For the 40 years I ran a sign shop and proudly displayed a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson on the office wall: “Every man in some way is my superior, in that I learned from him” as I have always believed that everyone is ignorant to the educated opinions of what others have learned to be successful in their professions.
It was a constant reminder that while I can hold a conversation with a doctor, engineer, carpenter, or mason, I recognize that I cannot debate them on their areas of expertise, and I do respect that.
Though I have little college education, over time I’ve come to realize many people who do, lack the basic fundamental understanding about America being a Constitutional Republic and not a Democracy, and the importance th Judeao-Christian faith played in the days leading to the signing of the declaration of Independence and throught the revolutions and the creating the laws for this new counrty..
They are ignorant about fundamental but inportant facts about who gave us liberty and our inalienable rights, the truth about the separation of church and state, the exceptional government system, the one-of-a-kind Constitution that protects them, and the Judeo-Christian faith that inspired those who fought for independence to establish this nation.
Lately, in conversations, I’ve attempted to share facts about outside influencers who are working to divide America between those who are clearly uninformed and the few who are fighting to preserve it.
Rather than engaging thoughtfully, they become agitated, reject and respond with disinformation, unreliable sources, crude memes, and tasteless humor. Rarely or never do they attempt to provide credible evidence to support their claims.
I strive to be tolerant, but there comes a point where it’s clear that some people prefer to remain in ignorance. I’ve also noticed that people so divided and party-loyal, defend their candidates without fully understanding how their policies even when warned they will harm their children and grandchildren’s futures. For fear of learning that they have been lied to, they avoid addressing the facts, change the subject, and refuse to engage in meaningful dialogue.
At this stage, what started as a lack of knowledge transforms into willful ignorance—or even stupidity. By avoiding the truth, they unknowingly surrender their right to free speech, which is like cutting off their nose to spite their face.
You cannot fix stupid” as they say, but you can fix ignorant people.
America’s education system is the worst in the world, says Michio Kaku, an American theoretical physicist, futurist, and popularizer of science, and this could explain why Americans don’t know how to answer basic questions about their own country.