Last updated on November 13th, 2014 at 05:37 pm
Being informed, or apprised, means being aware, having knowledge, or perception of a situation or a set of facts to make decisions that are conducive to a person’s well-being. Since the world has existed in the “Information Age” for over twenty years, there is really no apparent, or logical, reason for any human being in a technologically-advanced society to make uninformed or detrimental decisions.
According to those conversant in the benefits of living in the information age, the valuable phenomenon is the product of the digital industry that created a knowledge-based society aided by a high-tech global community. One of the greatest assets to any society in the Information Age is a population armed with a wealth of knowledge to make well-informed decisions for all aspects of their lives, but this is certainly not the case in America. In what is a damning indictment of American willful ignorance exceeding stupidity, the results of the midterm elections informed the world that Americans are stupid religious fanatics steeped in racism.
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Over the past couple of days, an open letter penned by an informed Canadian that calls into question the intelligence of the American voters has been making the rounds on social media. The title of the letter, “You Americans have no idea just how good you have it with Obama,” summarizes a sentiment that is not unique to Canadians puzzled at the results of the midterms. This author has colleagues around the world on five continents, and within a day of the midterm elections messages poured in asking, “what the Hell is wrong with Americans, and why do they hate Obama?” The biggest fear of these colleagues is that with Republicans running Congress, they will create the exact same economic conditions that sent their nation’s economies into dire and still ongoing recessions. Where the Canadian writer differed from foreigners astonished at the results of the midterms was not citing the racism, religious fanaticism, and rank stupidity driving hatred for President Obama.
The Canadian writer, Richard Brunt, wrote that “Many of us Canadians are confused by the U.S. midterm elections. America is leading the world once again and respected internationally — in sharp contrast to the Bush years. So, Americans vote for the party that got you into the mess that Obama just dug you out of? This defies reason.” Yes, it does defy reason, but reason, logic, and rational thought is woefully lacking in a great number of self-inflicted low-information Americans despite they live in the nation that pioneered and advanced the Information Age.
First, it is noteworthy that most people living in foreign nations are more informed and educated about America, its government, economy, and myriad social diseases driving the preponderance of stupidity that produced the irrational results of the midterm elections. For example, where over 47% of Americans cannot name the three branches of government, people across the world can name the three branches and cite each party’s leaders in both houses of Congress. They also have a firm grasp on the tenets of the U.S. Constitution and understand Republicans and the religious right are on a crusade to restrict other American’s 14th Amendment equal rights with a high degree of success due to the Republican Supreme Court. Most Americans could not possibly name even one feature of the 14th Amendment if their lives depended on it. However, the Constitution is old, and it is the people’s pitiful lack of unawareness of recent and current information that boggles the minds of people around the world.
For example, most citizens of Europe, Asia, South America, and the Middle East, including Islamic nations, are well-aware that America’s economy is leading the world still struggling to crawl out of the Great Recession Bush-Republicans created. They are also informed that the austerity plaguing their nations, preventing economic growth, and driving more of their population into poverty, is a policy Republicans lust to impose on America despite the damage it continues to wreak on people and economies in many European nations. The Canadian, dog bless him, attempted to inform American imbeciles just how fortunate they are to have President Obama as their leader.
Mr. Brunt noted in his letter to stupid religious racists that “the United States’ gross national product growth is the best among all member nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The dollar is at its strongest levels in years, corporate profits are at record highs, the country’s adding 200,000 jobs per month, unemployment is below 6%, and the stock market is near record highs. Gasoline prices are falling, there’s no inflation, interest rates are the lowest in 30 years, U.S. oil imports are declining, U.S. oil production is rapidly increasing (and leading the world), the deficit is rapidly declining, and the wealthy are still making astonishing amounts of money.” After noting President Obama’s major economic successes, Brunt reminded Americans that, “Obama brought soldiers home from Iraq and killed Osama bin Laden,” but he failed to note the President resisted persistent Republican calls to invade several other nations. The Canadian ended with a familiar refrain from people around the world; “When you are done with Obama, could you send him our way?”
It is a damn wretched commentary on this nation’s voting public that people around the world are better-informed about America’s economic situation, and why it is leading the world still suffering Bush-Republican economic malfeasance and ineptitude. The situation is made worse when one realizes that there has been nothing but good economic news readily available to even the stupidest religious racists, and still they turned out in droves to put Republicans back in power.
What is stunning, and tragic, is that these moron’s have heard and believe Republicans’ six year-claim that Obama is seizing their guns, preparing to close churches, and imprison Christians that drove them to elect Republicans. The real measure of their stupidity is that there has not been any gun safety laws passed since 1995, and they have been empowered by the Papal-contingent on the Supreme Court to establish and impose their vile version of Christianity on the entire nation even as they decry the assault on their religious liberty.
The effect of god and guns on the results of the midterms, although substantial, was entirely driven by the real reason Republican voters hate this President; sheer unbridled racism. Many pundits rightly cite apathy and delusion as the reason religious psychopaths and corporate-whores easily won Senate seats, and it may have been a big factor, but it is only a factor because the base reason is those teabag maniacs are white. It has been said before, and is worth reiterating; if any white Republican male had achieved even a fraction of the economic achievements and success as President Obama, their image would be on Mount Rushmore, their birthday a national holiday, and every coin in the realm would be imprinted with their head in profile.
What most people around the world have not said, likely to spare Americans further shame and humiliation, is that never before in American history has an entire political movement attempted to thwart America’s success as a surrogate for its President. Before Barack Obama was sworn in as President, conservative pundits were openly announcing they hope he would fail, and to make sure their hopes were realized, a cabal of Republican leaders and conservative pundits met in private and plotted a concerted effort to derail the economy. That is not, as President Obama says, a political party that loves America, it is a party steeped in racial animus like the gun and god crowd that cannot accept the simple fact they have no idea how fortunate they are that Americans twice elected an African American as President.
Audio engineer and instructor for SAE. Writes op/ed commentary supporting Secular Humanist causes, and exposing suppression of women, the poor, and minorities. An advocate for freedom of religion and particularly, freedom of NO religion.
Born in the South, raised in the Mid-West and California for a well-rounded view of America; it doesn’t look good.
Former minister, lifelong musician, Mahayana Zen-Buddhist.
