america becoming an idiocracy

america the stupid?http://www.commondreams.org

as an american who had to unlearn much of what was taught through high school, and then learn what was really true in university, this doesn't surprise me much.

many americans cannot afford to go to college. some don't finish high school.

the news is nothing more than an info-tainment propaganza of talking heads who often relegate fact checking to someone further down the road.

media is largely owned by the same interests that say what story is told. usually in three or four minute sound bites. so americans are used to thinking in sound bites, prefer entertainment to information and are easy prey to propaganda.

not their fault. since grade school the status quo of the dominant paradigm has molded the way the world is seen. the economic reality of all but the upper, let's say 25% is such that the leisure to self-educate is trumped by real world need to 'make a living'.

homeschooling my children gave them a bit of an edge. but once out of my clutches it is up to them to care enough to find sources of truth. and sometimes kids are far more interested in more immediate pleasures to pursue while they can.

this article i link to is far more clever than i am...but read it to the end and you'll realise why idiocracy can be lethal. then battle idiocracy on the homefront.

1: turn of the t.v.
    most of what is presented is mindless crap, reality t.v. where folk battle for their fifteen minutes of fame (shame). news that is really the views of the corporations that control them and you. sitcoms that are just silly and of course, as expected in a police state, a whole host of police and law dramas.

2: research! it doesn't require university to google "scholarly research into mercury poisoning" , or "scholarly articles on the history of OPEC"  remember to include the 'scholarly articles' or 'scholarly research' in order to get away from the lunatic fringe element of the internet

3: connect with nature and other human beings in real life. host a salon to exchange ideas about important issues of the day, go on a hike with a friend.

and enjoy the planet, while we have it!