How have we failed, that Americans could be so poorly educated as to be vulnerable to such tripe?

That, to me, is the crux of the problem. People who have not been taught critical thinking fall prey to fearmongering, lies and finger-pointing tactics. They are taken in by unscrupulous people who use them for personal gain, twisting the truth and teaching the gullible to suspect, deride and despise those who try to enlighten them. Too many of us Americans are taught to criticize without thinking rather than how to think critically.

At the moment I am struggling with this very problem as I correspond with an 18-year-old cousin in southern Mississippi who needs some critical thin...

How have we failed, that Americans could be so poorly educated as to be vulnerable to such tripe?

That, to me, is the crux of the problem. People who have not been taught critical thinking fall prey to fearmongering, lies and finger-pointing tactics. They are taken in by unscrupulous people who use them for personal gain, twisting the truth and teaching the gullible to suspect, deride and despise those who try to enlighten them. Too many of us Americans are taught to criticize without thinking rather than how to think critically.

At the moment I am struggling with this very problem as I correspond with an 18-year-old cousin in southern Mississippi who needs some critical thinking skills. After receiving yet another forwarded hate email concerning Senator Obama, which I debunked and denounced, I decided to try again to give her another point of view to consider and sent her the Rednecks for Obama article that was clipped here recently. Oh my, did I ever strike a nerve with her grandfather (my uncle), who she consulted! She started passing on to me his counter remarks and returning my replies to him until now the situation is rather uncomfortable for me, as out of respect for his age (near 80) and "family" status I don't say what I would like to say. I have tried to maintain a fairly light, humorous tone as I remind her over and over that what her grandfather has told her is not true. She needs to know that not everyone believes the way her grandfather and parents do and that she, too, can differ from them if she so chooses. So I am hanging in there.

Stay tuned for the rest of this comment...

Just to give you an example of what I am talking about, here is one of our exchanges (note that critical thinking isn't all my cousin didn't learn in school--her spelling and grammar leave a lot to be desired, too):

Sarah Palin is the bestlooking woman and the Smartest i have ever saw as far as polticis go. Obama will raise taxes to support radicial organizations such as alcorn and some of the others organization that he donates to such as Rev. Wright and father and he will isolate Isreal from the United States. If you want Obama for President go ahead and vote for him don't try to get other people to follow your steps. Im my opinion Sarah Palin will makes the best President we ever ...

Just to give you an example of what I am talking about, here is one of our exchanges (note that critical thinking isn't all my cousin didn't learn in school--her spelling and grammar leave a lot to be desired, too):

Sarah Palin is the bestlooking woman and the Smartest i have ever saw as far as polticis go. Obama will raise taxes to support radicial organizations such as alcorn and some of the others organization that he donates to such as Rev. Wright and father and he will isolate Isreal from the United States. If you want Obama for President go ahead and vote for him don't try to get other people to follow your steps. Im my opinion Sarah Palin will makes the best President we ever has in 50 years.Grandpa says this

To which I replied:

None of that is true, H---. Surely your Grampa must be joking.

And received back:

he isn't joking. he says that eh is smarter than you cause he can tell that obama is a full fledge crook. if he takes all the money from the rich by lowerin taxes that he will lay off all of the workin class and everyone will starve down here. he wants to know why are all the young women voting for obama and what we they get out of it.

How to you deal with this kind of "thinking" that my uncle has fallen for, taught his children and is now imparting to his grandchildren? How do we break the cycle of ignorance?

How have we failed, that Americans could be so poorly educated as to be vulnerable to such tripe?

We haven't and they aren't. At least no more so than any frightened angry mob. Asking the question, however, is arrogant and an insult. If someone doesn't think as we do, they are "uneducated?" How insulting is it to say, like my grandmother, "Oh God, how have I failed, to have such a grandson?" Is my Uncle "uneducated" because he used to sit at the dinner table and say "Blast, that's how we should solve the problem. Blast." when discussing Vietnam? He's a radiologist. Liberal Academics and intellectuals have been asking these questions for a long time and the very question ...

How have we failed, that Americans could be so poorly educated as to be vulnerable to such tripe?

We haven't and they aren't. At least no more so than any frightened angry mob. Asking the question, however, is arrogant and an insult. If someone doesn't think as we do, they are "uneducated?" How insulting is it to say, like my grandmother, "Oh God, how have I failed, to have such a grandson?" Is my Uncle "uneducated" because he used to sit at the dinner table and say "Blast, that's how we should solve the problem. Blast." when discussing Vietnam? He's a radiologist. Liberal Academics and intellectuals have been asking these questions for a long time and the very question is insulting and arrogant. Are we to embark on re-education programs a la Mao?

If you want to blame somebody or some thing, blame Palin, blame McCain, blame the economy, blame the terrorists but don't blame the people. Good people have different views. If I blame anything it is the lack of rational and critical thought and the culture of blame. People need to remember to think for themselves and seek differing viewpoints. I make it a point not to just read the Times or even the Post. I check the WSJ and even the more right wing rags like the National Review, because I want a different perspective than the biased one with which I tend to sympathize. I am fond of saying "If I need a yes man, I can look in the mirror." Does that mean that if I have a view that seems moronic to you that I need to be re-educated?

We have so much information and it comes at us so fast, we don't have time to step back, think, sort it out, and look at different sides. We should take that time and we should be taught to take that time. We all need that, not just a yokel in a Palin crowd. Instead we accuse each other of being uneducated failures and idiots. That is not right. An individual may be a fool, or uneducated or a failure but "Americans" are not.

If someone doesn't think as we do, they are "uneducated?"

Of course not. I'm not saying what you're saying I'm saying. Watch:

don't blame the people

I purposely did not blame the people. I blamed us - all of us.

If I blame anything it is the lack of rational and critical thought and the culture of blame

The purpose of a good liberal arts education is rational and critical thought. I am not saying that they would be Obama supporters if they were educated. I am saying that people who receive a good education are better able to qualify their sources, and would more readily recognize the absurd ideas that vultures had laid on these folks as garba...

If someone doesn't think as we do, they are "uneducated?"

Of course not. I'm not saying what you're saying I'm saying. Watch:

don't blame the people

I purposely did not blame the people. I blamed us - all of us.

If I blame anything it is the lack of rational and critical thought and the culture of blame

The purpose of a good liberal arts education is rational and critical thought. I am not saying that they would be Obama supporters if they were educated. I am saying that people who receive a good education are better able to qualify their sources, and would more readily recognize the absurd ideas that vultures had laid on these folks as garbage.

I did not say it was their fault. I did not say they were idiots. I did not say they were to blame. I did not say they should believe what I believe. I did not say they were failures.

I intended to say we do not provide the kind of education needed to help people become good critical thinkers, and, had these folks had it, they would not have found this mis-information compelling.

It was not my intent to slam them in any way, and I regret appearing to have done so.