Stupid Americans

Do you watch CNN? Or the liberals' nemesis, Fox News? If you stay tuned after these "news" outlets have finished talking about the adventures of Balloon Boy, you will occasionally hear Rick Shenkman talk about hard news and, especially, politics.

Over the weekend, Walt has been reading Mr. Shenkman's latest book, Just How Stupid Are We? (Basic Books, 2008). It's probably going to be the most depressing book I'll read all year, and I commend it to you highly.

In a word, Mr. Shenkman thinks the public -- "the people of America", as politicians love to say -- is abysmally dumb, and getting dumber. Yet although "the masses are grossly ill-informed and irrational, and our politics driven by myths, the political system [has been] reconfigured in such a way as to give the masses more direct control than ever before".

If that doesn't scare you, I don't know what would. To make matters worse, only some thousands, out of millions of American voters, will read Mr. Shenkman's book. Only these few will read his diagnosis of what ails American politics or his prescription for a cure.

Only these few will read such gems as:
"Americans are vastly inferior in their knowledge of world geography compared with Europeans. (The old joke is that 'war is God's way of teaching Americans geography.')" or

"In 2003 the Strategic Task Force on Educatin Abroad investigated Americans' knowledge of world affairs. [They] concluded: 'America's ignorance of the outside world' is so great as to constitute a threat to national security."

Walt's Canadian followers needn't sit back and feel smug either. Similar studies in Canada -- English Canada at least -- have concluded that Canadians' knowledge of what's going on in the world, or right around home, is not much better.

Don't believe me? Show your neighbours an outline map of the world and ask them to locate Afghanistan. Or ask them who the head of state of Canada is. (Hint: It's not Call Me Steve Harper.) Ask them who they'd call if they wanted a pothole in their street fixed. (Hint: It's not the local M.P. or M.L.A.)

Just How Stupid Are We? provides concrete proposals for reforming our institutions -- government, the media, civic organizations and political parties -- to make them work better for the people. But first, Mr. Shenkman argues, the people must reform themselves!

Footnote: George Mason University's History News Network features Rick Shenkman's blog on its website. You can buy the paperback there, and read the latest stupid news and stupid comments.