A few days ago, Jeanne D’Arc cited some disturbing evidence that Americans are terribly, terribly ignorant and asked what’s going to happen between now and the election to disabuse folks of their misconceptions.
Well, here’s one attempt: Freeway Blogging.
That focuses on the war, but here’s another topic. Bob Herbert wrote an op-ed in the NYT on February 2nd that included this:
Most Americans are unaware of the extent of the suffering that has fallen on the bottom 20 percent or so of the population. Many low-income Americans are leading lives of grim and sometimes painful determination, struggling to survive from one day to the next. The contrast between the real lives of families sinking beneath the weight of economic distress and the headlines that continue to insist that the economy is doing famously is extraordinary.
He didn’t support it with poll numbers, but I hope that’s true – that it’s ignorance rather than apathy. I don’t know how we even begin to educate folks, and as much as I like the True Majority Oreo thing, I know it’s not the answer for people who don’t even have the basics.
Sigh.
I’m not having a good hopefulness day.