16 of the Dumbest Things Americans Believe -- And the Right-Wing Lies Behind Them

[Hissyspit]

http://www.alternet.org/story/148826/16_of_the_dumbest_things_americans_believe_--_and_the_right-wing_lies_behind_them

AlterNet / By Sarah Seltzer

16 of the Dumbest Things Americans Believe -- And the Right-Wing Lies Behind Them

November 13, 2010 |

Americans are often misinformed, occasionally downright dumb, and easily misled by juicy-sounding rumors. But while the right wing is taking full advantage of this reality, the left worries that calling out lies is "rude."

Remember when Congressman Joe Wilson stood up during Obama’s State of the Union address to falsely shout “you lie?” He was chastised soundly by the pundit class. But mostly he drew heat for being impolite, and was compared to Kanye West and other famous “interrupters.”

- snip -

We’ve gone far beyond Stephen Colbert’s “truthiness” into a more “truth-be-damned” environment, what Rick Perlstein described in the Daily Beast as a “mendocracy. As in, rule by liars.”

Here are some examples of recent ways that we have made inroads in ignorance:

Polling data during and after last week’s midterm elections suggested that many Americans genuinely believe Obama has raised their taxes -- even though the reality is that our president actually lowered them for most of us. This means that people trust pundits like Rush Limbaugh, a major force behind spreading that lie, over the numbers on their own tax returns.

Another recent phenomenon? Half of new Congressmen don’t believe in the reality of global warming. It’s not that they don’t just disagree on the source or the severity of the problem. They flat out don’t think that the world is getting warmer--despite evidence outside their windows.

The new Congress will probably try to restore millions of dollars of funding for scientifically-inaccurate, largely disastrous abstinence-only curriculum in schools, many of which have been shown to spread lies like "condoms don't work" and "abortion causes cancer."

News outlets picked up a wildly inflated and completely outlandish claim that Obama’s trip abroad cost $200 million dollars a day from an Indian blog--and listeners have swallowed it. (In this case, the White House flat-out denied it.)

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[midnight]

1. I find one of the dumbest things most of our members in

congress believe is that we cannot provide Americans's with the same access to affordable heath care that they have access to... Now that is one wopper I just can't swallow....

[Scuba]

3. +1,000

[melody]

2. Who are these "Americans" who believe this?

I don't. My friends don't. My state just voted in a straight Democratic ticket (with occasional localized GOP burps).

We're no longer a power-broker in the world, we're just another country. No other country need worry about us. When do we stop neurotically suffocating on our own self-esteem issues, and insuring our young people will hate themselves, and start observing that we're 350 million individuals and not an undifferentiated clump of stereotype?

[ejpoeta]

5. i personally know people who believe this crap. in ny.

i have family members who believe it because beck said it so it must be true. and no amount of facts can dissuade them. and those are the same people who i believe feel like they are becoming a minority and considering how minorities get treated they don't seem to like that idea very much. so they are fighting it tooth and nail wanting to go back to a time when white people were in charge and could tell everyone else what to do.

[melody]

6. Yes, but that's the case in all cultures -- typical primate response

The OP generalized about all Americans from that group. This type exists in all cultures. It's not just us. And that group of people is still the minority, even here.

The majority of people are ethnic minorities themselves plus the more educated moderate and liberal folk.

[ejpoeta]

10. the real issue as i see it is how we are all divided. if all the minorities

banded together they would be formidable. if all the poor banded together they would be formidable. if everyone making under 250k banded together we'd all be formidable. and the corporations know this. i don't think it's so much about white or black or latino or whatever..... as long as we are fighting among each other over the scraps, then they win. look at other countries where you see 3 million taking to the streets. what will it take to see that here! in europe the government is afraid of the people. our government doesn't fear us. they live in their little bubble without fear because even if they don't get re-elected they can get a cushy job at goldman sachs or one of the other big corporations they have helped out.

[melody]

12. You're comparing two entirely different cultures

There are drawbacks and benefits in both cases. Europe is afraid of its populations -- they also are individualized countries with strong local governments. We aren't. We're one big country with one central government. States don't have the powers that European governments have. That's one thing that has kept us unified.

But don't fool yourself -- the government is terrified of us. Half the right-wing sociologists are talking about a socialist upsurge that will ally with the socialists in Latin America. That is why they go to these extremes.

By the way, numerous European corporations donated to Tea Party candidates. They're part of the problem as well.

[ejpoeta]

14. well i think if they cut social security and raise the retirement age

they are poking a hornets nest. not only are they affecting the seniors who rely on it, but the families of those seniors who can probably barely keep themselves afloat but will have to help their parents more. i hope people do finally wake up. unfortunately i fear by the time they do it may be too late. many wait until after something happens.... i think part of it is that some take for granted certain things and assume they are guaranteed when they are not. i am referring to the right women have to an abortion as well as roads, safe food and cars..... they don't pay attention to what's going on because they just assume no one can take these things away.

[Chef Eric]

17. Good for you, and your friends, and your state.

But we are not "just another country." We are more screwed up than most other western nations.

Our government spends trillions of dollars propping up the rich, bailing out corrupt institutions, and waging wars against countries that are not a threat to us.

And are most Americans fully aware of this? No. When was the last time you heard a TV personality on a non-cable network discuss this insanity in a truly intelligent way?

We (collectively) are much more ignorant than the citizens of other western nations. There is no other word for it.

[ejpoeta]

4. unfortunately there are people who aren't interested in knowing the truth.

they believe it because they want to and some will tell them what they want to hear whether it's true or not.

[melody]

9. And I would say that is the case with anyone generalizing about 350 million people

They would be the people wanting to accept their own black-and-white truth while denying the gray areas.

[ThomThom]

7. no one complained when Bush flew off some where ever day

on the campaign trail to speak at private meetings

[DailyGrind51]

8. I've met people who believe that Saddam and Osama were both involved in "9/11".

And, that Saddam had WMD!

[Solly Mack]

11. K&R

“When one side breaks the social contract, and the other side makes a virtue of never calling them out on it, the liar always wins. When it becomes "uncivil" to call out liars, lying becomes free.”

[Tesha]

13. Until Democrats learn to say: "That is a lie being told to manipulate you" over and over again, ...

...this shit will continue.

We make wonderfully-nuanced rebuttals that no one hears
and few could understand anyway, when what should be
said is:

"*THAT'S A GODDAMN LIE AND YOU, SENATOR xxx ARE
A FUCKING LIAR!"

That, unfortunately, is the sort of thing that would reach
modern Americans.

Tesha

[KharmaTrain]

15. A Well-Oiled Message Machine

The Big Lie...say it long enough and loud enough and people will believe it. Since the 70s the GOTB has claimed to be the party of "fiscal responsibility", "family values" and so many other bumper sticker slogans and have pushed them hard enough that it's now considered the "norm" in political discourse. Our corporate media, after years of being brow-beat as the "librul media" now embrace these lies as their foundations...thus when a rushpublican is interviewed he doesn't have to say what things are to be cut...it's "assumed" cause he's a "fiscal conservative" that he knows how to save/make money. Of course they ignore all the borrowing and defecits that occur in pulling off that stunt. A Democrat is always at a disadvantage cause he/she surely represents the "nanny state"...squandering money on such frivolous follies as Social Security, Medicare, aid to Education and so on...the baseline there is a Democrat will raise taxes. This is the "norm" that many have heard for year upon hear now hammered even harder by faux noise and hate radio.

The truth is not a bumper sticker slogan. Many issues require detail and nuance and it makes for boring teevee. The infotainment media wants sizzle and the bumper sticker talking points do the job nicely.

Unfortunately it's going to take more destruction of our economy and political structure by the GOTB for some to get the message again. Even worse are those who think that divided government works well...they'll see when the government grinds to a halt for the next two years how well that works.

[stuntcat]

16. k, r

"about a decade ago, 20% of Americans still believed that the sun revolves around the earth."

"Less than 40%" believe in evolution.


This is why I'm glad my years are half over.

[chill_wind]

18. K & R.

Depressing as all hell, but K & R.

[AsahinaKimi]

19. I would happily blame

FOX NEWS for most of the Misinformation in this country.

[MisterP]

20. sorta off-topic, but is this blaming the right wing for a belief in witchcraft? :-P nt