A nation this stupid
When people start believing things to be true based on ideology or mythology, they are substituting “I feel” for “I think”. The danger in this is twofold. First, by ignoring the reality of the world in which we live, you put yourself at odds with the rest of the planet, who doesn’t hold your pet beliefs to be true, and operates according to logic, critical thinking, and experience.
Secondly, having once succumbed to the false allure of faith – the belief in things unseen, IE, things that cannot be proved- you are more accepting of other lies, such as:
Iraq was involved in 9-11.
Iraq and bin Laden worked together.
Iran is major threat that requires the use of nuclear arms to control.
Members of the Bush administration had no foreknowledge of, or hand in, 9-11.</em>
So when you read that the majority of Americans- particularly those who call themselves Republicans- don’t believe in evolution, suddenly the events of the last six years- from 9-11 to optional wars against people who posed no threat, the utter contempt for America and its ideals that our current king exhibits everyday- these things, while still not making sense, at least are understandable. If you walk around “believing” that the earth is at best 10,000 years old, when this is so easily disproved, then you can be convinced of anything.
When three candidates at the GOP debate claimed to not believe in evolution, a civilized society should have laughed them off the stage, for one of two reasons. The first is obvious. Anyone running for higher office who allows their fondness for mythology to so cloud their judgment that they refute science, then these people are too easily swayed, and frankly, dimwitted to be allowed in a position of power over our lives. That, or they are lying, and just tossing a symbolic, yet utterly pointless bone to the base. Either option is frightening.
When our options in candidates range from stupid to just pandering, then our country is in dark days indeed. Yes, we’ve had demagogues before, and survived them. But when our head of state pals around with lunatics such as this, then frankly, the rest of us should be getting more than a bit nervous.
I, for one, don’t want to die by stupid.
