Many liberals are a little embarassed by the need to call some people "stupid" these days....
In the past the "liberal media" pretty much kept the "informed opinion" on top...and less enlighten views were either not expressed, or were kept on the back burner or ignored....
So for years, decades even, the liberals had a monopoly on the media message..... That has saddly come to an end.
With outlets like AM talk radio and Fox News.....less informed more jingoistic political opinions are now available on the air waves..... This has legitimized many of the oddball notions and strange ideas that were left to "bar stool" banter and hayseed back porch chat.... The problem is that with these new media, the less informed now have the Bully Pulpit and a soapbox to spread their views and notions to OTHER less informed people.
Saddly, the intellegensia are no competition for the bar stool Bubbas....and liberals and intellectuals have often abandoned the discussion rather than call their "opponents" stupid or uninformed...
And those few who have tried to take on the Bubba opinion leaders....frequently find themselves getting down in the gutter with their less informed counterparts...and resorting to a "scream fest" format.
Indeed, much of cable "news programing" is now given over to these "more interesting" shout fests....with personal attacks often substituted for real issues and clear thinking on policy. You will note that these programs are almost devoid of PhDs, serious authors or other "authorities" and experts....most of whom are considered "too boring" by the producers of the shows. To get that higher level of discussion you often have to go to BBC or PBS or specialized journals
And the right wing often fall back on Jesus or religion when backed into a corner....by who ever does take up their chanllege. Thus, "winning" Deus Ex Machina! Literally!
It is unfortunate that stupidity has been validated in this way in the US....even to the point of the election a president who is considered to be "stupid" by much of the world!
Clearly, stupidity is in nobody's best interest.... Even while the "rich" may think that they can hoodwink the less informed with wedge issues, and thus derive some short term financial gain....the long term prospects of stupidity are very limited.
Unless and until the problem of stupidity in American politics is handled....the downward spiral of public policy will continue to it's ultimate, and probably disasterous, conclusion.
