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America the Plebeian
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It can be dangerous when a cynic is given internet access and, at the same time, becomes a passive observer to sometimes banal or ignorance-driven conversations concerning the likes of terrible music, movies, or Mike Huckabee. In times such as these, I frequently find myself agreeing strongly with Susan Jacoby’s articles featured in The Washington Post.
A few days ago I became especially interested in an article called “The Dumbing of America“, where she cast aside any fear of being labeled an “elitist”, and strictly argued that Americans, for the most part, are not only becoming increasingly stupid, but are acting the part more openly. It brings me a bit of guilt sometimes to realize that I, an elitist of sorts, agree, but how can her point really be effectively countered? When book and periodical sales are continuing their slow descent into futility, and shows like The Bachelor seem less and less likely to have a limit to the size of their audiences, it’s not difficult to see her point.
Very little, if any, of this argument is new, and it has been argued time and time again by Americans (and our cousins to the immediate north, I’m sure) for centuries. What amused me most about reading The Dumbing of America was that my experience was interrupted by two coworkers who (not so quietly) began discussing the absolute hilarity of Good Luck Chuck, I forced myself to stop reading the article and get back to work before my head forced itself into and through my computer monitor.
As I recounted the experience to my girlfriend later that evening, I began to laugh so hard that the last sip of 1967 Cheval Blanc I had taken sprayed right out of my nose, forever ruining my only copy of The Fountainhead.
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I don’t mean to be an elitist (that’s a lie), but I believe “north” should be capitalized.
Just to keep the readers informed of the caliber of fellow you’re dealing with, here’s a picture of the author.
You don’t develop that type of class. You’re born with it.
To Wondermike: There is a difference between the direction north and the area the North. When used as above (”our cousins to the immediate north”), it would be incorrect to capitalized… unless, of course, the Immediate North is a geographic location I am unaware of. Instead of accepting this possibility, I will instead classify you as what I like to call the “incorrect dick”. It is one thing to be a dick (or “elitist” as you prefer) and be right, but it is quite another to go out of your way to be a dick, only to be proven wrong publicly. (All in good fun
)
Damn, this Garret Nix is one grammatically correct mother of god. Which brings us to the question of whether we should normatively encourage admins to directly proof each others works.
I know I would certainly invite it, and if we all agree we ought to make it general policy.
teh
This is nitpicking, but “The Dumbing of America” should be unitalicized and placed in quotation marks. The Bachelor, The WP, The Fountainhead, Good Luck, Chuck, and, of course, The Quincy Adams Observer should all be italicized, but articles, episodes, chapters, or other units within each of those pieces of media should not. (i hope that HTML works)
The article is really good (thanks for linking it), but I’m always suspicious of the “America is dumb” stuff. Hell, I think I’ll write a post of my own in response!
Thanks for the tips, Benji. I agree with your skepticism, and I try to avoid diatribes like that, but on this particular day it was just a bit much to handle all at once. And therein lies my attraction to the articles of Susan Jacoby.
Post away!
grammar is such bullshit. i’m with ethan on the peer edit thing since i fuck up all the time and hate commas. i guess by “peer edit” i’m really just asking the rest of you to edit me since i’m going to be no help at all the other way.
anyway, people always have had simple pleasures like when they burned house cats in france for fun. i doubt we are getting dumber.
[…] want to respond to Garrett’s post about whether or not America is getting dumber. The WP article by Susan Jacoby is full of good […]
Me too, Alex! See my really idiotically long ass post!