Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 108 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
OpEdNews Op Eds    H2'ed 12/7/08

The Extinction of Right Wing Neanderthals; The Rising of Bottom-up Intelligence

By       (Page 1 of 1 pages)   43 comments, In Series: Bottom-up, Top-down
Follow Me on Twitter     Message Rob Kall
Become a Fan
  (295 fans)
I’m getting a feeling for what it might have been like for modern mankind to experience the dwindling disappearance of the Neanderthals. I hesitate to use this analogy, because it is an insult to Neanderthals, but I DO get this funny feeling that we are seeing a similar phenomenon—the dwindling disappearance of right wing, stupid, bigoted, intolerant, xenophobic right wing extremists.
I received  this email, as editor of OpEdnEws.com, which was also copied to many other editors, talk show hosts and right wing organizations—Hannity, O’Reilly, Savage, Limbaugh, Fox News, Worldnet and the RNC:
"Barack Obama is the most celebrated President in American history and he isn't even President yet. Please, I need to understand this. With such unprecedented support is it possible he can't fail even if he does fail? I just have got to know if the American public is really... um... I'm not gonna say it, but how is it possible this man is the most celebrated president in history and he hasn't taken office yet???

Is it me? Because he's black does it not matter what kind of President he turns out to be? Where do you think this kind of mentality/rationale will end? Will it now become the natural mandate that we elect a woman because we have never had a woman, or a gay man or a lesbian or for that matter a transvestite?Does it even matter what kind of example it sets for young people? …You tell me, in all honesty, how many people even heard of Barack Obama before this election? Is that the real reason the rest of the candidates dropped out, because they knew they didn't stand a chance against a black man regardless of the fact that every single one of them had superior credentials? Where does it end? Why has it begun? - Mike Budnicki Brick, N.J."

I almost sent this right wing neanderthal an insulting email. I will do that sometimes—start writing, then delete. But it got me thinking that this guy is, thank god,  a vanishing breed. There are fewer and fewer of his kind— Neanderthals who are intolerant of anyone who doesn’t look like or think like him.  He asks “Why has “IT” begun.“

What has begun is that finally, small minded, cowardly, closed-minded, bigoted, right wing extremists who are unwilling and afraid to tolerate people who look, act or think differently to take responsible roles in elected office are shrinking in number. It’s a wonderful thing. They are being replaced by more tolerant people. The new ones aren’t perfect. Look at all the blacks who voted against gay marriage rights in California’s Prop 8.

But even with that situation, huge progress on the evolutionary front  is clear. The thing is, right wing extremism is not a cranial thing, or, at least not just about thinking. After all there are some very high IQ right wingers. But even the idea of IQ has evolved. Harvard’s Howard Gardner, several decades ago, developed the idea of multiple intelligences. He observed that traditional IQ tests primarily measure math and verbal intelligence. But he posits, here are also other kinds of intelligence—social/interpersonal, musical, athletic, visual spatial, intrapersonal (self knowing) and some speculate that there is an ecological (some people really DO have green thumbs) and spiritual.

Perhaps, what we’re seeing with the demise of the right wing dominance is the disappearance of, I guess we could call it cultural or even political stupidity. But perhaps it’s better to talk about emergence and increasing domination of a new kind of intelligence— bottom-up intelligence that is based on desire for and tolerance of diversity, differences, justice, fairness,  inclusion, sharing, participation and democracy, where caring for the weakest and most vulnerable is a strongly held value…
 
This may not be among Howard Gardner’s list, but the characteristics are nothing new. They’ve been around since before the advent of civilization. Matter of fact, maybe civilization, with its top-down, hierarchical, control freak domination, slavery and god granted royalty and priesthood, was a digression from the development of this kind of humane intelligence. Maybe, Obama’s call for bottom-up approaches to healing the USA is a manifestation of this new kind of intelligence.

Yep. I apologize to the Neanderthals. Most likely they were already more evolved along this line of bottom-up intelligence than the right wing hierarchalists who brought us civilization. Perhaps, as we watch the right wing mindset shrink and hopefully, gradually  become extinct, we are actually seeing a new phase, or next stage of civilization—one that integrates the power of mass production and specialization with the values of bottom –up intelligence.
Valuable 2   Funny 1  
Rate It | View Ratings

Rob Kall Social Media Pages: Facebook Page       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Rob Kall is an award winning journalist, inventor, software architect, connector and visionary. His work and his writing have been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, ABC, the HuffingtonPost, Success, Discover and other media.

Check out his platform at RobKall.com

He is the author of The Bottom-up Revolution; Mastering the Emerging World of Connectivity

He's given talks and workshops to Fortune 500 execs and national medical and psychological organizations, and pioneered first-of-their-kind conferences in Positive Psychology, Brain Science and Story. He hosts some of the world's smartest, most interesting and powerful people on his Bottom Up Radio Show, and founded and publishes one of the top Google- ranked progressive news and opinion sites, OpEdNews.com

more detailed bio:

Rob Kall has spent his adult life as an awakener and empowerer-- first in the field of biofeedback, inventing products, developing software and a music recording label, MuPsych, within the company he founded in 1978-- Futurehealth, and founding, organizing and running 3 conferences: Winter Brain, on Neurofeedback and consciousness, Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology (a pioneer in the field of Positive Psychology, first presenting workshops on it in 1985) and Storycon Summit Meeting on the Art Science and Application of Story-- each the first of their kind. Then, when he found the process of raising people's consciousness and empowering them to take more control of their lives one person at a time was too slow, he founded Opednews.com-- which has been the top search result on Google for the terms liberal news and progressive opinion for several years. Rob began his Bottom-up Radio show, broadcast on WNJC 1360 AM to Metro Philly, also available on iTunes, covering the transition of our culture, business and world from predominantly Top-down (hierarchical, centralized, authoritarian, patriarchal, big) to bottom-up (egalitarian, local, interdependent, grassroots, archetypal feminine and small.) Recent long-term projects include a book, Bottom-up-- The Connection Revolution, (more...)
 

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Follow Me on Twitter     Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

A Conspiracy Conspiracy Theory

Debunking Hillary's Specious Winning the Popular Vote Claim

Terrifying Video: "I Don't Need a Warrant, Ma'am, Under Federal Law"

Ray McGovern Discusses Brutal Arrest at Secretary Clinton's Internet Freedom Speech

Hillary's Disingenuous Claim That She's Won 2.5 Million More Votes is Bogus. Here's why

Cindy Sheehan Bugged in Denver

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend