"Dumbing Down" America

One thing I have noticed in my life is that most people really can’t be bothered to think for themselves. In fact I find that most people don’t want to be bothered to think at all.


Perhaps I am being too hard on the majority of Americans; maybe they have been conditioned by the government and the major religions not to think for themselves. Perhaps they have not been taught how to think for themselves.


Why is it that so many people are not only willing to let others think for them, but want someone else to think for them? The herd mentality has always been very popular among the masses, whether it manifests as fads, religious dogma, popular TV shows, or blind acceptance of the words of people in a position of authority, but never as much as it is today. “The Bible tells me so”, “He’s my President, right or wrong”, are the mantra of today’s sheep.


Television and radio are filled with folks who are more than happy to tell the masses what, and how they should think. This does not bother me as much as the fact that there are way too many people out there who eat up this “knowledge” as if it were a box of chocolates, without consideration that they are getting fat…in the head.


The “dumbing down” of America has been going on for some time now. America’s schools were once the finest in the world, but are now nothing more than rote memorization factories, that teach nothing about logic, and reasoning. Most television today is entertainment, or contrived reality shows that encourage the viewer to turn his brain off. Even the commercials are geared for people with an I.Q. of 90.


I believe this “dumbing down” is an action of the global power elite who are out for world domination. They have been intentionally creating a generation of sheep craving for leadership, leadership that they will provide. The only problem is… we all know what happens to a herd of sheep in the end.

Don't Think Twice, It's Alright

There's an old saying, "If you don't use it, you lose it". If that's true, the average American brain must be in a state of atrophy.

 Most of us are seldom called upon to use our cerebral cortex anymore. Network TV shows, commercials, our schools, our jobs, etc. have all been "dumbed down" to the point where mental acuity is no longer necessary. 

No one even performs simple math anymore without the use of a calculator. Think about it, when was the last time you performed multiplication, or division on a piece of paper without a calculator?

I admit, I am as guilty as the next person; I like modern conveniences. My posts would not be the same if I did not have a spell checker to fall back on. The point I'm trying to make is that, we are now conditioned not to think, because we aren't often called upon to do so. The problem with this conditioning, is that society is quickly becoming a herd mentality. Reasoning, and creativity, are becoming things of the past. That's a big problem if mankind is to grow and prosper.

Part of this problem, is everyone's need to be entertained all the time. Whether its an i-pod, TV, computer, or cell phone, everyone is preoccupied with something. Seldom do people read in order to learn something. Novels are very popular, but, nonfiction, history, and science books seldom make the NY Times best seller lists.

I am all for entertainment; we all need to relax and get away once in a while. However, just like you need to exercise your body to keep it in proper working order; you also should have a mental exercise regimen. I like to do the NY Times crossword to keep sharp. I also will mix in informational reading, along with my favorite fiction writers.

Our children need to be taught to balance video games, and TV, with school work, and informational reading. Getting them in the habit of reading the newspaper everyday is a good start. 

Teach them, "if you don't use it, you lose it".