TeakDoor.com - The Thailand Forum - View Single Post - Why 1/5 of Americans can't find the US on a map

cujo · 29-08-2007, 11:39 AM

Shameless cut and paste from a blog, but food for thought.

Quote:

One of the most amazing things about travelling around Europe is the concept of "intelligence until proven stupid". Let me explain. In America, the media, many corporations, and our government cater to the people as if we are a bunch of morons. You can see this in many aspects of life, just watch the evening news or any of the many talk shows during the day to see. There are countless organizations, with our government being the largest, making laws, doing studies, and reporting results that all have an overlying tone telling us what's good for us. From the Surgeon General telling us what to eat and drink to the cheesy financial analysts on CNN telling us what to invest in, there are so many people telling the "masses" what's best for them. There are so many people to help you out, especially in the security realm since Sept 11th.

.
You can't walk three feet in the airport without running into an employee to direct you where to go, usually yelling at the top of her lungs. You can't turn on the TV or the radio without listening to some boob tell you what's good for you, what you should and should not do, what you should and should not say. We have become a society of ignoramuses because many of us just sit there and nod heads to this constant drabble of people telling us what to do. This has been exacerbated by the constant fear instilled by the media and our government of impending doom due to the next inevitable but completely unknown terrorist attack (probability: 100%). In America we are "stupid until proven intelligent" - evidence in our recent history of inverting the age-old concept of "innocent until proven guilty". In Europe this is just the opposite.
.

In Europe, it is assumed first that you know what life is about, how to get around on your own, how to think for yourself, what your ailments are and what to do to help yourself. If you know yourself well and are intelligent enough to do what you have to do, you can find anything you need without the aid of agencies, support groups, consultants, or approval from a middleman. Not to say that there aren't laws and governing bodies, in fact there are many, but they do not try to solve every tiny problem that should be handled by society and local communities - this is the main reason why cities and towns in Europe are all so different and hold an identity that stretches back thousands of years. It's refreshing to experience a part of the civilized world that doesn't always cater to the masses and certainly doesn't think for you if you can't figure something out. If you don't have the means or desire to communicate in some way to help yourself, then you will be left in the dust.