For generations now the right has believed only pansies read books. The anti-intellectualism that has infected and spread throughout this country since the 1980s is what has destroyed us. The cartoon meme that I have seen recently where the jet airliner passenger says the passengers need to take over flying the plane because those fancy pilots have lost touch with regular people is far more true than a joke.
Among the union members that I represent now, my education, both formal and informal, is not seen as an asset (as it was when I worked in Ohio with members who were generally as or more educated than I am) but instead is seen as at best a weakness and at worse probably even an indication that I am a wimp. It's almost as if I showed up at union meetings with my firearm strapped to my side maybe they'd trust me more than if I come armed with my knowledge of current labor laws and economic trends.