The Case of Some Top State U College-Bred

For these people, Knowledge is literally nothing more than that which garners you good grades; be that cramming, ideas totally disconnected from reality etc. They have utter contempt for other people. Because they enjoy a virtual monopoly in the humanities, anyone with the courage to call them on their Irrationality becomes the focal point of their hate infested lives.

The college-bred are, in fact and in reality, the scourge of collective ignorance and mediocrity in this country. This tribe of

A Facebook conversation with a certain Christian Magno purportedly from the UP-Diliman.

college-bred would grow into a nihilist, anti-reason herd of second-handers in the near future. They think they are the best simply because they are part of what is called ‘the top institution of learning’ in the country. They call themselves “iskolar ng bayan,” which means they are being subsidized- or more precisely, they are being helped- by taxpayers. In other words, they are the country’s quintessential palamunin.

My encounter with these college-bred folks reveals one thing: they have this big problem of academic insecurity. They think that anybody who writes or says anything bad against their beloved subsidized institution of learning is simply an envious hypocrite who failed to pass their UPCAT. Yes, I’m not making this up. In the aftermath of my very controversial blog titled To All UP Students: Education is NOT a Right, I received the most pathetic, most mediocre claim in my entire blogging career- that so malicious a claim that I wrote said blog simply because I didn’t pass their college entrance test or that I’m not one of those lucky ones who entered UP. I know this is a good example of argument from intimidation. And I believe it’s a sign of paranoia.

Those who made such an outrageous claim are suffering from paranoia. Perhaps, they ‘feel’ or think that their subsidized institution of indoctrination is the only school in the country. But one thing is very clear: they simply want to dismiss the fact that there’s a bigger issue involved in this debate. And this bigger, more important issue is the argument that I extensively, clearly established in my controversial blogs, along with its appurtenances: that education is not a right and private education is the only way to help the poor and to save this already bankrupt country. Alas, this is the main issue which they fail or refuse to understand.

However, I believe that most of them were sincere in raising such a cheap claim. Perhaps that’s the usual mentality of a college-bred. Perhaps they believe that some people who are not fortunate enough to study at UP or to hurdle their most touted college entrance test feel so envious of their privileged academic status. If anyone tries to take on UP, I warn you: be ready to be accused of not passing their UPCAT. This is the most obvious mediocre trend I observed in this anti-public education debate. “You didn’t pass the UPCAT that’s why you wrote this,” most of my commenters claimed. It was one of the most amusing comments I have ever received online.

I say that such a kind of mentality is so cheap. Such a line of thinking reveals the college-bred’s so cheap understanding of the role of education. This reminds me of a brain-damaged Senator who claimed that the UP College of Law is the only legitimate law school in the country. This prompted one of my professors to make the following comment: “If that’s the case- if UP is the only law school in the country- then we’re definitely better than them because we passed the bar without studying at UP!” Yes, this is how we should deal with mediocrity. Logic!

Now, I don’t think it’s my responsibility to explain why I wrote that blog. I’m fully aware that pandering to these people’s baser instincts would be like stooping down to the level of a worthless hippie. But this explains their utter immaturity.

So what if I didn’t take the UPCAT or didn’t pass it for that matter? Why raise such an issue in the first place if they believed they really had the intellectual ability to refute the arguments I stated in my blogs? The very possible answer to this is: it’s because they have this problem of academic insecurity.

Today I posted a video link on Facebook about a well-known American economist Milton Friedman’s encounter with a college-bred student who tried to assert his intellectual superiority but failed. After dealing with a herd of hippies online, I’m reminded of this video I watched a few months ago.

A Facebook friend who visited my controversial blog posted the following comment: “Moderate your comments list. Only allow those who respectfully put forth their argument/s. It doesn’t matter if you don’t agree with them; if they try to reason, and if you have the time and/or interest, reply to their posts. Life is too short to waste on people who are impervious to reason.
Fill your life with values and then pursue them relentlessly. Activism, properly done, should be a side business. Otherwise you’ll always remain in the Dominique mood.”

Here’s what I said: “I wish they’d understand your point, Ali. But they have one big belief: that they are the best in the country. Well, some of them think this way. But that’s what they are. That’s why many of them claimed I didn’t pass their college entrance test that’s why I wrote my blog. What a very pathetic, mediocre way of thinking…”

Then I received the best explanation to that kind of behavior. So I’d like to share my friend’s observation on the matter. Here’s how he analyzed the issue:

I recently wrote a letter to a lawyer (shyster), who writes for one of the best english dailies of my country. He is an environmentalist and a leftist. I merely questioned his premises and he retorted “F**k off, you Ignoramus”. Now, this guy has degrees from some of the top universities in the world and was one of those “yay mom, I got straight As” type.

Although I was hurt by his reply, I have lived long enough not to expect any better from his likes. For these people, Knowledge is literally nothing more than that which garners you good grades; be that cramming, ideas totally disconnected from reality etc. They have utter contempt for other people. Because they enjoy a virtual monopoly in the humanities, anyone with the courage to call them on their Irrationality becomes the focal point of their hate infested lives. It’s absolutely amazing how clueless they are about their own vaunted credo and how easily most people are taken in by their rigmarole. They are the quintessence of second-handedness.

So, whenever they don’t have good reasons to dispute your views, they resort to ad-hominem attacks. The good news is that by repeatedly questioning their prejudices, you, in effect, puncture their balloon. So, good premises.

What a statement of wisdom… I agree absolutely! These new college-bred hippies in our country today are “the quintessence of second-handedness.” If you want to know what second-handedness means, get a copy of Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead.

PERSONAL NOTE: The photo above shows how some people behave after I published my anti-public education blog. My judgment tells me it shows their academic insecurity. A certain Christian Magno, whose Facebook info tells me he’s from UP, asked: “Anong School Mo”? Why does my school bother them? In the first place, my controversial blog is never about the superiority of my school against the inferiority of their school or vice versa. This is what most of my emotional college-bred critics would like to think of what I published. I simply don’t think that way. I learned from reading the right books. I learned from the people I deal with. There are only a few things I learned in school. To this Christian Magno: my friendly advice to you is, graduate on time and do not ever prolong your stay at UP.

Here’s a case wherein trolls can be said to be the most sincere in expressing their personal feelings and stupidity…