I am indebted to Greg Houle at Perseus Books, which publishes “Just How Stupid Are We?” under Basic Books, by Rick Shenkman. He passed along a copy for me to review, and I am grateful to him indeed for honoring my request.
I’m told that Mr. Shenkman picked the title exactly in the hope that it would startle and get a rise out of folks. Indeed I hope it worked, for this is one of those must reads. If you are still scratching your head why a seemingly “smart” American public keeps shooting itself in the foot with election disasters such as George W. Bush, then read this explanation and learn the answer. Moreover, learn what must be done to indeed make us that smart and savvy voter that we all like to think we are.
First, examine the grim statistics:
- Fifty percent of America can name at least two member of the Simpsons. Only twenty-five percent can name one right guaranteed by the First Amendment.
- Only 20% of those between the ages of 18-34 read any portion of a newspaper. Only 11% claim to surf the internet for news.
- In 2004, 60% of Americans still thought Saddam had something to do with 9/11, and 66% believed the war was popular over seas.
- Only 1 in 5 know we have 100 senators.
- One in 7 can find Iraq on a map.
- Only 35% know that only Congress can declare war.
- Forty-nine percent, inexplicably think that the President can suspend the constitution!
The list unfortunately can go on for some time, but you get the picture. And what is worse, things are getting worse! A task for in 2003, “The Strategic Task Force on Education Abroad,” studying the issue concluded that “America’s ignorance of the outside world is so great as to constitute a threat to national security.” [25]
While an unprecedented number of our youth attend college and we have access instantaneously to news from around the world, we know less than we did sixty years ago. And moreover, we seem proud of that fact. If you don’t agree with me, take a look at Jay Leno on one of his famous “Jay walking” excursions when he asks average folk simple questions about our civic life, if you can stop laughing at the utterly ridiculous answers long enough to weep in frustration, that is.
Shenkman asks if we are irrational. He thinks not. We are simply too busy and thus we look for shortcuts to “inform” us about the issues. Sadly we choose mostly the wrong things, celebrity and tvads. We can act rationally of course, when our personal interests are sufficiently at stake. We have a tendency to a “throw the bums out” when things get really bad, a not at all irrational response. But we are inclined to throw the baby out with the bathwater so to speak. We did so in 2006, when we threw out Lincoln Chafee of RhodeIsland and Jim Leach of Iowa, both good, hard working middle of the road Republicans who got caught up in the sweep.
Mr. Shenkman also argues persuasively that because we are so ethnically diverse, we rely on historical myths as our standards. We have classes in America, but pretend we don’t for instance. We believe in the myththat hard work makes for success. We believe that the most of us are middle-class. Politicians have learned to avoid the truth and play to the myth. Those candidates who attempt reality are often punished with losing.
In the past, this didn’t matter so much. Candidates arose through the party machinery and no candidate could go it alone. The machinery at least made sure that the candidate chosen was someone with basic skills of governing. Today, most delegates are chosen by primaries, as we have just exhaustively seen. Polls reflect the changing whim of “public opinion” and congressmen are no longer free to do what is right, but are beholden to interests that pour money into campaigns while politicians seemingly pander to what they think their constituents want to hear.
As the populous gained “control” over the candidates, then pandering to the public became key to winning. Television has become the tool of those who wish to obfuscate and mislead. And it works. We are bored with political affairs and we rely more or less on soundbites. We don’t check them out, we absorb them, fact or fiction. Moreover, issues themselves are manipulated for the express purpose of shaping public opinion. Today Exxon can’t wait to tell me how much it is helping to eradicate malaria in Africa. Why? so I’ll not feel so angry at their incredibly obscene profits. What is unstated of course is they hope I won’t vote for that Democrat who might make their corporate lives more difficult.
Television, which undoubted could have been used to foster civic knowledge, instead was used to present candidates as celebrity. Handsome? you win. Sallow, short, dumpy? you lose. As Shenkman says,
But superficiality is what television politics is all about. It is about the candidate’s smile and sincerity. It is about slogans. It is about clever packaging. [93]
Scary as it is, according to Shenkman, presidential speeches are written at the level a 7thgrader can understand, where in the mid 50’s or so, they were aimed at a twelfth grade level. Those who try to uplift even that, like Adlai Stevenson, in the 50’s are roundly laughed at as “eggheads” and soundly beaten.
The worst myth of all is that we think we are smart. We don’t admit our own ignorance. (How we view Jay’s troupe of idiots, or our election of GWB remains to be explained.) Liberals actually believe we are smart. Tune in any news cast where any politician is speaking, and he or she will undoubtedly at some point say, “I trust that the American people are too smart to be fooled by . . . .” We are continually being told we are wise and thoughtful, able to see through the tissue of lies.
This indeed was the undoing of Gore and Kerry. They believe the myth as do liberals in general. They cannot wrap their brains around the fact that we aren’t. Please don’t get me wrong, Shenkman is not arguing we are mentally unable to handle this stuff. We are too busy and too lazy to do the work to learn it, he contends. Republicans on the other hand, know the truth and use it effectively to their advantage. Rovian politics is based on the big lie, told again and again, knowing that few will examine its efficacy. Finally it becomes ingrained as truth in the minds of most.
In all this, Shenkman sees that this is really nothing so very new. Examining the Founding Fathers writings, we see that they too had a good deal of distrust in “The People,” and thus adjusted power accordingly. Most of our government was not set up to be elected “by the people.” Passivity was assumed on the part of most citizens and that was considered a good thing.
Liberals, holding on to the presumption of a smart electorate, cannot explain the racism and sexism which revealed themselves so clearly in the civil rights movment and the women’s movement. They explained it by reference to the people being bamboozled somehow by the bad guys. But this is no answer. What is more likely is that “The People” talk conservatively but operate liberally. What that means is that they are for social programs like social security, medicare, things that affect them personally, but become suddenly conservative on issues that deal with “other” interests, such as race, sex, gender. Republicans really fear democracy, since democracy threatens a free market economy, and the rich folks hold on their money.
In essence, liberals can’t believe that “The People” are stupid, and conservatives can’t afford to say it since so far they have benefited by being placed in power.
Shenkman, being I believe an optimist, sees a solution to the dilemma, or at least a series of possibilities that may improve the situation. First the internet and blogging are promising means by which deeper analysis and broader distribution of facts can be disseminated. We must persist in demanding real statements, not platitudes. Buzz words like freedom, liberty, good and evil need to be examined to see if there is actual substance to the way the words are used or only knee jerk flags to rally round. And we must be forced to face our ignorance.
Most innovative of Shenkman’s recommendations is that civics needs to be a major requirement not only in high school curricula again, but also required at the college level. It is scary to contemplate a “literacy test” for voting for obvious reasons, but at least it’s worthy of debate. Are not the times dangerous enough that we MUST do something to ensure that those elected to run our country have some minimal ability? One would hope so.
Read this, and think about it, and then figure out what you can do to be more aware of the political scene, what sources of help you can rely on to make good informed judgments you can trust, what is going on in your school district. I heartily endorse this well researched book as a beginning. Learn the truth of our ignorance, and then do something about it.
______________
Bracketed numbers are page numbers from the book.
Ruth Hull Chatlien said:
I think there is a lot of truth to this. Another factor is the consumerist culture; we are kept busy with things and entertainment, and the pursuit of same. Advertising makes us feel any “lack” of beauty or youth or gadgets.
I write social studies educational materials for a living, so I would love to see that curriculum beefed up in schools (not just for my livelihood because I do language arts as well but because I believe in its importance). But one result of No Child Left Behind is that social studies is being squeezed out. It doesn’t get tested, so it’s not a priority.
Sometimes conspiracy theories are very tempting.
FranIAm said:
Oh my- I went on a short rant this morning and this ties into what I said… however you do it with far more eloquence and power.
Linkage alert!
FranIAm said:
OK, put a link to this in my post…
I am very aware from watching my 12 yo step-daughter, that the combination of her education (all standardized test driven) and her own inability to focus and her parents’ sometimes ennui about it (divorce guilt) is toxic.
We recently flew on Southwest airlines to California. (we live in upstate NY)
The drink napkin is a map of the US so I decided that she and I could name the states.
It was horrifying… she got NY, CT, MA all because they are near. She got CA because she is obsessed with it.
TX because it is big, AK and HI for obvious reasons.
And FL.
Then the trouble began.
It was really sad that 12 she had no clue about US geography, let alone other parts of the world.
As for adults – that is what I wrote about… how the stress of not enough time (the shortcuts referred to in your post) drives us to ill informed decision making.
It is very depressing to me.
Thanks for this great post- that book will need to be read.
Sherry said:
Ruth, you are so right. Shenkman made that exact point–No child left behind does not test for civics at all. It is a crime. I am truly appalled sometimes when I see people answering questions, and they can’t even identify major Washington politicians. I can’t believe people don’t even bother to watch the news anymore.
Sue J said:
I agree with Ruth, and would add that because of No Child left Behind, there is very little time to teach critical thinking skills. The state assessments really only test on facts, and any “extended answer” questions must be answered following a pre-determined formula.
Sherry said:
Fran, great minds and all that! lol. I’ll be over later for sure to see what you said. I hope we do better this time around for sure, or I may leave the country! LOL
Shannon said:
I’m convinced, more than 35 years later, that my junior year in Rome was one of the best bits of education I ever got. Reading and seeing news about the States while living in Europe made me understand fundamentally that the US was not the center of the universe.
distributorcap said:
what a fantastic post on such an important topic — working in the media i know exactly about the shaping machine, sound bites and lack of american intelligence fits in the scheme of things — so does Karl Rove. and he used it brilliantly – like Lee Atwater
i hate to say this — we live in a stupid, moronic and shallow country – and more than likely the leader in world in all three — with all the resources available to us, the fact we STILL elected Bush, Mccain is probably gonna win and that the shredding of the constitution continues unabated – there are no excuses. we stopped being a true democracy a long long time ago.
problem is people who see this and want to do something get sucked right into the absolute power corrupts absolutely vortex. pelosi did – i had high hopes for her and she has proven to be the worst speaker of the house in history in my mind. she is a bush enabler.
we are all enablers – we allow this to go on and do NOTHING about it. millions of people should be sitting at the white house and protesting until he resigns. but that would mean not seeing Leo DiCaprio walking down the street or missing the latest download on to your iPod
as i have told fran, i see NO way out – we are completely sunk as a nation. bush put us down too deep, and the mccain victory will mean the final nail. the only hope i see is a breakup, a la czechoslovakia. let the idiots who believe in intelligent design and cant find Michigan on the map and still think saddam masterminded 9/11 have their own country. to me they are not fellow americans, but aliens. can you imagine california had to have a court decision forcing doctors to take care of gay people? can you believe our president is patting the asses of volleyball players in beijing as georgia burns? can you believe 10% of the population STILL thinks obama is a muslim.
people love living in stupidity – it makes them seem regular and accepted. and our media, which is really not media but one giant National Enquirer loves it as well. when people think Hannity and Coulter are journalists, you know there is NO HOPE.
thanks for my rant.
i love your writing
Missy said:
Here via Fran. Excellent post.
It’s obvious we are stupid.
How many intelligent conversations do you have in one day? Off the internet?
Sherry said:
Fran, thanks for the extended remarks. I know just how you feel. It is so disheartening. My husband is a map nut, and he knows way more than I ever will about where things are, but still, I can locate the damn states of the US. I know how the government is supposed to operate and how many reps and senators there are. It’s simply appalling and I find it impossible to believe so many are so stupid.
Sherry said:
Sue, I used to spend a lot of time at a Catholic forum. I learned all about wingnuttery there in the sense of people having absolutely no ability to think critically. It’s something frankly that few even learn in college. Thankfully I learned the art in law school and later in grad school. My husband is better at it than I am. I still have a tendency to respect the written word without analysis, but jeesh, most people don’t have a clue. Fox is as good to them as NRP, and of course better, since they like what they hear from Fox.
Sherry said:
distributor–I share you frustration for sure. I’m hoping against hope that Obama will pull this off, and frankly, I think he will. I have to think that or I will go mad. If I hear McShame say “my friends” once more I may puncture my eardrums! I think I will live as a hermit should we lose another one to the wingbattery Repubicoots, I swear!
Sherry said:
Missy, for sure. My husband and I talk of many things, often arguing about politics but also many other subjects. I doubt we are the norm however. Mostly its, what’s for dinner?, what’s on? and did you pick up my drycleaning? LOL. Television has been the demise I suspect of more thinking and genuine conversation than any other thing in modern history. Will the internet bring us back? I dunno.
Sherry said:
Shannon, reading overseas news and bloggers has really opened my eyes. I recommend it to everyone. We are so myopic here. The universe does not revolve around the US, for darn sure.
QuakerDave said:
“I write social studies educational materials for a living, so I would love to see that curriculum beefed up in schools (not just for my livelihood because I do language arts as well but because I believe in its importance). But one result of No Child Left Behind is that social studies is being squeezed out. It doesn’t get tested, so it’s not a priority.”
Yes, yes, YES. The schools have a role to play in this, and yes, I do think there’s some truth to the idea that we are dumbing our kids down in certain areas on purpose. Absolutely.
We have mandatory state testing here in Jersey, and social studies are not on the test.
That’d be the first thing I’d fix. Teach civics and history and GEOGRAPHY. Our middle school curriculum features WEEKS on bullying and self-esteem. Now, I have no problem with doing lessons on coping with bullying, but not at the expense of basics in a core subject. We do lots of character education in all our classes, and there are lots of ways we could do this without skipping essentials.
Now I’m off to find this book.
Sherry said:
Wow, Dave, seems like we agree a lot with the writer. Civics civics and more of it. Mercifully if that happened we might collectively have a clue what is being done to our country and our government. I hope it happens before it is too late!
Lee (caminante) said:
Here via Fran, too.
In El Salvador, which has its own difficulties and sorry history, children have a weekly civics class that teaches them about their human rights, the constitution, their government and so forth. I was amazed.
I’ve long felt the US electorate is stupid, self-centered and short-visioned. Tough, harsh judgemental words but how else to explain 2004?
My partner and I spent lots of time talking politics and obviously live in a bubble because we have a lot of friends who talk politics and try to figure out what to do.
I wonder if there are no protests because we are too demoralised and because we have seen that it makes no difference at all (I remember standing in front of our statehouse on the Sunday night before the US began to bomb Baghdad along with millions around the world and our so-called leader said he didn’t pay attention to public opinion).
Like many comments above, if ‘my friends’ McDuff wins, I am going to have to become a hermit or flee.
Last thing… when in Nicaragua in 1984 during the US Congress debate on whether or not to fund the Contras, I grabbed every single newspaper in Managua I could find. It was an amazing survey across the spectrum and taught me that ‘objective’ news can be very subjective.
Grandmère Mimi said:
Hi Sherry. We are stupid. That’s the fact of it. Ruth said a mouthful up there about the teaching of social studies/civics. It’s not tested, so it is not emphasized in the teaching curriculum. That’s a damned shame. It should be mandatory all the way through the university level.
I’m old, and we did have better social studies teaching in the ancient days when I was a student. I know, I know. More of the good old days BS, but it really WAS better.
And if nothing else came out of my six semesters of philosophy courses at my Jesuit university, I learned basic critical thinking. I am dumbfounded by the ignorance and lack of critical thinking skills that abound today. It almost makes me want to become a hermit.
It sounds like a good book. Shenkman is on to us. End of my rant.
mompriest said:
I never have understood why anyone would believe an ad…I mean really! But I also know, sadly from the obvious facts of what actually happens, that people must…sigh…and worse yet, it takes a lot of work to find out facts about people…and even then almost impossible…the National Organization of Women (NOW) used to publish the actual work of all people up for election – from federal senators and congresswomen/men to judges and local candidates. I loved it…so helpful to know where people actually stand on important issues…I think our judges are very critical and yet rarely known…sigh…anyway, this is bit off target from your post…but points to the lack of info that we can easily access, thus “relying” on the media…(huge sigh of distain)
margaret said:
we are stupid…. sigh.
but redeemed and redeemable.
dguzman said:
Thanks for the tip on the book. I’m here from Fran’s, and I’ll be back.
Sherry said:
Lee, thanks for the contribution to the discussion. I will look to see if you have a blog. Your insights about Latin America would certainly be a wonderful addition to my blogroll and for my personal learning curve. I think you state important facts. It is sad that what some of us consider the norm,(discussing the political scene) is ignored in all too many households.
Sherry said:
Thanks for your reply Grandmere Mimi. I think it obvious that your generation learned more civics than we ever did in mine, and it’s worse in the now generation for sure. It is pathetic, and we are the victim of our own stupidity. We have surely gotten the government we deserve. I pray we can rectify it before it is too late to salvage and we become but another oligarchy.
Sherry said:
Mompriest, you are exactly right. There are places where we can shore up our own lack of ability to know everything, but sadly most people take the easiest way out and rely on the 30 sec attack ad, most all of which are lies and half-truths. It’s a shame.
Sherry said:
Margaret, I agree, we are redeemable, let’s just hope we figure that out and act to regain control of our government.
Sherry said:
dguzman, thanks for the comment. You won’t go wrong on the book I can tell you that. Rick e-mailed me today, which is something you seldom see in a writer of his magnitude. His blog, btw will be listed on my sidebar under political sources by next Monday for sure.
Jan said:
You don’t need another comment, but here I am rather belatedly. I’m still reading “The Family,” which you recommended awhile back. It has struck me much like “The Shock Doctrine,” with its multiple footnotes and historical references–good stuff but slow going for me. I take your suggestions seriously, and so will think of this for the future. Thanks, Sherry.
Sherry said:
HU Jan, not to worry. Any comment is a worthwhile one. I’m glad you are finding “The Family” a good read. Scary as it is at times. This one is much shorter and hasn’t the footnotes. It’s well documented at the end, but you don’t need to read as many as with Sharlet’s book.
Diane Roth said:
I’m here via Fran too, and I have to say: You Rock! You and what Ruth said in her first comment. I’ll have to pick up this book, although it will be disheartening, I think, to read it.
Mauigirl said:
I came here through Fran as well – great post and all too true. The book sounds like very worthwhile reading.
Sherry said:
Hi Diane, LOL. Frans friends rock! You guys are sure loyal! I think the book is important, and hope it gets a wide reading. We have got to do something about his horrid state of affairs.
Sherry said:
Hi Mauigirl,
I don’t think you will be disappointed if you do. Rick Shenkman lays out a convincing case and has some good ideas how to remedy it I think. We ignore his warnings at our peril.