Anyone shed some light on the reasons why?
A few theories I have come up with:
- Television and newspapers do not promote logical debate. The intelligent and aware libertyfolk can open any newspaper or magazine, or turn on about any show on TV, and see that whatever is being debated is not focusing on the real issue at hand. Society is permeated with moved goalposts.
When should we bomb Iran? instead of, What are the moral and practical implications of pre-emptive war?
How much and what kind of welfare? instead of, Does welfare help?
- By and large, smarter people talk less (the wisdom of conservatism). It has been said that the quietest in the room is often the smartest. Morons like to hear their own voice, and often use brute force volume to be heard. This is the personality type that becomes a news anchor, politician, editorial writer, or paid 'expert' on TV. As a result, we hear more of the idiots than we do the wise.
- Resources. When a few smart people learned to fool the masses and take over governments for personal gain, and some other smart people learned to manipulate the language with names like 'the patriot act', much power became centralized, and those in power have the means to access unlimited resources to stay in power (federal reserve, for instance.) Like in chess, you can play perfect, but if pawns are all you have left, the other guy can make all manner of mistakes and still pull out a victory. The Internet is the potential gamechanger here.
- Education. 'Get em while their young.' Curriculum mandates and false-history textbooks have controlled the flow of education. Thank you, Wikipedia.
- Branding. I don't think people are stupid in general (look at Korea's children), but I do think we are extremely uneducated in America. As a result, many think in bite-sized chunks. Neo-con-artists have become experts at speaking in these terms. 'Get em over there before they get us over here,' 'You're with us or you're against us,' and 'Right-Wing extremists' are a few examples.
- Illusion of choice / false dilemma / false dichotomy / two party system - it is long bred into folks that there are but two options, like colors on a flag, or a favorite football team, to root for.
- Idiots are more likely to vote. Many intelligent people realize they don't have enough information to make an informed decision, and choose not to vote. At the same time, idiots everywhere are voting because it is their 'duty', even when they don't know anything about the candidates or what they represent.
- Smarter people are less likely to take a solicitation call from a pollster. People who need friends badly or don't know what caller ID is are more likely to answer the phone when Frank Luntz comes calling.
