Sunday, July 04, 2010

I Thought America Won It's Independence From High Prices

It's about time we faced up to the fact that the United States is a corporate idiocracy. Large multi-nationals beam mind numbing drivel into our homes featuring meta-celebrities in voyeuristic situations and call it reality. We are rapidly becoming a nation of slack-jawed mouth breathing window lickers who haven't read a book since they got out of school and couldn't locate Afghanistan on a map, let alone give a clear concise reason why we need to spend another $33 billion there.
How do I know? More than twenty five percent of Americans couldn't tell you from whom we won our independence. So where does these mentally challenged people emanate from? I mean, they can't all come from the Tea party, as they only comprise 18% of the population, but it is nearly as many Americans who think that Sarah Palin resigned as governor because it was the right thing to do for Alaska (which in a way, it was).
To some, the dumbing down of the United States isn't happening quick enough. There's only so many episodes of Jersey Shore that you can get people to watch. So to help ease this country into a more acceptable moronic state, Glenn Beck has plans for an university ('magic underpants' not included). This exclusive chance to be taught revisionist history by avowed theocrats is available exclusively to subscribers of Beck's Insider Extreme, a website devoted to fleecing the sheep to line Glenn Beck's pockets. Once you pass this course, Glenn Beck doesn't promise you'll get a job from it, only that you'll be as confused politically as he is, just what you need when you're working your new job, wrangling shopping carts in a Wal-Mart parking lot.
(Cross posted at American Insurgency)

7 comments:

S.W. Anderson said...

At least part of the blame goes to the young jerks and jocks who spent social studies classes carving their initials into their desktop, making fun of the teacher and saying "I hate this s--t, screw it," to each other under their breath.

Part of the blame goes to parents who said in front of, or to, their kids about our government, about politicians and everything either tried to talk about seriously or do: "I hate (government/politicians/name the person or issue), screw it and screw 'em all. The system is crooked and they're all crooked. Yada, yada, yada."

And, part of the blame goes to the corporate media that to far too great an extent sold out their once serious, conscientious news gathering, editing and presenting departments to make a few more dollars. Saying they had to be competitive, they raced to the bottom substituting infotainment distraction instead of unpleasant facts and inconvenient truths people need to see and hear, need to take seriously and grapple with.

It's no accident or coincidence so many Americans put George W. Bush within striking distance of the presidency in 2000, so right-wing-friendly Supremes could vault him into office. Nor is it happenstance so many people voted to re-elect Bush in '04, despite all they knew about his shallowness, incompetence and perversity.

It's so much easier to vote for whomever you think would be more fun to have a beer with than to dig in, learn about issues and who's in favor of what, and how, and why, then vote your own interests sensibly. And hey, if you've got someone pandering to your notions government sucks, there's your choice right there.

Bush's success getting to the White House and then re-elected, just like Republicans' success controlling Congress for most of the last 25 years is attributable in large part to attitudes held by millions who know little and couldn't care less about what goes down in their country. Both were functions of the, "I don't give a s--t; I hate government, hate politicians, yada, yada, yada" attitude they'll surely pass on to their kids.

Tom Harper said...

"Magic underwear not included." Well dadblast it, and I wanted to enroll in Glenn Beck's university so I could edumucate myself and be free from that there liberal media.

Dave Dubya said...

The US has come a long way towards its new governing slogans. Ignorance is strength has been institutionalized. War is peace and freedom is slavery are well on their way.

Jolly Roger said...

The Rushpubliscum "base" (which roughly corresponds to the number in the poll) doesn't care what the truth is. They haven't cared what the truth was for at least the last 60 years or so. McCarthy taught them to just say the same stupid shit over and over again and scare the Bejesus out of as many people as you can. They want to be afraid, they want a Daddy to protect them from (name made-up hysterical bullshit here,) and they want to hate anyone who doesn't agree with them 100%. It is no accident that so many of them subscribe to a fundie flavor of religion.

libhom said...

Glenn Beck and underpants in the same sentence is really icky, funny, but icky.

Lew Scannon said...

SW,
My theory is that if children are stupid, it's the parents fault for not taking part in their education.
Tom,
Having Glenn Beck teach American history is like having Michelle Bachmann teach a class on intelligent and sane thinking...
Dave,
Hooray for the GOP and their continuied attacks on public education. It's worked out real well...for them.

Lew Scannon said...

Jolly Rog,
It's like Cheney said. "We're an empire now, we make our own reality."
libhom,
Thanks! You just made me picture Glenn Beck in his underwear. Must wash my eyes now....