Comment on "Insight On Public Apathy" Remarks
Reader comment on item: State's Terror Untruths

Submitted by Matthew Reid (United States), May 29, 2002 at 15:00

Excellent article, as usual, Dr. Pipes.

In reference to the previous commenter's thoughts regarding newspaper reading...I agree wholeheartedly, but I disagree even more.

The premise is solid. Americans, by and large, have only a superficial knowledge, understanding and awareness of the very issues that impact their lives in very real and powerful ways. We get our information spoon fed to us by the major media outlets which sensationalize, trivialize and bastardize.

The apathetic masses, "dumbed down" over time and deliberately denied tutelage in critical thinking, are beyond uninterested in exploring more than the face value of what they see and hear from the liberal, "progressive" and self-proclaimed "mainstream" press--they are truly unable.

Given the cognitive reasoning skills most Americans have been robbed of in their institutions of lower living, er, I mean, "higher learning", most of us simply are not capable of seeing past the spin, the bias, the manipulation of facts, etc. Too few understand that you cannot believe everything you read, see or hear. And that's the way they want it.

Which brings me to my point. I argue that it's probably a good thing that Americans don't subject themselves to the heavily biased, borderline propaganda that passes for "news" in our papers. Please don't misunderstand, it's not that I revel in the ignorance and apathy running rampant throughout the land. Again, the problem lies in the inability to reason--so prevalent in Americans today.

So perhaps, this lack of interest is a blessing after all. A mixed blessing to be sure, but consider for a moment the universities in this nation. Be assured, they are the same schools you attended--in name only. Once great institutions have allowed themselves to be commandeered by what Roger Kimball calls, "Tenured Radicals". With an estimated 90% of university faculty describing themselves as "liberal", it's a miracle that any student can survive four years of re-education and indoctrination with any semblance of their individual personality and belief system.

So, perhaps, it is a good thing that so many of our students pay far too little attention to what their professors are saying. And, once again, it may be a blessing that Americans read as little as they do.

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