Thursday, August 23, 2007

AMERICANS IDIOTS ON POLITICS

The following cutting comes from an August 22, 2007 article from www.AFP.com (http://urltea.com/1aff) that explains the headline above:
Two-thirds of US adults admit to being in the dark about political issues outside the United States, and only a third are well-versed in US politics, the results of a poll published Tuesday showed.


Is anyone surprised at this?

These are the folks that brought us a second four-years of Bush in the White House (or was it those pesky electronic ballot boxes?). The other sad thing about this study is that it confirms my theory that generally, the "ugly American" stereotype is an accurate one. We're just a bunch of selfish, self-centered assholes who couldn't care less about the world outside our borders (unless we think they're trying to kill us).

The article has more:
Global political knowledge was miniscule, with just three percent of women and 14 percent of men saying they are extremely knowledgeable on world politics.

One reason for the knowledge gap is lack of interest, according to the poll.

"Well over half (57 percent) say they do not like learning about political issues in other countries," and 32 percent expressed a lack of interest for homespun politics, the Harris Poll group said.


This kind of thing really pisses me off since I do my best to follow what's going on in the rest of the world. You know what? It's actually pretty damn interesting.

I remember back in elementary and high school history seemed so boring. It seemed mind numbingly impossible to follow. Yet, about ten years ago, I started reading about history and found it incredibly fascinating. I was stunned at how boring my teachers had made it seem. A bunch of white guys speaking like Shakespearean actors about grand concepts and ideas. They made it seem like history had already happened--like it was all over--something that hadn't been updated in a century.

Well, guess what? History is a living, breathing, ongoing adventure. It's happening right now, around us in this country and around the world--and you know what? It's absolutely fucking fascinating. If you're not paying attention to the world around you, you're missing the most incredible time to be alive since the last world war.

In school history seemed immutable. But present history is something we can become participants in. It's something we can change--a story we can help write.

To me it seems like schools and even our culture is designed to breed a lack of movement and involvement in us. I think this poll is evidence of that.

Fight the power. Think for yourself. Turn off the TV and have a look around you to see what you can do to make your life, your town, your city, your state, your country and even your world a better place. It's totally doable and it's a grand fucking adventure.

Orignal From: AMERICANS IDIOTS ON POLITICS

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