I tend to agree that American voters are often very stupid.

[Maedhros]

19. When we consider behavior at the polls that we deem "stupid,"

Last edited Thu Nov 20, 2014, 12:30 PM - Edit history (1)

it's important to realize that this "stupidity" has been carefully manufactured.

There is a reason that civics is no longer taught in the classroom. There is a reason that funding for all levels of education has been slashed, and for the skyrocketing costs of higher education. There is a reason that curricula have been pigeonholed and teachers' job performances are judged by how effectively they produce rote memorization of pre-approved information.

That reason is keeping the general populace distracted from and disinterested in the political process. To ensure that voters rely on emotional triggers, not facts. To train them to accept information uncritically from appointed "experts" and pundits.

Critical thinking slays fascism. Group think feeds it.