Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free, book by Charles Pierce

[Mira]

Review written by Stephen Amidon
Stephen Amidon is the author, most recently, of Security: A Novel. He can be reached at [e-mail]



Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free
By Charles P. Pierce. 
Doubleday, 293 pages., $26

The pastor from Pennsylvania put it best. On the eve of a trial to determine the legality of a local school board’s decision to teach intelligent design alongside evolutionary theory, the Rev. Ray Mummert, a leader of the anti-Darwin brigade, made national headlines with a statement that cut straight to the heart of America’s culture wars. “We’ve been attacked,” he protested, “by the intelligent, educated segment of our culture.” In an increasingly divided nation, where one is asked to take sides on every issue from the creation of the universe to the first lady’s triceps, it was perhaps inevitable that people should be required to make a stand on the subject of being smart.

Charles Pierce’s Idiot America is a lively and, dare I say, intelligent study of this ongoing assault on gray matter. “We’ve chosen up sides on everything,” he asserts, “fashioning our public lives as though we were making up a fantasy baseball team.” This new civil war almost always boils down to a clash between intellect and feeling, or what Mr. Pierce labels the Gut. “The Gut is a moron, as anyone who’s ever tossed a golf club, punched a wall, or kicked a lawn mower knows,” he writes. “The Gut is the roiling repository of dark and ancient fears.” The problem is, it currently has a stranglehold on a hefty slice of our major media—talk radio—as well as that traveling circus known as the G.O.P.

for the complete book review go here:
http://www.observer.com/2009/books/dunce-confederacy

[arcane1]

1. I read this last year, it's quite good! n/t

[Mira]

2. Thanks for the feedback. I saw it is available

at Amazon for not that much money. Looks like a good one to me!

[VioletLake]

3. It's the Vinnie Barbarino effect.

"What? Where? Why?"

[Brettongarcia]

10. "Rocky" movies made stupidity cool. Especially in Philly, Pennsylvania. Then Jessie Ventura,

And using physical violence to "solve" problems, rather than using your mind, diplomacy.

See also? The movie "ideocracy." Unfortunately, all the smart people went on birth control c. 1961. From that moment, Republicans began to grow.

[spooky3]

16. not to be argumentative but I can I nit pick both of your examples?

We laughed at Vinnie's dumb behavior--we didn't glorify it as an alternative to being intelligent and educated, nor did we see him as oppressed by that group.

We felt sorry for Rocky that he had strikes against him--and cheered that he chose his girlfriend/wife partly because she was smart and could complement his goodness and striving to excel with what he could. This movie didn't even try to set up a war against people who tried to overcome ignorance.

The current glorification of idiocy is a product of big corporation/big plutocracy's attempt to overcome the one person-one vote rule. If we can keep 'em dumb, we can keep 'em down. And we also have to bear responsibility for our own buying into it.

[VioletLake]

21. Perhaps you and I didn't glorify Vinnie, but I knew plenty of dolts who did.

That said, my comment was intended to be humorous. The stupid has always been strong with "America".

[MNBrewer]

4. I blame Reagan

[handmade34]

5. hmmm, an intelligent study... bravo

Question: What is the most dangerous aspect of Idiot America?

Charles P. Pierce: The most dangerous aspect of Idiot America is that it encourages us to abandon our birthright to be informed citizens of a self-governing republic. America cannot function on automatic pilot, and, too often, we don't notice that it has been until the damage has already been done.

Me: ...time to start teaching CIVICS again... to All students


I do take issue with this sentiment...
"...clash between intellect and feeling..."

a well rounded person understands the GUT (and the place it plays in our life) but isn't controlled by it...

though, since I haven't read the book that may be his take also...

[arcane1]

6. I think you'll love it

It's not so much about the fallibility of the Gut, but rather the decades-long attempt to manipulate the Gut to be the only valid authority.

[Uncle Joe]

25. This observation should be bolded.

"Question: What is the most dangerous aspect of Idiot America?

Charles P. Pierce: The most dangerous aspect of Idiot America is that it encourages us to abandon our birthright to be informed citizens of a self-governing republic. America cannot function on automatic pilot, and, too often, we don't notice that it has been until the damage has already been done.

[Redstate Bluegirl]

7. I'm going to college

So I must be a terrorist lol

[lovemydog]

8. yeah, it's a funny and well-written book

It begins when the author visits a 'museum' that depicts people riding dinosaurs, lol.

[cheapdate]

9. I've thought about "idiot America".

People may have a fundamental belief about truth that it is eternal and unchanging, or that it is perfect and attainable. They may believe that it is received from a higher source, or that it is derivable purely from logic removed from experience. Philosophically, such thought may be called Platonism, Scholasticism, or Rationalism.

Other people may believe that truth derives from, and is limited by experience and knowledge. Or as William James said, "truth happens when ideas are in agreement with reality." Such a belief holds that truth may be subject to revision as new knowledge is revealed. In this way of thinking, the idea of truth as eternal and unchanging is unsupportable; even if you arrived at perfect truth, you'd have no way to know it. This way of thinking may be called Empiricism, or it's younger cousin, Pragmatism.

Critical thinking involves the ability to criticize your own beliefs as harshly as your harshest critics.

Our educational institutions are getting worse, not better.

Public colleges and universities are turning out graduates with little interest or knowledge of the world. Our local state university announced that it will be dropping philosophy as a major due to the scarcity of funding. We're a no-income tax state (Tennessee) with an all-Republican state government.

Without a change of public opinion, it's going to continue to decline. We need greater appreciation of education with a commitment to investment in schools and universities. Vote Democrat.

[2banon]

32. excellent post..

[Blue_Tires]

11. The image of bush is fitting

I've written a lot that anti-intellectualism is the lasting legacy of the bush years that will continue to hurt us as a nation...He isn't totally responsible, but he DID help form an atmosphere that encouraged the ignorant to not only come out, but be proud as well (A pliant media played a critical role too, taking seriously loons who were a decade earlier laughed out of the civilized public)...

With no Bush there's no rise of Palin, imo

[Mira]

20. Well said! n/t

[hfojvt]

12. Why the hell are we discussing a stupid book written in 2009?

It's getting close to an election and all of the sudden I am seeing more threads started about how stupid the voters are.

I guess that must be the best way to help elect Democrats. To keep reminding the voters that we think they are stupid.

[The Doctor.]

13. Uh... yeah.

Because I'm sure that the idiots we're talking about were seriously considering voting for Obama until they found this thread on this site.

Oh noes... all is lost.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

19. heee! n/t

[Fuddnik]

22. Because the anti-intellectual brigade constantly discusses

a book of fables, written between 2,000 and 3,000 years ago. And believes it is literally true and perfect?

[chervilant]

27. hmm...

Having grappled with the question, "should I offer a rebuttal to this post?", I offer something for you to consider:

the corporate aristocracy continues the grand tradition of controlling access to exceptional education, all the while promoting the fallacy of public education for all. We--collectively--can make a difference. We can help our young people understand viscerally that they are NOT stupid, and that they can hone their critical thinking skills by attaining higher levels of education, despite any obstacles erected by the 1%.

We MUST eliminate anti-intellectualism from the arsenal of the Corporate Megalomaniacs who've usurped our media, our politics, and our global economy.

There... I guess I've offered a rebuttal. Hope you'll consider it.

[ret5hd]

28. OWWWW!!!! Big words hurt!

[hfojvt]

33. I guess somebody beat me to my counter rebuttal

Or so it seems.

The purpsoe of this thread, and the seeming purpose of the book, given the first two words of the title, are NOT to combat anti-intellectualism. They are to provide comfort food to the League of extraordinarily supercilious pedants so we can preen ourselves about our own greatness at being so far, far above the rest of 'idiot America'.

Plus, I sorta wonder how high a person has to go, before education is about 'critical thinking skills' because I did not find very much of that in graduate school.

[chervilant]

34. Why am I not surprised by your response?

I have routinely encouraged my students to understand that being told we have 'average' or 'below average' intellects is a grim psychic wound to our species. We all have fully functioning brains (with rare exceptions). In actuality, we learn in different ways, and at different paces, but we learn nevertheless. Sadly, telling a child s/he has an 'average' intellect is all too often a self-fulfilling prophecy, given the pedantic nature of our contemporary system of public education.

Since I haven't yet read the book that is the alleged "purpsoe of this thread," I chose instead a meta-analysis approach in my response. The two sources with which I'm most familiar are Richard Hofstadter's "The Paranoid Style in American Politics" and Susan Jacoby's "The Age of American Unreason." Both authors offer essential discussions of the history of anti-intellectualism in the United States--a history which seems to be a key underpinning of Mr. Pierce's book.

Hierarchy as a social construct--stultifying and damaging in myriad ways--is a whole 'nother kettle of fish. Well...okay, not necessarily. Suffice it to say, I find hierarchy as distasteful as denigrating an individual's intellect.

BTW, if you're genuinely interested in flexing your 'critical thinking' muscle, try some calculus. Math is the oldest game we humans have created. Until we humans learned to set type, math was a predominantly cerebral game. In fact, some of our earliest mathematicians lost their lives or their livelihoods because they were suspected of worshiping numbers before God. Some things haven't really changed, have they?

[hfojvt]

35. yeah, that reminds me

of a math final I took. Supposed to prove Stoke's Theorem using a given function. Well I ran through it and got instead of X = X, I got X = 2X. Went through it two or three times and could not figure out where the 2 was coming from. I figured the work I did was good for partial credit, so I added a little note "Well, I always suspected that Stokes' theorem was not true."

There may be problem solving in math, but there is generally not original thought. You solve the problems given to you with the formulas you mesmerize.

[chervilant]

36. Awww...

That's such a sad story.

[kemah]

14. Right Wing Media and the GOP make tons of money off idiotic people

People should be allowed to vote for their self-interests. Super rich do not want to be taxed and rather have the poor people be taxed. The payroll tax, which was suppose to pay for SS, is now used to balance the budget. Allowing the rich to pay little or sometimes to get tax rebates.
How do you convince people to vote against their self-interest? Keep them less educated, rewrite history, ignore science, make stuff up, appeal to their emotions, demonize, and spend big money on pushing a specific agenda as gospel.

The GOP only supports the 1%. Name one GOP policy that will actually benefit the 99%. None.

I live in Ron Paul's district, these same people who elect Ron, are the first in line to get that evil socialist FEMA money. The same agency that Ron wants to eliminate. Next time do not get FEMA money but demand a tax cut, see if that tax cut will fix your neighborhood.

The rich do not want us to have that European lifestyle, yet the rich live that European lifestyle. Paid 30 day vacations, good quality healthcare, excellent education, high salaries, and great pensions. Just look at unemployed Romney, makes $52,000 per hour, and his money trickles down to the Cayman Islands.

[Brettongarcia]

29. But Where Else Do they Make Money? Campaign Contributions? From Big Money, the 1% Corporation PACS.

Ever wonder why the GOP seems to be sticking to such a loser issue? Continuing to back the 1%? Standing up for rich folks?

The answer is that the 1%, Big Money, is their major campaign contributer. The 1% gives the GOP lots and lots of bucks.

THat's why the GOP is backing big money, the 1%, all the way. That's where it gets MOST of its money.

And that's why the GOP is sticking to such an apparently undemocratic, loser issue.

[spooky3]

15. He's simply expanded an idea my hero drives home on his nightly show.

(see photo)
<-

[mactime]

17. I will need to track this down

Should be an interesting read.
I remember a few years ago being shocked (and a little embarrassed) when a co-worker complained that her daughter was learning evolution in school. I really didn't know how to respond because I though people like that only existed in movies.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

18. I read this book too...it's EXCELLENT

he is brilliant, well researched and hilarious!!!!!

[bvar22]

23. Joe the "Plummer" anyone?

Momma Grizzly?

Michele Bachmann?

Dana Perino?

A frightening number of Americans believe that these are smart people who deserve positions of leadership & control,
which leads me to believe that their supporters are even LESS informed than the people they idolize.

Is it any surprise that John Kerry didn't appeal to them?

Literature, Philosophy, Civics, and The History of the LABOR/Protest Movements have been dropped from our primary educational system for a reason.



You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their excuses.
[font size=5 color=green]Solidarity99![/font][font size=2 color=green]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/center]

[chervilant]

24. Thanks for a great reference.

Quid pro quo: I strongly encourage you to read Susan Jacoby's "The Age of American Unreason." This intriguing book is one of my current reads, and I have to MAKE myself put it down and keep packing!

An excerpt:

The importance of social Darwinism in the history of American pseudoscience, anti-rationalism, and anti-intellectualism has been underestimated for a number of reasons, not least the fact that the pervasive upper-class intellectual ideology of social Darwinism was never called by that name at the height of its popularity in the United States. ...(S)ocial Darwinism was, as William James suggested...a metaphysical creed disguised in scientific plumes.

...Social Darwinism has never died: it manifested itself as a bulwark of eugenics until the Second World War; in the tedious midcentury "objectivist" philosophy of Ayn Rand; and, most recently, in the form of market economy worship that presents itself not as political opinion but as a summa of objective facts.

"Survival of the fittest" -- how absurd!

I am an educator, and I encounter far too many fearful, anti-intellectual students whose religious mythologies keep them mired in a static world view, even as they pursue 'higher education' so that they can get better jobs. Thus, my algebra students can aver "I'm only taking this because I need it for my degree."

[Uncle Joe]

26. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Mira.

[Snarkoleptic]

30. This is a great read and he's also a frequent guest on the Stephanie Miller radio show.

He writes about his trip to the creation museum is beyond hilarious.
I couldn't stop laughing when reading the part where he gets into english vs. western saddlery for dinos.

[zeos3]

31. More on the same topic...

That was a great read. I actually had a quote from the author as my signature line on the old DU. "Idiot America... It's what results when
we abandon our duty to treat the ridiculous with ridicule."

Here's another good book on the subject:

"The Age of American Unreason"

By Susan Jacoby


From Amazon:

" Combining historical analysis with contemporary observation, Susan Jacoby dissects a new American cultural phenomenon--one that is at odds with our heritage of Enlightenment reason and with modern, secular knowledge and science. With mordant wit, she surveys an anti-rationalist landscape extending from pop culture to a pseudo-intellectual universe of "junk thought." Disdain for logic and evidence defines a pervasive malaise fostered by the mass media, triumphalist religious fundamentalism, mediocre public education, a dearth of fair-minded public intellectuals on the right and the left, and, above all, a lazy and credulous public.

Jacoby offers an unsparing indictment of the American addiction to infotainment--from television to the Web--and cites this toxic dependency as the major element distinguishing our current age of unreason from earlier outbreaks of American anti-intellectualism and anti-rationalism. With reading on the decline and scientific and historical illiteracy on the rise, an increasingly ignorant public square is dominated by debased media-driven language and received opinion.

At this critical political juncture, nothing could be more important than recognizing the "overarching crisis of memory and knowledge" described in this impassioned, tough-minded book, which challenges Americans to face the painful truth about what the flights from reason has cost us as individuals and as a nation."