Comment by no_wizard

There seems to be a rise in some sort of 'anti-intellectual' sentiment that has gotten popular over the decades. For me, I saw similar things on Facebook in 2009 when I graduated.

I suspect if you go back a decade again, to the late 1990s, you may find some prevalence there. I'm unsure of its origins, but it seems more prominent with middle aged and younger millennials and gen z.

I never see nor hear of this sentiment from Gen X or older millennials.

I think in some respects, it mirrors the rise of anti-corporate anti-elite thinking. That these mandatory books put in front of are used as tools of the apparatus that perpetuate systemic societal ills.

Historically though, the counter culture thing to do was to read lots of literature - often literature published by small outlets and other controversial pieces however there was an expectation of simply reading and learning for the greater good.