For a country that urges young people to get educated in order to get ahead, we’re quickly becoming a nation of idiots. Perhaps the Mike Judge film “Idiocracy” accurately predicted a future America in which everyone is a dunce, where any idiot who time travels to the future is automatically the smartest man in the country. Whatever the cause, our collective idiocy could undo all that our country has accomplished, and that should terrify everyone out of their pants. Sure, we can pride ourselves on American exceptionalism or believe that a 230-year-old constitution will save the day, but something is amiss in the U.S., and we need an urgent course correction.
Groundhog Day was last week; a day in which millions of Americans believe a weather forecast from a large rodent. Yet, even when 97 percent of climate scientists claim that Earth is getting dangerously warm, we question their logic. Adding to the insanity is the recent measles outbreak, highlighting the growing anti-vaccination crowd in the U.S. Despite almost every doctor believing the measles vaccine is overwhelmingly safe and effective, far too many believe in junk science that calls into question a vaccine that wiped out measles in our country. As a result of their skepticism, measles is back with a vengeance.
As a nation, we regularly elect so-called leaders to governing bodies who have no intention of working together to solve any problems facing our country. As a result, our infrastructure goes woefully underfunded — recently highlighted by an overpass collapsing in Ohio — and a lack of action leads more Americans to trust institutions less, therefore exacerbating the problem.
The lack of trust and respect for governing institutions was most evident during last year’s midterm election. Michael McDonald, a political scientist at UF, analyzed voter turnout during the 2014 midterm election and determined the country had the lowest voter turnout in 70 years.
What does this mean? We’re either too busy to care or we’re fed up with the institutions elected to represent us. Either way, when you combine apathy and idiocy, you have a dangerous combination that could threaten another century of American exceptionalism.
To believe that American ingenuity or exceptionalism will keep us at the top is naive and dangerous.
Some of the top Republican presidential contenders — including Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — announced last week that they are less than enthusiastic supporters of vaccines. Paul claims vaccines can cause severe mental trauma in children — a claim that’s been debunked by numerous doctors and scientists — and Christie fully believes a parent has the right to choose whether their child can put others at risk by not vaccinating.
Naturally, these pronouncements came shortly after President Barack Obama urged parents to vaccinate their children. Yes, even vaccines — something parents in other parts of the world dream of having for their children — are politicized among the idiocracy of the U.S.
Adding to the collection of stupidity running the country, recently elected Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC, told a group that restaurants should have the right to opt out of hand-washing rules for their employees. Never mind nearly 60 percent of foodborne illness comes from the Norovirus and an estimated 12 percent of restaurant workers admitted to being sick to their stomachs while at work.
We can no longer afford to tolerate blatant stupidity in the U.S. with the assumption that America’s awesomeness will guide us to the top. If vaccination rates continue to dip and previously eradicated diseases return to our shores, you’ll know whom to thank. Thank the idiots and those unwilling to care — who somehow have the keys to the insane asylum — while the rest of us attempt to navigate the murky waters of the U.S. in the 21st century.
Joel Mendelson, is a UF graduate student in political campaigning. His column appears on Fridays.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 2/13/2015 under the headline “Idiots threaten the United States’ safety and future"]
