Even though you can’t throw a rock in D.C. without hitting a politician telling the American public how smart they are, a quick glance at any of the 24-hour news channels might cause you to think otherwise. Americans seem to be obsessed with the trivial details and prefabricated drama of the political process — not the issues that matter to the future of our country and the world.
In the interest of full disclosure, I admit that I am an American citizen; and I make no claims to be any smarter politically (or otherwise) than my compatriots. In fact, in true American (and some might say dimwitted) style, I recently confused the nations of Thailand and Taiwan when speaking to a Chinese acquaintance, by suggesting that the people of Thailand speak Taiwanese. Ouch.
My Chinese neighbor quickly corrected my error, with a sly smile that seemed to say, “Man, these Yankees are stupid!” The point is, when I’m ranting about the ignorance of the American population, I’m also pointing a crooked finger right back in my own face.
When it comes to politics in America, the average citizen displays a breathtaking ignorance of the political system, the philosophies of the major political parties, and the policies of the candidates. As a nation, we can’t be bothered to stay up-to-date on political issues. What we do concern ourselves with are trivial details, like Barack Obama’s skill (or lack thereof) as a bowler, or the age difference between John McCain and his wife.
For anyone who doubts that the American attention span is shrinking, I offer this challenge. Visit a European nation (it doesn’t matter which — just throw a dart at the map if you like), and while you’re there soaking up the culture, make it a point to watch their national news broadcast every evening.
I must warn you though; you are likely to find a European news broadcast extremely boring, because they report…news. Not entertainment, not trivia, but actual news, including the details of proposed government legislation, economic policy, and all that boring stuff that American news shows tend to ignore in favor of reporting on Lindsey Lohan’s most recent stay in rehab.
European news tends to lack the state-of-the-art 3-D graphics, spray-on tans and big hair we’re used to here in the states. But what it does offer is good information, presented from an objective point of view, and details — lots of details. Where American broadcasts tend to skim the surface, news reports in Scandinavia (for example) tend to be thorough and complete. In other words, if you pay attention you WILL learn what’s going on.
It’s paying attention that seems to be the American problem, though. We are easily distracted by Lindsey Lohan’s personal life, or by arguing over whether Barack Obama is a “geek” or not because he wears a helmet when he rides a bike.
Face it: politically we are dumb. Dumb, and by all accounts, getting dumber.
Dumb can be cute when it comes to children or puppies; but it’s not cute at all in a nation. The issues we face in the United States (and beyond our borders) are serious. They require reasonable adults to behave like, well… reasonable adults. This means we must stay informed, question authority (as American as apple pie), and above all else, pay attention.
OK, I have to wrap this up — E News has a special report on Lindsey Lohan’s new tattoo!
I believe the news lost all credibility when it was allowed to be packaged as “entertainment”, mainly to sell more ads.
Comment by Claude Gelinas — July 3, 2008 @ 11:58 pm