There are moments when, at least in a political sense, I find that I'm glad I'm several thousand kilometres away from the land of my birth.
One of them came today: according to a current poll, 18% of Americans believe that openly Christian Barack Obama is a Muslim.
Not, of course, that being a Muslim, in itself, would be anything to be ashamed of.
But since we can imagine that probably nearly every person among that 18 per cent thinks it is something reprehensible -- and since the belief is simply wrong -- it's hardly a good day for those who would want to defend the sanity of the American world of media and politics.
[ADDENDUM]: 'Also, 19% of Americans believe that the sun goes round the earth. Ignorance, probably, though the proposition that truly radical distrust – why, I can see it moving with my own eyes - has permanently lodged itself in a fifth of the US population is quite intriguing.'
From here.
Frankly, it seems to me that idiocy is not constrained to the US, it's just, ah, perhaps more obvious there more often and apparently flying in the face of a supposedly better education than most of the world gets.
ReplyDeleteBut then again, I'm a misanthrope, so feel free to ignore me...
Hi Geoff,
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'd go with your argument; but it's the obviousness that drives me a bit nuts.
And what're you talking about?! It's the misanthropy that draws us together! Why would it make us ignore you...?
Thanks for the comment!