In this video Rick Shenkman, author of JUST HOW STUPID ARE WE? FACING THE TRUTH ABOUT THE AMERICAN VOTER (Basic Books, 2008), discusses the statistical evidence that points to gross American ignorance about politics. He was interviewed in June 2008 by Richard Heffner of The Open Mind. Shenkman blogs at: howstupidblog.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5
mitchell and webb look- numberwang episode 4
Oh my this guy is definitely a classic liberal. I remember this time period well and the Obamania surrounding it. I wonder how many people wish they can go back and change their vote now. Talk about ignorant America, you liberals were took for a self confessed and open socialist and didn’t even know it!
Rick, I’m concerned that you think the mainstream news found in newspapers is superior to mainstream news seen on TV. Yes, it takes more intelligence to read a newspaper than watch TV, however, the information is the same and neither is conducive to the well-being of society. You are focusing on the problem and that is the entire problem in a nutshell. The only way to move away from a problem is to focus on the solution. Unfortunately, the average American doesn’t know the difference.
@thegoochieguy Well that’s great that you do, but I know too many people that don’t take the time to pay attention to things around the world.
@00shadowLord
actually i am busy paying bills, shopping, and youtube watching but i still have time to investigate world affairs.
@USisfuckedup I am an American. I see every day the ignorance of my fellow Americans. that being said your statement is not quite true. Every month I see some tragedy in the world in which the US was involved, and all this on my local news station. The reason that Americans are so ignorant is simply that they take no interest in world affairs. People here keep busy paying bills or shopping for shoes or watching videos on YouTube.
@alexiscooperfly “our politics are getting dumber and dumber since the 1940s”
There are too many reasons to explain this phenomena, but here’s a partial list:
-Gov’t taking over and purposefully ruining education. (started in 1967)
-Sexual revolution, drugs, women’s liberation (higher divorce rates lead to less educated children)
-Constant wars
-Apathy of Americans (rather watch Family Guy than question why there are problems in the world)
hey i can’t go to poo without newspaper..lol
Thanks for the video
Question: (if anyone can answer this) at about minute 3:00, Shenkman asserts that our politics are getting dumber and dumber since the 1940s. This made me think about some of the racists propaganda posters and misinformation going on in the U.S. during that period. So I am asking, is that really true? Are there any studies that can, is any mildly convincing way, prove his statement to be true? If anyone has real evidence, please get back to me.
Watching these videos makes me think: Am I really such a minority in these United States, now knowing that what I had believed to be common knowledge, is so uncommon among-st my own countrymen? I was born in the USA eighteen years ago, and throughout those eighteen years I have come to one conclusion: America, I am dissapoint.
As an American, as a person who lost faith in Gov. at a young age, I don’t see how the heck most people walk around without a conscious. Through the years it has been proven, the rebellious are an elite of intelligence. When you choose not to conform, is when you grow a brain. I don’t believe anything not proven; you can’t convince me that Osama Bin Laden is Megatron and you dumped him in the ocean. That’s just a little example.
@jaskaram I really liked your opinion and what you had to write becuase even at a young age (18) I find that if you take time to learn about a subject on your own and without the bias party then you can see another point of view.^_^
P.s. I am a american.
What this gentleman says is very true. But I come off with the impression that he doesn’t have much respect for anything but his own opinion. Newspaper have many biases, much like television does. Everything has a bias. If he would turn the spotlight around on himself he could see that even he has biases, and that promoting an oligarchy doesn’t solve the world’s problems but replaces them with new problems.
What this world needs more of is respect and understanding, not “intelligence”
Come on, people voted for obama, that shows nothing but stupidity and ignorance. Barry is a usurper traitor, HOPE AND CHANGE, YOU F”N Idiots!
@USisfuckedup well what the hell, where do you see videos about wrongdoings of the uk, france or russia with brits, french or russians rallying to support hatred against their very own country? also, what most people on this planet know about foreign places is ‘derived’ from our tv and the internet…how else am i going ‘derive’ my information, fly to madagascar just to get an idea of what the place looks like?
@totallystup1d Dude… Instead of “they” you should be saying “their”. “They” (when you mean to say “their”) is wrong. Also, the plural of “sheep” is “sheep”, not “sheeps.”
@USisfuckedup Same thing could be said about many other countries and people.
@friscob1 Apathy isn’t the best thing, I loathe it when people make it seem like it is cool or something to slip into. I have been there. Really scary.
@MrTony696936 I live in Canada, when I was in grade eight, my classmate would always ask questions. It drove us crazy, and he was smart but always wanted to know more. We made a joke in the olden times that asking too many questions would result in detention or something – just to make him listen first then ask questions later. Today, even now, his curiosity isn’t sated. The teacher reminisced about wanting to put tape over our mouths sometimes, or say ‘Shut up, you dimwits.’ Very funny man.
the problem with our education system is teachers chastise kids for asking questions , i was treated like shit for questioning the bullshit in my high school books .
politics has become a popularity contest sponsored by …….” ( fill in name ) ” .
education should make kids ASK QUESTIONS , not teach them ” stuff ” .
dont worry…….most countries are in a similar situation
@bcroger2 ….thought or taught?
@USisfuckedup Wait, what? America isn’t #1 in everything
@totallystup1d true but they just dont car
@friscob1
Stop going to community college.
Twenty-four jokes about the number of views being numberwang! That’s numberwang, everybody!
@SuckItLily Your thinking about this wa to much!
32,659 views…. that’s NUMBERWANG!
0:16 FUCKING LOL
Hmm. They must have rotated the board on day 2 or something.
Oh NOES!! Sesame Street taught me that 2 was my friend!! Now I find out it is a deadly poison!!
AIEEEEEEEEE!!
A NUMBER OF VIEWS? JOKE!
30,651 views?! WOW! NOW THAT’S NUMBERWANG!!!!
1:04 Wow. NOTHING about this makes any sense:
– Simon hardly got a beard while his hair grew that much.
– SHE seems to develop a beard.
P.S. Gross, dude.
…I can’t think of anymore jokes about the views.
3 people aren’t numberwang
Is ln(i) Numberwang?
26,529 is NOT Numberwang
26,094 views?
THATS NUMBERWANG 🙂
e=Numberwang squared….oh, god, what have I done?!! I have become Numberwang, destroyer of worlds.
U cant have infinite and a half >=(
Das ist numberwang
A lame comment about the views that will make people like it so i feel like i have meaning in my pathetic life? Thats Numberwang!
is it 13465987.4537686567 squared
@MultiHogleg Oh I thought you mean e*e*e or 2.71828183^3.
Um… 75?
@axe863 ahh..
@MultiHogleg 20.0855369, numberwang?
@axe863 eee..
Is (2.65748*e^(1.563453^3.432))/(pi*e^3), numberwang?
The numbers show that simply everyone! Is talking about? YES.