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Sunday, October 6, 2013

WIKIPEDIA AND BILLBOARD INTELLECTUALS

There is a lot of truth to the basic problem of the low information voter. I have pondered this segment of our society, in the Information Age. Here is the apparent deal. 40 years ago, people were stupid and you knew it. They knew it. Nowadays, it isn't that easy to pick up on it. Let's say someone is stupid, like 44% of the electorate. They read a post about, let's say, health insurance. They don't even know what the word "actuarial" means. 

QUICKLY, they check Wikepedia and pop into a couple websites. In 3 minutes, they have some words put together. They will then post a jumble of nonsense, as if they have an opinion of value. Then, if you argue that they are making no sense, they claim you "against their right to have an opinion"-- actually, I am personally just against stupid people. 

This occurs on both sides of the isle. It is more an issue of education (formal or actual self education) - our schools have failed, in many ways. 44% don't know the here branches of government or what they do, or why they exist. Middle class voters think "Obamacare" is different than the ACA! 40% of Republican voters think Obama is plotting a third term and is "probably Muslim" -- low information black voters think Obama failed in Katrina. It goes all around. 

The age of the Wikepedia Intellectual" -- a term that I made up. Hell, some of them don't even check Wikepedia. They listen to rap lyrics or billboards, and that creates their reality. 

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