Why Americans Believe Stupid Shit
As the town's resident Gringo, I'm often asked to explain the psychology of my countrymen.
At the time being, it seems to me that most Canadians view their neighbors to the south as sort of an anthropological puzzle. How can people who otherwise seem so sane and rational believe in things like "intelligent design"? How could people possibly believe that WMD claim? Why do the condom machines in Michigan sell an item known as a "freedom tickler"?
Despite my best efforts, I get the feeling that my friends and neighbors aren't quite convinced that Americans are cut from the same psychological cloth as they are. We're seen as rash, crude, and primitive. I feel as though I'm the stereotypical Amazon village chief trying to explain to tourists why his people think photographs can steal one's soul. Even if my explanation is reasonable on a certain level, the evidence before them suggests a more rudimentary psychology on our part. No national health care, crazy gun nuts, Dubya...It's embarrassing.
Why do we believe such stupid shit? David Brock's Media Matters For America gets to the heart of the matter, I believe. We've being lied to so often and so well that we don't know which end is up.
Case in Point: The trashing of Cindy Sheehan.
Read It:
At the time being, it seems to me that most Canadians view their neighbors to the south as sort of an anthropological puzzle. How can people who otherwise seem so sane and rational believe in things like "intelligent design"? How could people possibly believe that WMD claim? Why do the condom machines in Michigan sell an item known as a "freedom tickler"?
Despite my best efforts, I get the feeling that my friends and neighbors aren't quite convinced that Americans are cut from the same psychological cloth as they are. We're seen as rash, crude, and primitive. I feel as though I'm the stereotypical Amazon village chief trying to explain to tourists why his people think photographs can steal one's soul. Even if my explanation is reasonable on a certain level, the evidence before them suggests a more rudimentary psychology on our part. No national health care, crazy gun nuts, Dubya...It's embarrassing.
Why do we believe such stupid shit? David Brock's Media Matters For America gets to the heart of the matter, I believe. We've being lied to so often and so well that we don't know which end is up.
Case in Point: The trashing of Cindy Sheehan.
Read It:
