the age of foolishness
by Ryan Porter
Published: March 28, 2008
It is the best of times, it is the worst of times; it is the age of wisdom, it is the age of foolishness.
Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities seems to sum up the political mindset during this presidential election. Citizens are full of hope for what the future might bring but are seemingly unwilling to acknowledge that the future might look different than the past. There are those who go the extra mile to stay informed and those who base their decision on ignorance and false information.
The most glaring tale of foolishness in this election cycle was started on these internets I have been hearing so much about. “Barack Obama is a Muslim! Call the Pentagon. Increase terror alert to pale magenta with a hint of lavender!” This claim sounds outrageous now in light all of the reports that have discredited these rumors, but sadly there are still voters out there who buy into these fear mongering tactics. Yes, your vote counts as much as Crazy McCrazerson who just got hooked into this series of tubes and saw a picture of Obama WITHOUT A LAPEL PIN! Never mind the Pentagon, call Tim Gunn. You have got to make your lapel pin work for you, Barack!
So is America doomed if the uninformed voters start to outnumber the informed voters? If unsubstantiated, ridiculous claims are already having an impact on this election, then what’s next? Before you know it we could be holding prezidantial primarrys in all 52 states and replacing debates with belching contests just to elect Jingle All the Way into office. Then again, who wouldn’t love a Schwarzenegger/Sinbad ticket?
Maybe America got it right the first time. Maybe only the well-educated citizens should be allowed to vote. Not just white property owners like before necessarily, but at least people who are responsible enough to practice a little fact-checking. People who do not take the alarmist words of Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity as divine intervention. People who don’t automatically think that the dark-skinned fella with the funny name must be up to no good.
America needs thinkers, not reactors.
So the next time you hear someone spewing lies that Barack Obama was sworn into the Senate on the Qur’an, go ahead and slap them. If they insist he is a Muslim go ahead and shun them seventy times seven. Most importantly, if it is a couple, go ahead and take the necessary measures to ensure that they have no opportunity to procreate. It is the only way we can save our country. And it’s what our founding fathers would have wanted.
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