Are Americans too dumb for democracy?

but really is any democratic country's citizens smart enough? Remember France almost elected in far right winger some years back.

But anyway from reading the article, it seems more a case of apathy brought on by frustration and negativity that voting is futile rather than stupidity.

Democracy is a participation sport and it seems most Americans don't want to participate by becoming active in putting pressure on the people we elect to upohld the laws of the constitution. But America also needs leaders who have respect for its citizens. Our current Bush and Co. leaders have no respect for America or its citizens and since be disrespected so badly by them the people have just given up or don't feel they can make a difference or just don't care. If people don't complain or demonstrate the leaders will do as they please. American's need to be more active in government and realize that if enough people make noise or demonstrate they can have an affect and make change happen. But if you demand no respect you won't get any from these leaders. If you have respect for yourself and demand respect you will get it.

I hate the word dumb. It turned me off to an article that was worth reading. I do not believe that our children and teens are taught many critical thinking skills in school. Being lectured at and burdened with homework does not exactly awake a mind to think critically.

Now teachers, I am not criticizing you! If i were running the world your salary and benefits along with firefighters and such would be in the top percentile while big oil and other corporations would have the salaries of teachers.

The author has forgotten that our country is a Republic, not a Democracy. Who's dumb now?

On the topic though, Americans have been made this way through a corporate takeover of our society. We are encouraged to be irrational and apathetic at every turn by media and governments alike.

Are Americans too dumb for representative government? No, they're just hopelessly distracted and discouraged. They just need someone to piss them off and invigorate their spirits.

Obama seems to be doing a pretty decent job of that right now.

Churchill was no fool...
"The best argument against democracy is a 5 minute conversativon with the average voter"

Good thing we have a constitutional republic, rather than a democracy. Maybe the Average journalist is "too dumb" to know that?

I also hate the word dumb. Let's try ignorant.

Political apathy and a general lack of awareness are most certainly not specifically American problems. I know plenty of Europeans who don't care about politics and never vote, so this is more of a universal issue.

Even if someone living in this US democracy is active and informed, the two-party (really one) system funnels all votes to one of the candidates veiwed to be the lesser of two evils. If one researches and finds that the BEST candidate to vote for is not a so-called "top-tier" candidate, then a vote for that "best" candidate is wasted and often a vote, by default, for the candidate who is the greater evil. How can any of us overcome that!?!?

The Government has for decades been making US democracy less affordable for the average american while making themselves the wealthiest in the land. America, the only country in the world where the public servants think themselves rulers. Are Americans to dumb? some are... some just don't give a damn, and others are to busy trying to makes ends meet to notice whats going on.

Could the dumbing down possibly be a result of our own government and neo-fascism? We are supposed to be a Democratic Republic, but we've found ourselves in a defunct two party Republicratic system. By the way, who is educating us?

"Education is a weapon, whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed."
~ Joseph Stalin

"Our whole constitutional heritage rebels at the thought of giving government the power to control men's minds."
~ Thurgood Marshall

"A general State education is a mere contrivance for moulding people to be exactly like one another: and as the mould in which it casts them is that which pleases the predominant power in the government..."
~ John Stuart Mill

"Wherever is found what is called a paternal government, there is found state education. It has been discovered that the best way to insure implicit obedience is to commence tyranny in the nursery."
~ Benjamin Disraeli

"The aim of public education is not to spread enlightenment at all, it is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed and train a standardized citizenry, to put down dissent and originality. That is its aim in the United States, whatever the pretensions of politicians, pedagogues and other such mountebanks, and that is its aim everywhere else."
~ H.L. Mencken

"The education of all children, from the moment that they can get along without a mother's care, shall be in state institutions."
~ Karl Marx

Look at our school systems. They were designed to make us to uneducated to participate in their own govt.

I don’t think its that Americans are too dumb, more so that we are too lazy. And fortunately being lazy is something we are really good at.

We need the news ladies to strip to keep us interested, that way you could have a beer watch a sexy lady strip and learn about the candidates standings on off shore drilling

Most of you won't really like Swing Vote (the new Kevin Costner film) and I didn't really love it, but the message it conveyed was far more appealing than how it was presented and so I didn't feel I wasted my time, plus it had humor moments, much more so than The Mummy III.

Molly gives a speech at her class about voting and the government and what she says about how a country evolves is interesting. I'm sure the writers got it from somewhere and if not it's profoundly fascinating. I wish I could find where it's quoted but I looked and can't....

so I'll try to paraphrase and most likely fail...I so wish I could find it....

What she said was that first a country is excited to be so new and the people are fired up. Then they grow complacent and are comfortable with how things are and don't feel the need to be so involved. Then they become apathetic and they just don't care and then the country fails. She goes on to say that we can break the cycle....

If there is any truth to that statement (the real one not my paraphrasing) then America is on a precipice of failure via the people not the government.

I believe the rest of the world has been saying Americans are dumb for a long time... hell elected Bush twice... and I use the term elected loosely.

All jokes aside, I do not think Americans are too dumb for democracy, however I do question whether the actually care who governs their country. The only reason I care is because what happens in the states has a tendency to, though not always, affect those of us elsewhere.

Well whether your smart are not, you either agree with one presidential canidate or the other and vote. The only way to be stupid would be not to vote.

This really does prove a lot. All the political correctness aside, we are a very dumb country. this include the person who wrote this artical as the USA is NOT a DEMOCRACY!

WE ARE A REPUBLIC!!

Maybe this is the problem though, as we now have the technology available to have a democracy; where everyone can vote on everything. Is the majority right or are our elected officials right? Probably neither, GOD SAVE THE QUEEN.

Are Americans too dumb for democracy?

IN A FEW WORDS

YES

p.s.
is there any way I can avoid having to see J_Jammer?

Some sort of block / ignore feature?

Most Americans don't even participate in democracy, but unfortunately a lot of stupid ones do. But hey I would rather have it the way it is now then when we first started with only rich white men being able to vote.

I think it's far better to be passionate, even if people don't agree, in one direction than apathetic in all---at least one cares for something.

It's when someone doesn't care that there is more of a problem.

Apathy is a cancer that rots away at society. People need something to believe in, to hope in, to care for...and that's why Obama resonates with so many people. He brings about all that even if it's just hot air, he's actually motivating people to care.

Yes. americans are too stupid for democracy. Thats why they havn't killed George Bush yet. In old france and even ancient aztec cultures, leaders would have already been murdered for less offenses.