The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”

- H.L. Mencken, Baltimore Sun

Hmm. Good point Anne.

Not quite, at least as the term is used today; it’s just that people don’t always pay much attention to what’s going on in their minds. There have been many, many studies showing that even “smart” students who know they’re being used as subjects in psychology experiments are remarkably easy to mislead or confuse. Some fairly recent studies, in particular, showed that when subjects saw the same opinion expressed in several different media sources, they assumed “It must be true, or at least most people believe it to be true” — even when that repeated opinion is clearly labelled as coming from a single source. The M(eme)-word has (covers head) “gone viral” precisely because we needed a word more encompassing than “sloganeering” for the kind of stealth-targeting of such semi-conscious perceptions as Brad’s Bush-voting acquaintances’ “understanding” that Gore was a rude, faddish fabulist and Kerry was a snooty elitist with a crazy wife. Of course, I’m also defending the word because it supports my own theory that “Most People” (most American voters) have gradually allowed themselves to be led to perceive Real Americans as dumber, meaner, shallower, and far more politically regressive than can be justified by statistics.

Another friend voted for Nader because “Al Gore is not pro-choice enough.” Every so often I have to ask her, “How do you like your pro-choice preznit now? How ’bout that Supreme Court? Pro-choice enough for ya?” This particular argument enraged me like no other, because for me, it was always about the Supreme Court. The idea that Bush could possibly get his hands on the Supremes was horrifying; therefore, if there was even a slight chance that my giving a vote to Nader would help elect Bush, there was no way I was going to throw away my vote on Ralph.

Of course, you have the couples who don’t vote at all, because “our votes will just cancel each other out.”

Dammit, I should be studying right now, less I be found “stupid” on the midterm I have to take today.

All I’m saying is: if you’re super-plugged in to what’s going on you have a leg up over most people. Use that power wisely by sharing it and making other more savvy instead of writing them off as dolts for not already knowing what you know or caring as much as you care.

Takes a lot of patience — especially if you try to follow this advice in dealing with all sorts of people, not just students.

Shit! Where’s my Soma?

Shit! Where’s my preview? This could be ugly. (closes eyes & hits “submit”)

I realize that. What you say about their views makes sense. I also realize that in their invasion of Iraq, they were not truly concerned with the security of the Iraqis, the creation of a secular, democratic state in Iraq, or with any of the rest of it- nothing but getting access to oil and building bases in the middle east, and possily some other things.

You are absolutely right that in order to understand the Neo-cons you have to understand their actual aims behind their public statements (not always an easy thing to do), and understand that they don’t give a rats ass about anyone not in their class, except to effectively control them.

I still think that they are ignoring certain things which can, and have, harmed them. The fact of their occupation of Iraq is, in my opinion, hurting them in ways that they apparently did not expect. It seems to me, and perhaps I am naive, that their policies have become unpopular. And it also seems to me that this is perhaps connected with their extra-low opinion of the intellligence of Americans.

But you may be right as well. We will see, as this situation unfolds.

Yet it seems to me that their ideology has led them to ignore, or refuse to think about, certain issues that are supremely important, such as Global Warming.

This isn’t particularly stupid on the part of neocons. Climate change isn’t going to kill any rich person living in an industrialized nation in their lifetime or probably even in the lifetime of their children. And, considering that they are people completely devoid of a conscience, getting them to understand why the fuck they should care about anybody else is impossible.

Neoconservative behavior makes perfect sense. Just alter your thinking a little: “I am the most important thing in the universe. All that matters is what makes me happy and gives me pleasure. Class matters, and I am obviously of the upper class, and it gives me pleasure to show that in everything I do, because it means I’m better than everyone else.”

That’s all it takes.

Most people who voted for Bush are not stupid. But most stupid people did vote for Bush.

I don’t think you are a failure as a teacher, I think you are just dealing with students who have been given certain ideas from the media and from today’s political climate.

I irritates me too, Matt T. Not because I think that my fellow Americans are acting very smart nowadays… hell no. The reasons it irritates me are various.

First, can I just mention that the very concept of a ‘meme’ is embedded in a theory which suggests that people have no minds as such? The whole theory of ‘memes’, as I understand it, is basically that ‘ideas’ are like animals which are competing for survival, and that their environment is the brains of a people. The people are assumed to be passive receptacles for these competing ideas, and one idea wins only on the basis of whether it is more ‘adapted’ than another one to our biology. So if you are using the term ‘meme’ you are almost assuming that the people have no minds.

Second, I sometimes think that the people are not as stupid as they look. I take some pleasure from hearing people say, “we invaded Iraq so that we could get their oil- I think it was a good idea.” It is a cruel, cold thing to say, but at least people who say that seem to have a decently good grip on some of the actual geopolitics involved.

Third, I sometimes think that believing too fervently in the stupidity of your fellow citizens can, in some mysterious way, make you stupid. I mean, look at the Neoconservatives. Their entire political philosophy, as I understand it, is based on the necessary deception of the stupid masses. They believe that they need continual war and propaganda to keep pro-democracy forces in check domestically, and to keep the people in a kind of drama which removes their need for critical thought. Their own ideas are intelligent, they are riffs on Machiavelli. Yet it seems to me that their ideology has led them to ignore, or refuse to think about, certain issues that are supremely important, such as Global Warming.