The State of Us

A little knowledge is a good thing. A lot of knowledge is even better. But lately it seems as if more and more of us here in the good ol' USA have neither. Our basic awareness of general facts appears to be on the decline. In a recent edition of the newly-revised Newsweek magazine, the results of a test given to 1,000 American citizens on our nation's history, system of government , rights and responsibilities and integrated civics revealed a disappointing lack of knowledge. Nearly 40 percent of the men and women who took the test failed. This is not good. Questions asked ranged from being able to name our current vice president to being able to identify at least one U.S. territory.

It is not my purpose to criticize those who did not do well on the test. I have no doubt that I, too, would have been stumped by a number of the questions. Plus, test-taking, no matter the topic, is not always the easiest thing for many of us. Nevertheless, these results suggest many of us are turning away from learning where we as a people have been and only taking a passing interest in where we are currently. And, as far as developing a sense of possible future trends goes, forget it. Where does that leave us and what does this hold for us in the future? To me, more and more American citizens are taking a detached perspective on life itself. Other than their own specific trials and tribulations, people seem to becoming less and less inclined to become active players in life beyond their own landscape.

Results of this trend already seem to be manifesting. For instance, generally fewer people vote in election. Elected leaders strive to generate support by relying more on emotion-leaden messages than facts. Image and symbolism are trumping reality. Ignorance and dishonesty are being masked in rhetorical spin. The result a more easily manipulated and passive population that seems oblivious where they are being led, what is being said to them, and how any of this is affecting their lives, their country and their world. Ironically, it may take an extremely emotional, powerhouse communication effort to shake people out of their current self-absorbed stupor. We need effective and responsible communication to save us from ourselves.