the real cost of America's hate-affair with knowledge is paid by children, for whom words like "learning" and "wisdom" sound biblical and words like "intelligence" elitist and judgmental. Those of us old enough to remember the sixties well remember that every classroom had at least one kid (usually an immigrant from Canada or Pakistan) whose father (usually an academic or ACLU attorney) had turned the television set into a planter. But those of us who have survived The Love Boat, Three's Company and Charlie's Angels to enter the world of Rap and shows about whinnying wannabe Britneys celebrating million dollar Sweet Sixteen parties have survived to witness the reversal of culture—a new barbarism and a vulgarity that, unlike the old vulgarity, incoherently accepts political correctness while exploiting and expanding every stereotype, every dumb opinion, every rude form of discourse. It's a barbarism fueled by technologies made available to the know-nothings by the know-hows, free speech

Sad but true. We are a nation that would elect a man to the highest office just because "It would be fun to have a beer with him."

I agree.

A good companion volume to Hofstadter is Susan Jacoby's "The Age Of American Unreason". It was published earlier this year and I just finished reading it a couple weeks ago.

The article is written by an American. The clip is posted as a contribution to discussion generated by previous clips, most recently one last week which was about spelling. I am extremely grateful to be allowed to use Clipmarks and allowed into dialogue with such folk as suckmyclip. No wonder America is such a proud nation and offers itself as a beacon of enlightenment to the world.