Hi,
Thank you Crusader and eppie for the information and the analysis.
I'll not deny that many Americans are ignorant, preferring to watch WWF and Survivor rather than reading the news. That said, consider this: to be an informed citizen, I need to keep up with city, county, state and federal government. That includes groups such as the water commission, the local transit authorities, and the school board. These are the things that effect me directly and which I have some control in turn. Next is the major issues in other states. Those do not effect me directly, but can influence how this state will behave in the future and how the federal government may react. My control over these items is weaker, but I can attempt to encourage or discourage similar measures in my state and to influence my federal representatives by letting them know my opinions.
Next in importance to me are our direct neighbors, Mexico and Canada, and our major trading partners, primarily China and Japan. Again, the effect on me is smaller as is my control on them. Then comes the rest of the world. I have virtually no control on them and they have almost no effect on me. Rather than being information which I need to responsibly perform my duties as a citizen, it is mostly a matter of satisfying my curiosity.
So, just as I would not expect the average informed citizen of Europe to be familiar with the issues of the State of Washington, of King County, of the city of Kent, you should not fault an American for his ignorance of the internal politics of any country. Your interest in our national politics is justified in that what we do as the remaining superpower influences the whole world. The reverse is not true.
--Pete
Thank you Crusader and eppie for the information and the analysis.
I'll not deny that many Americans are ignorant, preferring to watch WWF and Survivor rather than reading the news. That said, consider this: to be an informed citizen, I need to keep up with city, county, state and federal government. That includes groups such as the water commission, the local transit authorities, and the school board. These are the things that effect me directly and which I have some control in turn. Next is the major issues in other states. Those do not effect me directly, but can influence how this state will behave in the future and how the federal government may react. My control over these items is weaker, but I can attempt to encourage or discourage similar measures in my state and to influence my federal representatives by letting them know my opinions.
Next in importance to me are our direct neighbors, Mexico and Canada, and our major trading partners, primarily China and Japan. Again, the effect on me is smaller as is my control on them. Then comes the rest of the world. I have virtually no control on them and they have almost no effect on me. Rather than being information which I need to responsibly perform my duties as a citizen, it is mostly a matter of satisfying my curiosity.
So, just as I would not expect the average informed citizen of Europe to be familiar with the issues of the State of Washington, of King County, of the city of Kent, you should not fault an American for his ignorance of the internal politics of any country. Your interest in our national politics is justified in that what we do as the remaining superpower influences the whole world. The reverse is not true.
--Pete
How big was the aquarium in Noah's ark?