Reply #33: You are clearly intelligent and that can be dangerous. [View All]

The danger is in the temptation to believe you are far brighter than almost everyone else and certainly smarter than the masses. In actuality, you probably are. That is not flattery but an observation based on your writing.

The evidence of your submission to temptation is in your last post: "... unknowing populace listens to with untter unawareness ..."(sic) Yes, the trouble with mass media ratings is the same basic flaw in democracy: everybody gets the same one vote. That means that much of the news on television and in print is aimed at the same people who make American Idol a smash hit.

The temptation has long plagued journalists too. We call it the "blame the readers" syndrome. I feel it every time I watch 'Jay Walking' on Leno and understand that those people help determine my ratings.
And then I remember that those people are the ones who most need to be reached so that they become informed and interested.

So logic tells me it is in the interest of the Republic to involve as many people as possible in the public debate. There is no value in 'blaming the audience' anymore than there is in blaming 'stupid voters'. In the end, you must accept that there is 'wisdom in the masses' because there is no alternative. It is not the fault of stupid voters, it is your fault for failing to enlighten them. Yours and mine.

Keep trying.