Thursday, September 30, 2010

Is America Stupefied?

The most visited post on this blog is "The Stupification of America" so perhaps I should elaborate on that. First I did not mean to intimate that many Americans are playing dumb on purpose, only a few, a very few. I started writing the posts for this blog shortly after I read a lengthy report  that detailed the Bush Administration's proposal to sell the Port of Miami to the United Arab Emirates almost 4 years after 9/11. I had heard little about it when it occurred. After finishing the report, I nearly fell out of my chair. Not so much because the Bush/Cheney team tried to pull it off, but because there was little press coverage and virtually no public outrage.

The theme that I have tried to weave through the posts in this blog is: What has been going on for some time in this country is crazy and we better realize that and stop the insanity, or we will loose the American way of life soon and surely for our posterity. It is lunacy, in a democracy, for people to support or even allow, policy that is detrimental to their children and the future of this country. I have no definitive answers for why this is going on but will posit a few ideas.

(1) Television and the World Wide Web     I will not get into the Wilde/Aristotle controversy on whether life imitates art, or vice versa. However, it goes without saying that television and the internet have a profound impact on young people and many adults. And it appears that much of the content is escapism and void of moral guidance or intellectual stimulation, more so than it was decades ago.
(2) My Time Will Come     A significant number of Americans believe the notion that they are impervious to what goes on in the world and that by staying focused, ruthless, and by working hard, they will make it.
(3) Some Americans are Doing Well and Living Full, Rewarding Lives.     Until a crisis disrupts them, they are too occupied to get involved.
(4) Some Americans are Stupid.     And if you tell them an untruth, in a very simple manner, over and over again, they will eventually believe it to be the truth. Flatter them for their brilliant insight and patriotism, and you have the supporters for reactionary movement in this country.

Finally, support not liberal but sane causes. It's OK to have fun doing it. All comments, including ones that call for my head on a stick, will be posted.

2 comments:

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