It’s fashionable to bash the American people for their political ignorance, and it’s encouraged if you can do it cleverly. However, don’t forget that many of this country’s basic governmental institutions are predicated on minimizing influence of the ignorant masses.
Direct election to the Senate? Didn’t happen until the early 20th century. The Electoral College? Still with us. Both of them, and other elements of American government processes, are vestiges of the days when the land-owning plutocrats who founded the country didn’t trust the rabble to rake the leaves properly, let alone vote intelligently.
But just because we live in a large country in which it’s really easy to find people whose beliefs are neither nuanced nor insightful (Am I one of them? Maybe? I don’t know? How would I know if I was?) doesn’t mean it’s productive to bash them. They’ve always been with us, always will be. For example, check out these excerpts from the December 24th, 1935 edition of the Pittsburgh Press, in which commoners tell us what they think about President Roosevelt.
"I don’t see the difference between Democrats and Republicans. I’m making less money now."
"I’ve always been a Republican. I don’t like the New Deal. They’re spending too much money and not helping unemployment."
One wonders why the Press reported these “thoughts”, other than to simply fill column inches. They’re the cliches of our modern time, and I doubt they were somehow fresh even back in 1935. But was everybody polite about their politics back then? Of course not!
Drink in the good old fashioned paranoia and bitterness. Happy Tuesday.
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