Why John Oliver Can’t Find Americans Who Know Edward Snowden’s Name (It’s Not About Snowden)
On his HBO program last night, John Oliver devoted 30 minutes to a discussion of U.S. surveillance programs, advocating a much more substantive debate as the June 1 deadline for renewing the Patriot Act approaches (the full segment can be seen here). As part of that segment, Oliver broadcast an interview he conducted with Edward Snowden in Moscow, and to illustrate the point that an insufficient surveillance debate has been conducted, showed video of numerous people in Times Square saying they had no idea who Snowden is (or giving inaccurate answers about him). Oliver assured Snowden off-camera that they did not cherry-pick those “on the street” interviews but showed a representative sample.
Oliver’s overall discussion is good (and, naturally, quite funny), but the specific point he wants to make here is misguided. Contrary to what Oliver says, it’s actually not surprising at all that a large number of Americans are unaware of who Snowden is, nor does it say much at all about the surveillance debate. That’s because a large number of Americans, by choice, are remarkably unaware of virtually all political matters. The befuddled reactions of the Times Square interviewees when asked about Snowden illustrate little about the specific surveillance issue but a great deal about the full-scale political disengagement of a substantial chunk of the American population.
The data on American political apathy is rather consistent, and stunning. Begin with the fact that even in presidential election years, 40 to 50 percent of the voting-age public simply chooses not participate in the voting process at all, while two-thirds chooses not to vote in midterm elections.
Even more striking is what they do and do not know. An Annenberg Public Policy Center poll from last September found that only 36 percent of Americans can name the three branches of government, and only 38 percent know the GOP controls the House. The Center’s 2011 poll “found just 15 percent of Americans could correctly identify the chief justice of the United States, John Roberts, while 27 percent knew Randy Jackson was a judge on American Idol.”
A 2010 Findlaw.com poll found that almost two-thirds of Americans — 65 percent — were incapable of naming even a single member of the U.S. Supreme Court. A 2010 Pew poll discovered that 41 percent of Americans are unable to name the current vice president of the U.S; in other words, Oliver could just as easily (if not more easily) compile a video of Times Square visitors looking stumped when asked if they knew who Joe Biden, or Antonin Scalia, is.
More at:
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/04/06/john-oliver-interview-political-disengagement-american-public/
= new reply since forum marked as read
And don't say it's not about Snowden when people are building shrines and statues...
Greenwald can spin all he wants, but it doesn't change the fact that he and Snowden have been caught in (another) major lie...How many more will there be??
These are 100% documented -- Snow-Wald lied about:
1. When he started stealing files, and why...
2. He initially lied about NOT getting a job at BAH for the sole purpose of ripping them off...
3. He lied about his invalidated passport being the reason for getting "stuck" in Moscow, since it was invalidated before he got there
4. He lied about his meeting at the Russian embassy in Hong Kong (and there is still the matter of his undisclosed whereabouts for the 10 days before "coming out"
5. He lied about voicing his concerns to the Inspector General's office
6. Reading all the files and being fully aware of what he gave away to anyone and everyone...
in general only pay attention to inane Spectacle. Anything with more depth or nuance holds no interest for them...
What lie were they just caught in?
