Are The Masses Asses?
“Think of how stupid the average person is. And then realize that half of the people are stupider than that.”
-George Carlin
Almost all political extremists possessing even the most basic grasp on reality eventually come to notice a painfully obvious truth: The majority of Americans are simply not interested in their political doctrines. The usual explanation for this apathy is that a dark cabal manipulates the media in the support of its own goals. Whether the cabal is seen as being comprised of the corporate rich, atheistic liberals, or Jews, the result is the same: The brainwashing of the masses. This mental conditioning prevents the majority from seeing the obvious “truth” of the extremist’s message. Of course, this conclusion leads to yet another question: Considering how easily the average American can be beguiled and led, what are we to make of his or her intelligence level? The conclusion seems obvious. As Paul Craig Roberts, a former Regan administration official turned leftist writes regarding polling data on the public’s view of the war on terror: “What does it say for democracy that half of the American population is unable to draw a rational conclusion from unambiguous facts?” He speaks in particular of the issue of President Bush’s warrantless wiretaps, but the statement could have come from the mouth of any fringe politico.
Interestingly, the far right is not as bothered by this realization. William Pierce, the most notable post-WWII National Socialist thinker considered white Americans to be as a whole a worthless lot, often referring to them as “lemmings”. His view is consistent with the elitist worldview of fascism. Only under the direction of a strong dictatorship could the average person function as a productive member of society. But for anti-authoritarian leftists, the idea of the average person being a dolt is a bit more disturbing, as the whole “Power to the People” chant would become a bit ridiculous. It’s a critical flaw in their thinking that the radical left has yet to come to terms with.
-George Carlin
Almost all political extremists possessing even the most basic grasp on reality eventually come to notice a painfully obvious truth: The majority of Americans are simply not interested in their political doctrines. The usual explanation for this apathy is that a dark cabal manipulates the media in the support of its own goals. Whether the cabal is seen as being comprised of the corporate rich, atheistic liberals, or Jews, the result is the same: The brainwashing of the masses. This mental conditioning prevents the majority from seeing the obvious “truth” of the extremist’s message. Of course, this conclusion leads to yet another question: Considering how easily the average American can be beguiled and led, what are we to make of his or her intelligence level? The conclusion seems obvious. As Paul Craig Roberts, a former Regan administration official turned leftist writes regarding polling data on the public’s view of the war on terror: “What does it say for democracy that half of the American population is unable to draw a rational conclusion from unambiguous facts?” He speaks in particular of the issue of President Bush’s warrantless wiretaps, but the statement could have come from the mouth of any fringe politico.
Interestingly, the far right is not as bothered by this realization. William Pierce, the most notable post-WWII National Socialist thinker considered white Americans to be as a whole a worthless lot, often referring to them as “lemmings”. His view is consistent with the elitist worldview of fascism. Only under the direction of a strong dictatorship could the average person function as a productive member of society. But for anti-authoritarian leftists, the idea of the average person being a dolt is a bit more disturbing, as the whole “Power to the People” chant would become a bit ridiculous. It’s a critical flaw in their thinking that the radical left has yet to come to terms with.
posted by Henry Garfield at 12:54 AM
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