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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHow America Lost Faith in Expertise -- and why that's a giant problem.
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2017-02-13/how-america-lost-faith-expertiseIn 2014, following the Russian invasion of Crimea, The Washington Post published the results of a poll that asked Americans about whether the United States should intervene militarily in Ukraine. Only one in six could identify Ukraine on a map; the median response was off by about 1,800 miles. But this lack of knowledge did not stop people from expressing pointed views. In fact, the respondents favored intervention in direct proportion to their ignorance. Put another way, the people who thought Ukraine was located in Latin America or Australia were the most enthusiastic about using military force there.
The following year, Public Policy Polling asked a broad sample of Democratic and Republican primary voters whether they would support bombing Agrabah. Nearly a third of Republican respondents said they would, versus 13 percent who opposed the idea. Democratic preferences were roughly reversed; 36 percent were opposed, and 19 percent were in favor. Agrabah doesnt exist. Its the fictional country in the 1992 Disney film Aladdin. Liberals crowed that the poll showed Republicans aggressive tendencies. Conservatives countered that it showed Democrats reflexive pacifism. Experts in national security couldnt fail to notice that 43 percent of Republicans and 55 percent of Democrats polled had an actual, defined view on bombing a place in a cartoon.
Increasingly, incidents like this are the norm rather than the exception. Its not just that people dont know a lot about science or politics or geography. They dont, but thats an old problem. The bigger concern today is that Americans have reached a point where ignoranceat least regarding what is generally considered established knowledge in public policyis seen as an actual virtue. To reject the advice of experts is to assert autonomy, a way for Americans to demonstrate their independence from nefarious elitesand insulate their increasingly fragile egos from ever being told theyre wrong.
This isnt the same thing as the traditional American distaste for intellectuals and know-it-alls.
SNIP
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)Americans generally know that the US borders the 2 countries, but knowledge about the politics of those countries, or the actual history of US relations with those countries, is minimal at best.
Recommended.
Johnny2X2X
(19,082 posts)Last edited Sun Feb 19, 2017, 08:28 PM - Edit history (1)
The average Canadian knows more about the functions of the American Government than your average American.
My Canadian friends keep asking me on Facebook if they should be concerned. I tell them yes, Trump is a danger to them.
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)history than many Americans.
yardwork
(61,678 posts)NRaleighLiberal
(60,016 posts)I am sure that a lot of trump supporters take some weird pride in their ignorance - they themselves are so apathetic or intellectually lazy that they can't conceive of actually engaging their brain and figuring something out.
Terrifying.
mopinko
(70,155 posts)as your deeply informed opinion that i dont agree w to- my completely uniformed opinion is better than your deeply informed opinion. my ignorance shields me from fake information. my opinion is therefore that much more valid.
yeah, we have crossed a bad line.