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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11611015/?GT1=7850



This really proves everything I thought about America. We love our TV more than we love our freedoms.

For the record, I would be one of those in 1000 that knows our freedoms if presented with a list (like in the poll).

Edit: Gave it a more realistic title.

Nothing to do with the average citizen. It's to do with the education of those citizens by schools. Seeing as the majority of citizens are adults and don't go to school or college, there's nothing you can do about it.


It's a useless fact.

If you did a similar study of other countries, you'd probably get the same result. I hate how people are always quick to say that America is the stupidest country, when I'd bet my arm that if you asked 1000 British people to name over 10 members of their government, you'd be greeted with blank stares most of the time.

If someone has no particular interest in politics, you can't expect them to know anything about it. If you asked me who won the Superbowl two years ago, I'd have no idea, because I could care less about football. Yes, it's sad that some people care so little about their governmental system, but you can't expect everyone to care. The world just doesn't work that way.

That reminds me of a Keith Olbermann quote he uses whenever there is a news report about a kid doing something heroic because s/he learned it on TV: 'TV: It saves lives and is now availible without a perscription.'

But that is true. I learn a ton from shows like Modern Marvels, Nova, and Mythbusters.

You...don't....know....Super Bowl....winners?

*boggle*

Anyway. I think that this sort of thing is important not necessarily because I like it when Americans look stupid, because I don't; instead, I think it sort of brings home the point that you don't necessarily have to be intelligent to be an American. The difference is there, you just have to look for it.

I very often feel that a lot of the freedoms that we as Americans have we take for granted - we just sort of assume that because it's never brought up, it's never threatened. I'm not saying that because of any current political or military action; it's a truth that runs across party lines, age groups, and eras.

Most immigrants to the US, however, especially those who have become naturalized citizens, tend to be more familiar with the workings of government, especially as it relates to rights, because a) they had to study them to take the citizenship test, and b) many of them come from countries/regions where those rights are anything but guaranteed. And so they seem more important.

What this survey says is merely that Americans are woefully unfamiliar as a group about the finer points of their government; it doesn't say that anyone else is better or worse. Maybe it points to a need to do better in civics classes, or maybe it points to a need to have more patriotic events that celebrate our Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Or, maybe it says that here in the United States, we love the Simpsons. And Jeebus.

So they polled the entire United states eh?
That's amazing, usually they just poll a select group to tilt the results in their favour.

But I don't believe in Jeebus!

...Gah, I'm an awful American x)

For those who do care to know the five rights protected by the First Amendment, they are (in no particular order):

Freedom of religious expression
Freedom of speech (this includes visual artistic expression and the written word)
Freedom of the press
Freedom to peacefully assemble
Freedom to petition the government for redress of grievances

You know, I don't know what to think of this? Like, I mean, Simpsons is > that everything, but not being able to name the five rights? I'm Canadian, and I knew 2 for sure, and 1 I wasn't sure of. So, I don't know

Sorry. I gave this a bad title originally. It is fixed, but the point is still the same: Some Americans know the Simpsons better than the 1st Amendment. It is just a funny little study one group did and is not to be taken too seriously. I still think this is fun to talk about.

On a side note, I know the first line of the Declaration of Independence better than I know the 'These are the voyages...' line from Star Trek

I can name the simpsons, five points of our charter of rights and freedoms, and 10 members of our gov't.

--

I doubt this poll is making a commentary on the intelligence of the States. It's showing media literacy. Which is, by the way, totally ignored by most WESTERN education systems. Atleast once a week people come across the simpsons on TV, and if it isn't that, it's in a commercial, or a magazine, or on DVDs. They're pop culture symbols for the 90's, and for the most part, most Western cultures(Im including the UK) can recite their names without even thinking.

Think about it, what Ad exec would use the American constitution in a commercial? The Simpsons are an amazing tool for advertising (although seldom used, but there's another reason for that (think: mulah)). By putting Bart in a chocolate advertisement, you get an associated thought process. Bart > Chocolate > Butterfinger.

It's natural for people to know more about their cultures than their legal liberties. Why? Because legal and judicial matters are boring. They're important, yes. But you come across pop culture way more than the historical relevence of a constitution.

Well, I don't know the first amendment, but I'm English, so....

(We don't have freedom of spech. Come on!)

I can name people in Government though, and have a shocking amount of simpsons knowledge in me noggin. Far too much, in fact.

I saw that on MSN. Thought it was pretty funny.

Well, to be fair, I know neither the Basic Law here nor what the Simpsons' baby is called. But the point is that the TV is a more constant feature of everyday life to the average person. It's hard to appreciate what freedom really means unless you experience what it is to not have any of it (which is not likely to happen), whereas all you need to do is have a power shortage to find out how much you depend on your TV.

Dan, I don't quite get your point about most Western education systems ignoring media literacy. Are you making a point that Middle Eastern or Far Eastern education systems do?