Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way
through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion
that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your
knowledge. – – Isaac Asimov
Ignorance, lack of knowledge, is one of the realities which surprised me most after I came to America. American education excels many others in its development of creativity and individuality, but it also takes away too much time from students to expand their knowledge in both width and depth.
You can decide what you want to learn and do at school. It seems to have emphasized democracy and individual-based freedom. However, if these democracy and freedom are not based on sufficient knowledge, that means the students don’t know enough before they make choices, any choice is just a blind pick. For instance, if a student chooses art, because he seems to have great interest and even talent in art, before he knows anything about other sciences, this random choice doesn’t prove any democracy or freedom. Another example, freedom of speech should be given to the people who have knowledge about what he should say, not to an ignorant person who rambles whatever comes into his mouth.
Therefore, democracy and freedom should be given only to knowledgeable people, and any person who crave for democracy and freedom should get themselves well educated first.
Anti-intellectualism actually is anti-democracy and anti-freedom.
***Question: Is there anyone who thinks that the quotion in the above picture might be wrongly formulated? Should it be opposite?
A World without Gaps 
While I do agree with you, I have one tiny quibble. The Lack of knowledge or information denotes a lack of schooling or reading, but it does not by any means denote a lack of intelligence. Assuming that since someone doesn’t know something, they shall never know, or never want to know it, decries in itself an inherent anti-intellectualism: If you don’t know it, don’t bother learning it.
Ignorance, as is my personal belief, is a lack of wisdom or a staunch unwillingness to gain knowledge. Freedom and Democracy are not founded on the fact that people are educated, and therefore deserve to make policy decisions, Freedom and Democracy are held up by the fact that we, as a people, CAN learn and CAN gain knowledge without an outside source telling us what to learn.