The Spread Of Ignorance

One way democracy is threatened by illiteracy is people forging a signature to vote because one is not aware of their rights. Not having the knowledge of what was signed could lead to choosing the wrong president to benefit the government. As quoted, “The number of illiterate adult exceeds 16 million the entire vote cast..more frequently, the vote for a face, a smile, or style, not for mind or character or body of beliefs”(Kozol 115). It is unbelieveable almost half of the world is not able to distinguish that

Kozol argues that, “The number of illiterate adults exceeds by 16 million the entire vote cast for the winner in the 1980 presidential contest. Even if one third of all illiterates could vote in their self-interest, Ronald Reagan would not likely have been chosen president”(Kozol 149). When illiterate people choose a political figure to represent their views they do not know they are affecting themselves, as well as everyone else in the united states. Their vote impacts the United States because it determines who will make the important decisions, and create new policies. To be represented in what goes on in the surrounding community is a crucial aspect in democracy for illiterate people.

Political philosopher and social theorist Thomas Sowell has once said, “It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” It is inevitable to meet an ignorant person around each corner that one turns. It is up to the victim to either let the ignorant person corrupt him or to let the victim become smarter. One of America’s greatest activists, Martin Luther King, believed that “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” With this in mind, “The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all” (Kennedy).

Living in a wetico infested culture and being brought up in our day in age is sickening because we teach our young from a young age that you must have money and power and be rich in the future in order to be successful in life, which is not true. In my opinion in order to be successful you must do what you love one life and be happy and live life to the fullest. Our own wars and personal suffering comes from our own wants instead of our needs and this is grown and festered within us from the time were born for wanting more and more and more and beeing greedy once people understand and know this it will be a relief and a blessing for them for they will live a better life. The next problem that people must know about is that in our human nature competition is not natural and in reality we are programmed to love one and other. Since our birth we are told that we must be the best the alpha the leader of the pack but all this is a lie because it will not give you true bliss and happiness. The mirror neurone in other animals is now found within us as when we are around people who are happy and loving it will make us happy and loving as well that is true human nature, that also goes for the opposite when you are around angry people you become stupid and blind. In the end people need to truly see and learn about these things so we can make the world clear and better and help them live better

“That citizen sinks further into apathy, anonymity, and depersonalization. The result is that he comes to depend on public authority and a state of civic-sclerosis sets in” (Alinsky, 1971). This statement perfectly describes what is happening to the people today. People are no longer concerned with what is happening around them. The world today is living in an individualization phase where there are more people who know more stuff about the celebrities, latest fashion and gadgets, rich lifestyle, etc. rather than the continuous welfare problems. Because the world has reached the technology era, people are blind and deaf to the oppression that is happening. In this world full of complex networks of problems, where should the people start?

The overwhelming lack of trust in the government and uninformed voters is covered in Ch1 of WTP. Harold Lasswell said, "Politics is the struggle over who gets what and how". A direct effect is an uneducated voter and even worse a higher number of people that just will not vote to show that they do not approve nor care. The results of this misguided thinking are often more and more people left behind when the pie is sliced… who gets what and how. The trust in the Government continues to decline because people feel helpless to what laws are passed and who is elected. This brings self-justification to the ideas of' "we are losing out rights and becoming blind sheep." Yet, in this information age, the lack of responsibility of research and footwork for information will cost "them/us" to continue to be absent when it's time to be heard. At the speed of the free internet, we have access to just about anything, yet it is difficult to find reliable and natural information for politics and the news without a little effort, yet many can find their favorite song before it comes out. Personally, I feel this strain as well, but I understand that "I" can make a small difference but "US or WE" can make change by investing a little

- the Petrodollar, current state of the Cold War, BRICS, importance of sustained presence in the Middle East, etc.); I’m finding it hard to my trust the competence of my generation and their ability to make informed decisions in the future. Never discussed, as an issue in our society are Critical thinking skills, encouraging teens, and young adults to formulate individual opinions and judgments. Develop your own stances on a topic- do your own research- have your own opinions! Democratic and Republican parties are NOT sports teams! Stop voting that way. Both systems are flawed, that is why checks and balances are in

Throughout life, we have experienced moments of helplessness that have left us feeling anguished and defeated. It’s only in these moments that we realize how crucial communication is. We are most vulnerable when we are not understood or when we are unable to comprehend a given issue or situation. Of course, for some, the feeling is short-term, but for illiterates it is a chronic sensation. The tragic inability to read or write has become a crisis in our nation as millions of illiterate Americans fall victim to their own insecurities and ignorance. Jonathan Kozol addresses these concerns in “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society”, where he warns us about the dangers of illiteracy when it coexists with democracy. The notion of an illiterate society is one that affects our nation as a whole. With the alarming rate of illiterates across the nation, the incapability to read or write may compromise our democracy. Because an illiterate society lacks the knowledge or education required, they are highly dependent on others, susceptible to danger, and risk creating ill-informed decisions that could be detrimental to democracy.

Education is the bedrock of any great nation, as a result we cannot ignore it when there is

Many of us believe that public education has been with us for quite some time. This stands to reason as we know that our parents, our grandparents, even our great grandparents, have participated in public education of some type, but it is at this point where things begin to get fuzzy. The truth is that public education as we know it today, free public education, available to anyone, regardless of class, social standing, race or religion, is an American phenomenon and has only been in existence, in the form that we now understand it, since the early 20th century,(Plant, Decline 213). Truth be told, at the onset, government sanctioned education was most often met with resistance, even violence,

What people of my generation do and learn now will affect the world in the future. This is evidence that I have a great responsibility to not just America, but to all of humanity. We must obey God in all that we do, educate ourselves, and develop an attachment to our nation to achieve the necessary components of America’s survival. We must also learn that one day we will be the inheritors of the country we live in. If we fail to do what we must to prosper our country, we will forever ruin the United States- the Land of the Free and the Home of the

After reading the article, “The dumbing down of voters,” by Rick Shenkman, I was first shocked by his claim that public has an immense lack of knowledge concerning politics. But the more I thought about the claim the more I realised the truth about the statement. Many people in the United States are oblivious to what the government is doing and who is a part of the government. The lack of knowledge from the public is also unsettling because if the public doesn’t know basic knowledge like what are the three branches of government, then the country could take a turn for the worst. Voters are also giving out their votes to presidential candidates that local newspapers focus on because they either are too lazy or ignorant to think for themselves

Everyday the world we live in changes. Some of these changes are small while others our impacting our health and futures. “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it’s not.” –Dr. Seuss. I can’t think of a better way to say it, especially when talking about the environment. The problem with the environment is not that people don’t care enough to change it; it’s that people aren’t educated enough to know that they need to care to change it. We cannot know what we don’t know; if we don’t know about something we can’t be expected to care to change it.

I always come back to the idea that there is a lack of public education and I think one solution would be to come together to insure that there is a common understanding and knowledge of what is really happening. We tend to have very one sided mindsets surrounding the big issues which cause people to spend more time arguing opinions then addressing issues that affect everyone. All the division and lack of unity creates a very apparent lack of productivity. It doesn’t make any sense to me why put more energy into arguing issues and blaming than using the passion and issue to find solutions. Throughout history beautiful breakthrough have been made when groups of people stand up together around an issue and show a support and unity not only towards their issue but also toward the people standing with

The flaws of human nature are many, but one of the biggest is the gullibility, especially in the presence of the supernatural. It is often easy to think that the thoughts or actions of an individual are of their own doing. It is even easier to assume that the range of the mind falls between good and evil. But society is not quite clear and even in fiction, there is always something motivating an action that lingers in the back of the mind of any character. The supernatural in particular is known for its ability to push people to extremes and alter their perception drastically. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, it is easy to assume the blind ambition that brews within Macbeth and his wife or the guilt that plagues them following their actions is the biggest motivator. But that is just the surface of the complexity interlaced into this tragedy. Dig further, and it becomes clear that these emotions were not always prevalent in the characters, but were instead prompted by a force so powerful, it toyed with fate and provoked deception until the end; it was the supernatural that fueled the emotions and actions that take up much of the play.