is.

I have always felt that there is a value to college. The problem now is you must take a bunch of mandated progressive courses too. Colleges and Universities have changed, and yes the massive debt with no job at the end is a bad investment.
I'm not anti-college at all, it's just that since Georgia got the Hope Scholarship, college has turned into a business who's main objective is to run people through their halls and collect their checks.

I would guess that at least half of the degrees given over the last 15 years or so are almost worthless. Most of the kids my daughter ran with in high school have BS degrees hanging on their walls with 75-100 K student debt, and they are waiting tables or babysitting. Nothing against those jobs, it's honorable work, but they don't have the income potential to pay back those student loans.
 
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