"Deliberately dumbing down the message works well with the Republican base because, compared to average Americans, the GOP rank-and-file tend to be poorly educated and dogmatically Christian, living in a culture that is hierarchical and rules based."
US history informs us that there has always been a strong anti-intellectual component in American culture. And it's common for radical conservative movements to get their strongest support from the white, rural, Christian south. What's unusual about the GOP "dumbing of America" campaign is that it has become a national strategy, There are two serious problems with the Republican game plan of celebrating stupidity. It is anti-American because it defiles our treasured myth of the triumphant individual. "Dumb is beautiful" runs counter to the American ethos of self-sufficiency, of taking pride in a culture of individuals that stand on their own two feet, and think for themselves. Ultimately, it replaces the individual with the mob. The other problem with the Republican strategy is that it is counter productive. To survive in an increasingly difficult world, the US must tap the intelligence of all of our citizens. This is the time for Americans to question authority not pay obeisance to it. |
