Possible rise of anti-intellectualism in Tunisia and its consequences?

Hello everyone, first off, THIS ISN’T TO OFFEND ANYONE. Over the past few years post COVID lockdown, between scrolling online and chatting with people in cafés, stade, restos, and lycée, I’ve noticed something seriously worrying: the rise in pseudoscience, conspiracies, and outright science denial. Like, sure, if you want to believe the Earth is flat with a fish aquarium above it, or that saying random words creates “energy” that magically fixes your life, or even that climate change is some grand conspiracy to control the population (even though denying climate change is the real conspiracy), then fine, go ahead. But the real problem isn’t just these beliefs, it’s the thinking behind them.

(This denial shit likely leaked out of Facebook, do I care about Facebook? No, does anyone care? Nope, but it's getting out of there, which makes it a serious issue.)

I’ve debated people online and in real life, and I swear, they’re more stubborn than extremist Islamists when defending this nonsense. I had one friend try to convince me that climate change is a lie, a conspiracy, and that by not “questioning everything,” I’m somehow part of the “matrix.” Like, ya bro, I get it: blindly trusting presidents, governments, or institutions is foolish, there’s plenty of corruption, and healthy skepticism is important.

But here’s the thing: skepticism isn’t just shouting, “It’s a conspiracy, it’s the yahood!” It’s about critically analyzing evidence and understanding the why and how behind claims. Denying climate change because you don’t trust authority doesn’t make you a free thinker; it makes you someone who rejects decades of hard scientific evidence from experts across the globe. When people dismiss science but accept random YouTubers or TikTokers as “truth-tellers,” it’s not questioning the system, it’s falling for a different kind of manipulation.

What’s worse are the so-called “creators” who push these ideas using a religious twist to legitimize their BS (and sometimes complex scientific jargon to sound legit!). Flat Earth is a perfect example, but what really gets to me is how these ideas are leaking into mainstream platforms. Remember that clown on Jeu Dit Tout last year who mentioned flat earth and Tesla time travel BS? Even though the Tunisian Astronomers Society debunked his nonsense, the fact that such absurdity made it onto TV is terrifying. I don’t watch Tunisian TV, it’s not my thing and I don’t care, but tons of parents and adults do, and they end up believing this crap. Especially the whole “energy” thing, it’s everywhere now.

Now, this might piss off a few people, but about the whole "cosmic energy" thing, I get it. I used to believe in it, and I still think keeping an optimistic outlook on life is healthy and can genuinely improve your day-to-day experiences. But here's the catch: relying too much on the idea that the universe will magically align things for you can breed delusion. It sets up unrealistic expectations, and when life inevitably throws curveballs, it can lead to disappointment, frustration, or even self-blame and maybe even self-harm. Life requires action, effort, readiness, and critical thinking, not just wishful thinking. Now, back to the point, these kinds of beliefs, while harmless at first, can pave the way for accepting larger, more damaging pseudoscience, and that’s where the problem really starts.

Take one of the women fi houmti, for example. She’s fully convinced the Earth is flat, that satellites don’t exist, and that “energy” is the key to life’s mysteries. Honestly, I don’t care what she believes, she’s an adult, she can do whatever she wants. But when this religiously-coated pseudoscience spreads unchecked, it’s going to infect younger generations who don’t know better, we’re already seeing people claiming that school is useless and that academia is dead. And let’s be clear: this isn’t a religion problem like some might say. You don’t need religion to push these ideas, they’re the result of poor critical thinking skills and maybe a profitable goal being pushing them, for example pushing climate change denial benefits major energy heads and companies.

This is about education and critical thought, or the lack of it. If we don’t address this now, we’re looking at a future where misinformation rules, and progress as a country becomes impossible. The less educated people become, the easier it is to manipulate them.

But why should you care, you ask? What difference does it make to your life whether the Earth is flat or a globe? You’re not a governor writing environmental policies, why should you care about climate change? Why does it matter if I believe that meds are control tools? Fair questions. But here’s the thing: whether you realize it or not, these issues do affect your life, and not just yours, but the lives of those around you, the society you live in, and even the future of your children.

Let’s break it down. Science, logic, and critical thinking are the backbone of modern progress. They’re why you have a phone to scroll on, a car to drive, clean water to drink, and medicine that works. The moment we start rejecting evidence-based science, whether it’s about the shape of the Earth or the reality of climate change, we start dismantling the foundation of that progress. Imagine if your doctor rejected proven medical science in favor of conspiracy theories or a parent pulling their child out of school because they believe it's teaching “lies.” Imagine if engineers building your house decided they didn’t trust physics and started doing their own thing. It sounds absurd, I know, but that’s where this kind of thinking leads when it spreads unchecked. And we don’t have to speculate to see examples. The soviets in the 50s heavily pushed propaganda against much of genetic biology for political and profitable reasons. They killed a lot of scientists in the process and even hired a fraud, Trofim Lysenko, to manage agriculture. Lysenko promoted pseudoscientific methods like Vernalization to grow crops, which led to widespread starvation and sickness in the USSR, while not extreme famine it was a dark decade.

And I get it, not everyone is into science, and that’s okay. People excel in different fields—art, literature, history, philosophy—and all of them matter. Every major contributes something valuable to society, whether it’s learning about our civilization, creating stories that inspire, or exploring our purpose. We don’t have to all think the same way, but we should all support and push this type of thinking. We should respect logic, science, and art nonetheless.

Now, let’s talk about climate change specifically. Maybe you’re not a governor, but you’re still part of a society that’s going to have to deal with its effects. Droughts, rising sea levels, food shortages, these aren’t problems of the distant future; they’re already happening with milk, sugar, and farina. If we don’t care now, our children, and their children, are the ones who will pay the price. They’ll inherit a world where resources are scarcer, conflicts are more common, and ignorance is higher, and surviving is harder than it ever needed to be. We're already seeing this through the water shortage we faced last few summers and the political events.

And let’s not forget about personal accountability. Just because you’re not a policy-maker doesn’t mean you’re powerless. Caring about the truth, supporting science, and making small changes in your life, whether it’s reducing waste, supporting intellectuals, voting for leaders who take these issues seriously, or simply spreading awareness can ripple out into something much bigger. It’s about doing your part, no matter how small, to leave the world a little better than you found it.

So, yeah, maybe the shape of the Earth or the reality of climate change or energy doesn’t seem like it matters to your daily life. But in the long run, what we choose to believe and act on shapes not just our own future, but the future of everyone who comes after us. That’s why it matters. That’s why you should care.

If any of that didn't convince you, you're free to leave your opinion, and it's fine if you don't want to feel this responsibility. Everyone can choose, and I hope I didn't sound like a nerd, which I probably did lol, and please correct me if I said anything wrong