Ignorance is Bliss

The dumbing down of America began long before the current president rose to power. It’s easy to blame the man, but in this case, he’s merely jumping on the bandwagon and taking the ignorance to new and immense heights.

For all of his faults, and there are too many to list here, recognizing the stupidity of so many Americans and capitalizing on their failure to reach even the bare minimum of intellectual curiosity might be his most significant and long-lasting contribution to America’s decline.

All you need to do is scan the news every day for examples of how far we’ve gone from being the envy of the world to a country ultimately coming apart at its seams, flailing and hurtling head-first into a world of conspiracy theories, lies, racial division, and absurdity…

*Rep. Louis Gohmert of Texas tests positive for Covid-19 and claims that it was the mask itself that probably caused it—ignoring reams and reams of scientific evidence to the contrary that wearing a mask is one of the most effective means of preventing the spread to others, as well as yourself.

*Every day, Twitter, TikTok, and other social media outlets show individuals around the country throwing hissy fits over mandatory mask requirements—in some cases throwing projectiles at employees merely doing their job enforcing the rule.

*The current president continues to demand schools open up around the country, without any plan or money helping them safely and securely—backed by his clueless Secretary of Education Betsy Devos and others who try and curry his favor.

*Reports indicate that the current president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner pushed back against responding nationally to the pandemic because the virus was only infecting so-called blue states, again ignoring warning signs from top health experts around the world that rural and urban centers alike would soon be susceptible.

*The current president and his son retweet Dr. Stella Immanuel’s claim that hydroxychloroquine is a cure for Covid-19, even though there is no legitimate scientific evidence to support it.  For her part, Immanuel has said that some illnesses are caused by sex with demons, among other outlandish comments she’s made in the past.

*Delta Airlines had to turn back mid-air and head back to the airport when two passengers declined to wear a mask. They dropped the two off and resumed the flight.

*The right continues to push the current president’s ‘Obamagate’ allegations, of which there’s been no evidence of any wrongdoing. Attorney General Bill Barr has hinted that he’ll have an October’s surprise just in time for the election, against Justice Department guidelines that prohibit such an occurrence.

By no means is this a comprehensive list, but there is only so much time and space. The intellectual decline is in full view for the world to see. Our friends in the Western world are watching our coming election with nervous anticipation. Surely America will not make the same mistake twice. Surely they’ll do the right thing this time, won’t they?

It’s hard to pinpoint when ignorance and stupidity took hold in America. It’s always been there to a certain degree, but perhaps with the onset of social media and 24/7 news coverage, we’d inevitably get to this point.

It also could be our education system that’s failing us. Some states have decided to engage in revisionist history, depending on the subject. Our students over the last several decades aren’t getting the real story when it comes to America’s dark and troubling history. Do today’s high school students engage in any serious debates about the Deep South’s Jim Crow era? Are they ever told about the Civil War traitors whose name adorns many of our most famous military bases?

It’s a sad commentary on the United States when nearly 40% of the public continue to support the current president. Oh, he’s dropped a few points here and there, but his poll ratings have been staggeringly consistent throughout his first (and hopefully last) term.

You’d think that a man who champions conspiracy theories, lies multiple times a day, and installs cronies at governmental agencies to serve his own purpose would lose more than just a few percentage points in polls.

But in today’s America, he’s just what the doctor ordered for so many citizens. These are the citizens who ignore scientific facts, especially if it contradicts their own worldview. And the dog-whistle racial animosity (bullhorn?) seems to fit their narrative nicely as well. We’re told that the current president merely ‘tells it like it is,’ and gets ‘shit’ done. When asked about the supposed ‘shit’ he’s getting done, most can’t name a single accomplishment–other than that his wall is being built, or that the economy was the greatest of all time—again, ignoring the real facts.

But facts today do not matter to a vast portion of America. Why should it when they can simply head over to chat rooms on Facebook or conspiracy-laden Twitter accounts to reinforce what they’ve been told is the real truth? Years ago, these outlets never existed. So maybe we’re onto something here. Perhaps it is the social media apparatus that has sucked the intellectual air out of our society.

Whatever the reason for America’s descent into ignorance-induced chaos, we do have a choice on November 3, 2020, to change the trajectory. No, we will never stop it totally. But can we at least slow the regression? Of course, we can.

By removing the ignorant society’s dear leader, you take away it’s most precious resource—the one who champions their innermost belief system and tells them all how he’s going to make everything great again. You know, that period in America where certain people knew their place in society and would never even think twice about upsetting the status quo.

Ahhh, yes, those were the good old days for our friends who blindly follow their flawed and indecent man. Remove him, and those days will be gone for good. If we Speak loudly on election day, the likes of him will hopefully never inhabit the world’s highest office again. Speak softly, and you can kiss this once-promising country goodbye.

Seems like a very non-ignorant choice.