Who are The American People?
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Who we really are
The politicians, pundits, and newscasters, are constantly saying things like, “The American people are sick and tired of tax and spend liberals”, or, “The American People are terrified of the national debt we are leaving to our children”, or, “The American People don’t want the government making decisions about their health care.” It goes on and on as the talking heads use the phrase, “The American People” to describe some mythical homogenous group of bright, practical, average folks who constitute the greatest democracy in world, yet bear no responsibility for the numerous nightmares we now face. They seem to be in the know of the exact frame of mind of The American People on any subject at any time. I think they are playing us.
So, who are the American People? Here are some of the demographics:
How many Americans are there? The resident population of the United States is 308,659,000 with 81% residing in cities and suburbs. The population growth is among the highest in the industrialized countries, due to higher levels of immigration and the replacement fertility rate of 2.5 children per woman. The U.S. has a White American majority, and minorities compose just over one-third of the population, with the Hispanic and Latin Americans and African Americans as the largest minority groups, respectively.
How many of us are poor? While there is controversy over what constitutes poverty, it is estimated that most Americans (58.5%) will spend at least one year below the poverty line at some point between the ages of 25 and 27. Around 13 to 17% live below the poverty line at any given point within a 10 year span and 40% fall below the poverty line at some point within a 10 year time span.
How educated are we? Among the adult population, over 85% have competed high school and only 27% have received a bachelor’s degree or higher.
How literate are we? A study by the Jenkins Group has shown millions of Americans never read another book after leaving school. A five-year, $14 million study of U.S. adults, the most comprehensive study of literacy ever commissioned by the U.S. government, discovered that 21 to 23% of adult Americans were not able to locate information in text, and could not make low-level inferences using printed materials, and were unable to integrate identifiable pieces of information.
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Our Politicians are Patronizing us
So, given the fact that we are a diverse group comprised of people from various races and religions who have different lifestyle choices, levels of education, and levels of intelligence and so on, how can there be a single entity called The American People. I’m suspicious. I’ve come to the conclusion the term is a manipulation used to back up the agendas and claims of politicians, and to gain favors with listeners who long to belong to this non-existent elite group. People are by nature joiners and want to part of the in crowd.
So, the media and the politicians play on this human instinct by labeling their listeners, The American People or “everyday folks”, and by default, the most hardworking, pragmatic, and sensible group to have ever walked the earth. That’s why you never hear talking heads say things like, “The American people are idiots who voted twice for a President who started bombing a country for no reason and have gotten the mess they deserve.” They don’t call out The American People who bought hook, line, and sinker the obvious lies, propaganda, and manipulation by corrupt political leaders. Oh no, we never hear the calling out of our country’s ignorant and ill-informed by people courting votes and relying on viewers for ratings. That is not going to happen.
Now, you may hear Rush Limbaugh call President Obama a socialist, a racist, or a Nazi, but you won’t hear him criticize The American People, unless they are Liberal Retards—liberals are not really part of The American People. And, to be fair, you won’t hear the Liberals or Progressives blame The American People for continuing to elect those who actually fight against those things that are in their best interest. Instead, you hear them blaming government for not working, politicians who have sold out to corporations, and a broken political system. While these entities deserve blame, The American People also bear responsibility for the current sad state of affairs, for having checked out, and for failing to become educated on the issues.
Americans are asleep at the wheel
The truth is The American People, who have the task of driving our experimental form of government called Democracy, are (often through no fault of their own) asleep at the wheel. Get real, if you think otherwise. In a country where people have died for the right to vote and where we fight wars so others can have the freedom to vote, we have one of the lowest percentages of voter turnout. Average election turnout since 1960 is on 54% - that is just over one in every two people that are eligible to vote. Of course, poor people are a boon to the powerful. People living in poverty are unlikely to vote because they are overwhelmed with basic survival issues, so often they vote or make choices against their best interest. People who are illiterate are less likely to read and stay informed on the issues, so the richest and most powerful have more control if the disadvantaged and illiterate stay stupid.
And, if the Jenkins Group study is accurate, and 21 to 23% of adult Americans were not able to locate information in text, and could not make low-level inferences using printed materials, and were unable to integrate identifiable pieces of information, it makes sense that large numbers of The American People are not capable of processing the level of complex information required to actively participate in a Democracy. But, you won’t hear the pundits saying, “Too many of The American People aren’t educated enough to participate in our Democracy.”
Are Americans getting dumber?
The Dumbing Of America - Call Me a Snob, but Really, We're a Nation of Dunces
"The mind of this country, taught to aim at low objects, eats upon itself." Ralph Waldo Emerson offered that observation in 1837, but his words echo with painful prescience in today's very different United States. Americans are in serious intellectual trouble -- in danger of losing our hard-won cultural capital to a virulent mixture of anti-intellectualism, anti-rationalism and low expectations. – Susan Jacob, The Washington Post
In her article, The Dumbing of America, Susan Jacob talks openly about the elephant in the room— the ignorance of the American people! "It contributes to grave national problems, but politicians are terrified to raise this obvious issue for fear of being called out as elitist, one of the most powerful pejoratives that can be applied to anyone seeking high office.” So, we hear over and over again how Americans are just regular “folks,” and that is good enough. The patronizing implications are The American People are fine just the way they are no matter how ignorant they may be of the facts and issues that put our country at risk. For example, it’s better to be Joe the Plumber (who lied about his actual identity) than an elitist snob like Al Gore. It’s better to elect an ignoramus you would like to have a beer with in a sports bar than a man with brains capable of nuanced thinking and the ability to hold the highest office. It’s okay to nominate a woman who knows nothing as a candidate for Vice President as long as she is “one of us,” and not a qualified intellectual elitist.
Sarah Palin, Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and others of their ilk, have convinced the “regular folks” out there in the real world it’s okay to be stupid. In fact, they count on it. Their followers never need to read, get an education, or learn to think critically as long as they listen to the hateful rhetoric of right wing extremists, and learn to chant the mantras of the dumbed down. And of course, the desperate neo-cons and the Republican party of “no” are thrilled with the so-called “grass roots” support their friends at Fox and elsewhere offer. These masters of manipulation continuing spewing lies and slander to enrage the masses of “average folks” who cannot think for themselves. After all, The American People are fed up with the pork, the national debt, and a tax and spend administration. They continue to question if Obama is a citizen (this should be a litmus test for idiocy), insist the founding fathers did not want separation of church and state, believe Obama and the Democrats are evil socialists, and think Creationism should be taught in our public schools. And of course, these good folks were silent during the eight years Bush and Cheney decimated the constitution, allowed the economy to crash, and lied in order to take us to war, because they are just regular folks who respond only to the call of their leaders.
More on Political Manipulation:
Right Wing Extremists and the Reptilian Brain
How Ugly Rhetoric Increases America’s Great Divide
Fundamentalism – our Nation’s most dangerous “ism”
A Sarah Palin & Glen Beck Ticket – Dumb & Dumber
Glen Beck is a Pathetic Loser and has a Deep-Seated Hatred of Brown People
CommentsLoading...
lmmartin, thanks for your comments - you are right that this is not only an American phenomenon but the British are infamous for it as are many other lands - and, the way the politicians never call the people on their ignorance is of course, a survival strategy. It was funny how after hearing this phrase one day, "The American People", I realized I'm so used to hearing it, it had no meaning, and I thought to myself "who in the hell are they talking about?"
lmmartin, you also mentioned our deification of the Founding Fathers - even though Americans don't actually know what they said, we are taught they had some infallible god-like knowledge that should never be opened to debate. And they twist the profound understanding the framers offered about things like the separation of church and state and insist we are Christian nation!
hey kartika,
great job here. that no-think zone is definitely a contagion in our society. the end result is an incessant shrieking hysteria, devoid of anything resembling logic. forget common sense, it's gone the way of the dinosaur.
Hey blue dog, nice to hear from you! you are right - incessant shrieking hysteria - lol! Never ending drama!
I am not an American but I regard and respect every Americans because it is only in America where we find the citizens are enjoying the ethics of democracy – the virtues of brotherhood, friendship, however small that may be since the concept of Democracy introduced in the globe by the Great philosophers of Greece and not existed in any other country in true sense. It is very difficult to ascertain the reality particularly in a period of economic crisis. If anything goes wrong in America, it becomes a global issue. It is America who is heartily connected with the global affairs. It can not remain isolated with any problems of the Globe. Now in the situation of crisis the American citizen has find out their President Obama after Bush. The country is passing under the threat of two wars. A united constructive approach is the need of the hour. Discipline, Patience and Perseverance had shown by Americans at earlier times also by dint of which American came out successful starting from the period of Roosevelt till the Second World War. I will wish that Americans will maintain the unity of brotherhood forgetting corruption and selfishness.
My thoughts exactly.
I've seen hatred, arrogance and ignorance, equally spewed from both sides which is usually driven by self serving political or social agendas. There are thousands of Americans with advanced educations asking,"Do you want fries with that?" There are millions of skilled Americans out of work. Millions of Americans are going to college for jobs that do not and will never exist.
The country is severely divided and the financial foundations are crumbling.
Ignorant or not...it is going to take all of the people to get us out of this mess.
Tom, thanks for your comments - you said, "ignorant or not.." unfortunately, we just cannot afford to stay ignorant and keep our government in check - we cannot afford to let our leaders manipulate us into voting against our own best interest.
Hi HP, glad you stopped by! Yes, America is a critical player on the world stage and that makes our responsibility as citizens even more important - Democracy requires the people stay vigilant and educated on the issues and don't take the perks of the hard won fight for granted. Nothing lasts forever, and the people need to participate! Take the example of GMO food - we are exporting it to the world and India is refusing to accept it - but, our people here are as whole, not even aware of its dangers!
hey kartika! Man, some of these facts are shocking! I remember being in the UK and a British woman said that "Americans have tunnel vision." She said that we have no idea what goes on in the rest of the world, and here you show us that Americans have no idea at all....even HERE! The lack of reading after school really floored me!
The media is definitely part of the "sleeping meds." AND our education is so low on the ladder........is there any hope? I HOPE so...Best, G
Hi GPAGE! Oh, as far as hope goes, I don't know about that - I think that as long as the middle class continues declining and people are consumed with worries about health care and paying their basic bills, there will be less opportunities to become educated and informed. In a way it really serves the powerful to keep the masses dumbed downed - after all, we are so much easier to control when when don't know anything - just look at the teabaggers who still want to see Obama's birth certificate and believe health care reform is socialism or nazism or whatever....
What do you think? Always good to hear from you! I've been kinda busy so it was great to see your post.
I applaude you for your openness and honesty. I am and have been for the last few administrations concerned for the democratic society we so proudly speak of. I for one do not see democracy as a wonderful thing if I am to go by the example of type governing that goes on in this country.
The only thing that I can see and understand is that we , on the lower rung of society are expendable. In fact I believe they are working hard at thinning the herd.
The only concern that the controlling forces have is what is their bottom line and what kind of profit is there to be made.
I am dumbfounded that the so called "American People" can not see for themselves what is happening. Don't they see that their bank account are getting smaller by the day and the things it takes to live decently are becoming out of reach for the average low-middle income worker. Each day we hear of the way we are being manupulated. Are we blind, deaf ,and dumb?
I think what we are experiencing is what comes after generations of life being made relatively easy with few or no challenges to our intelligence. We have not had to think a lot it was all being explained to us and like obedient lapdogs we have been behaving ourselves so that life will continue to be easy.
I believe that this time has come to an end and that anyone even with average intelligence would be able to see it if they paid attention.
Probably 25-30 of the population is on a drug that affects your comprehension. They have convinced us that it will help deal with depression. When what would really get rid of the depression is to listen to our instincts and start then educating ourselves and take action.
The major media will never tell us the truth we are not paying their paychecks.It is up to the individual to find places like hub pages where we can speak our minds while the opportunity is still here.
Kartika - your shocking statistics indicate that a hell of a lot of the American People are poor. And when you take into mind that statistics are often manipulated to put a more positive spin on things, it's even worse. The face of America is changing. People have less money to spend and are in constant fear of losing their jobs, if they still have a job. What could turn things around is if the 'poor' people started to vote.
lmmartin Level 6 Commenter 2 years ago
You have laudably called out the two biggest factors at work here -- the "dumbing down" of the people while at the same time pandering to their ego needs to consider themselves "the best country in the world," somehow superior to to others on some basic level and therefore, having no reason to change, grow and look at the alternatives. However, this is nothing new, and certainly not unique to Americans. My parents were British, and I was born in that country -- and somehow grew up in the 50's and 60's with the notion that British was the best thing to be (an idea quickly put to rest when I reached the age of reason.) Do you remember the line from the movie "The Man Who Would be King" with Sean Connery (beautiful and young then) and Michael Caine (always one of my favorites) when they stumble into this lost and isolated Himalayan society and are asked "Are you Gods?" Caine answers "No Englishmen, which is the next best thing." It serves the leaders of the nation (both public and private) to keep a populace ignorant and self-involved, egocentric and blind-followers. The shock and immediate denial from many Americans when it is suggested perhaps there's a better way, or a handful of men 235 years ago didn't have an ironclad recipe for success, or that every dog has his day and the American bulldog may have passed his, is indicative of the nation's mindset. I think I used the phrase once before of this nation's desperate need to believe the myth over the reality.
This is an excellent article and you have eloquently expressed much of what I've been thinking. Another thumbs up.