America needs a crash civics course.

[kentuck]

They need to understand that they can lose their democracy and it will not be pretty. They will not be more "free". America will not be better with the autocrats and fascists in charge.

The lack of education has always been an Achilles heel for our country. They will not understand what they had until it is gone.

Many voters need a "Democracy for Dummies" primer. They need to know the three branches of government and the balance of power created in each of them. They need to understand the Bill of Rights in our Constitution and what each of them means, including the 2nd Amendment.

Assuming they were never taught about the threat of fascism and authoritarianism before WWII, perhaps that should be on the curriculum also?

They need to understand the value of their vote. Elections are not a sporting contest between two opposing teams - they are a time to choose which direction our country will go.

Ignorance will kill us all.

[UCmeNdc]

1. Agree 100%

[Throck]

2. Americans are egotistical and selfish.

I have friends from the greatest generation and they fear America has failed them and their sacrifices. They see an evolution of selfishness and greed.

[gab13by13]

3. I often wondered Kentuck

if they could some how measure a nation's IQ. I am betting that the US would not be near the top. Just the fact that ordinary people in other countries speak more than one language is a tell.

The 2nd Amendment interpretation is a joke. Militias were not formed as a check on the central government but as a tool of the central government, like when a militia put down the Whiskey Rebellion in my home state of Pa.

Logic and critical thinking mean nothing in America.

[kentuck]

4. Lacking in logic and critical thinking..

..for sure.

Recent events have enlightened us to just how uninformed and uneducated we are as a nation.

[gab13by13]

5. The thing is,

these Trump supporters are going to suffer, to lose freedom, under a dictatorship. These Trump supporters who look upon Trump as a modern day savior are in for a rude awakening. They can't see that the first thing that Trump did was to give 2 trillion dollars to the rich, permanently, he then gave some crumbs to his unwashed which expire shortly.

The MSM is complicit in all of this, not just an enabler, but complicit.

These Trump supporters can't see that Iran, Russia, and China are watching with glee as our democracy is taken down. I may have to move in with my daughter, she lives atop a hill in a huge house where I can fire an automatic weapon from the 3rd story. Not so good against helicopters though.

[Hortensis]

7. Yes, but also more complex. Many tRump supporters WANT

a strong, authoritarian leader running the nation and making big decisions for them. Their "kind," of course. They're not happy with the burdens and freedoms of their citizenship and never have been.

As for what we do with them, their guts are telling them "Katie, bar the door!"

Our hopes lie in those conservatives you're talking about, the one who would be at least dismayed to realize what's happening, breaking with them.

[gab13by13]

17. Yes but,

if Trump runs in 2024 and is installed as king, it will only be a matter of time before he rules like Pinocet, the man is mentally insane.
Yes, when Pinocet did the coup he imprisoned and murdered people on the left but with Milton Friedman's economics everyone suffered in Pinocet's Chile.

[kentuck]

19. I fear it would be a brutal dictatorship.

He has no empathy or compassion for people.

[Hortensis]

40. And is famously vindictive. I have real

doubts how long he’d last before he was ousted by his ruling cabal for someone who served them better, but any time would be hurtful. And a successor possibly even worse for us. Both the far right Christian dominionists and the wannabe kleptocracy intend to control.

[RVN VET71]

22. You are frighteningly correct.

The 40% hard core fascist followers of Loser-45 don’t want civics lessons. They want a dictator, a man (of course) who will seize all power, use the State to destroy his real and imagined enemies, and make America safe for Big Money, Big Trucks, Big Whitey, and Big Lies. What they don’t understand is that the Fat Man’s enemies list will grow as his power grows.

Stalin’s is the history the 40% should read: the show trials, the mass imprisonments, the disappearance in the torture chambers of the Lubyanka. But they all think they’re protected from the paranoia of the Leader. Like the 10s of thousands of Party Apparatchiks who were assassinated by Stalin, or died in the gulags to which he sent them, they don’t understand how completely unimprtant and insignificant their lives and loyalty are to the Fat Man.

[Hortensis]

48. Extremely fortunately, we only need a very few % more voters,

nonvoters becoming active, including younger cohorts, some former tRump voters not voting and a few voting Democratic, to smother this for another era. As our grandparents did.

I'm very curious about what form(s) an authoritarian state might take. We have very different realities from Russia, whose people knew nothing but severe authoritarian oppression and poverty. Americans think poor means having to buy a cake at Walmart instead of a bakery.

They'd keep most people thinking it wasn't too bad and heading off to work each day they still had work, and of course tRumpists would be cheering, for a while. But they'd have surveillance state capabilities unimaginable before, and crossing them, even looking cross-eyed at a cop, would be dangerous. Someone said 99% of those in authoritarian states collaborate as a normal way of life, just as the bloviating, "Live free or die!" anti-vaxxers are now getting vaxxed.

I wonder how they'd handle the problems of unneeded labor due to technology, unwanted workers due to...whatever, and not enough labor, these people incompetent by nature to run a nation. A couple years ago, when they rissued too few green cards for seasonal workers to come stand all day shucking crabs with raw hands, who did they imagine would take those jobs? 11M deported workers would leave a big vaccum.

[RVN VET71]

49. There would be lots of unexpected surprises fot the Trump loyalists.

And they’d be painful ones. But just as Orwell’s Oceania used the image of the greedy capitalist as a target to blame for all its social ills, so a Trumpist fascist State would always have Antifa and, of course, BLM. When things go bad for Joe Lunchbox, it’s because of subversive communist organizations like those 2 — and if you can help us expose all of the traitors, we will crush them and your lives will once again be splendid in the MAGA world. Of course, the subversive organizations will never be expunged — and new ones will be invented to add to the “menace.” And the proles will just accept it all as they watch their neighbors spirited away in the middle of the night, never to be seen again.

I don’t think we’re near the edge of the cliff yet, but the Fascist-Republican Party is, without question, using all of its strength to push us closer.

[Hortensis]

50. There certainly would be, and they could also make bad enemies.

Regarding 1984's "proles," I don't think the expert I was reading meant collaborating to get along is strongest among lower-class workers, but among all. I'd guess if anything that the more people in an authoritarian societies have to lose the more they have to protect, for everyone's sake, including jobs others would be glad to have.

I was listening to discussion relating much more mildly to this a while ago. When a nice GA conservative with a couple of businesses shrugged as if it'd be undesirable but nothing to really worry about, I suggested maybe it wouldn't hurt to get in with the strongest power center in his town -- just in case he needed another permit someday. He'd just had some "trauma" over having to get a variance first, but it had nothing to do with a new cabal running the county putting him run out of business to favor a competitor who was.

[Butterflylady]

24. Critical thinking is the key.

They were never taught and I really don't think their brains have evolved enough to even be taunt the concept.

[Hortensis]

6. +1000.

[2naSalit]

8. K&R

[underpants]

9. Let's start with Sen. Tuberville

That boy ain’t right

[uponit7771]

10. +1, Only 64% of democrats believe Voter Suppression is a problem (link)

[OldBaldy1701E]

11. Well

To be honest, America needs a real education system. Not an indoctrination system disguised as an education system.

[kentuck]

13. Democracy is the worst system in the world...

...except for all the others. Paraphrasing some famous person, perhaps Churchill?

[OldBaldy1701E]

26. Yes, I believe you are correct. (n/t)

[nature-lover]

12. Bring back "School House Rock" and play it in primetime.

How a bill becomes law: "It's Just a Bill"
[link:

|


Branches of Government
[link:http://

|

[kentuck]

15. Excellent!

[niyad]

16. I would add, run Eddie Murphy's "The Distinguished Gentleman" for a month before

every election as well.

[OldBaldy1701E]

27. Although some of the 'facts' are dated

I agree wholeheartedly. They are still a great educational tool that will help get the information to the brain through songs and humor. I own them all and I used to show them during the 'afterschool childcare' where I used to work. They usually all loved them. This includes the older kids (6th, 7th, and 8th level) who liked the modern music and would sing them as they walked down the halls. Awesome stuff!

(Also, 'Figure Eight' has to be one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard.)

[niyad]

14. Absolutely agree. I would add that the media has been at least partially

responsible for the sporting event mentality. Government is covered as if it were a sporting event. Certainly the campaigns are. I want to scream every time I hear candidates referred to as "contenders".

Our education system has failed us, deliberately. Knin te dark ages, when I wasin school, we were taught civics. We were taught how government is supposed to work, and our civic responsibilities. But, one cannot control a populce capable of critical thought, and so here we are.

[ashredux]

18. You last line tells it all ...

[JT45242]

20. Direct result of (R) pushed parts of No Child Left Behind

Knowing that only what gets tested will get taught. Th e(R) leadership pushed for testing only English and math for no child left behind. On push back from governors and legislators who worried about a lack of qualified STEM workers, they added science to be tested once in each grade band. No testing at all for social studies, history, government, econ, etc.


The direct result has been a nearly complete remocal of social studies and civics from elementary and middle school curricula. So, when HS students take a required US history course, they are learning the factoids that they should have learned in elementary school rather than diving deeply into cause/effect analysis of why the revolution? Why was the constitution needed? Why the civil war? Why did reconstruction fail? etc....

An educated populace that votes would not vote for (R) candidates against their own economic and political interests.

It has worked perfectly in the poorest parts of the country (deep south, Wyoming, ND< SD, WV) to get poor people for politicians who only look after the rich.

[BumRushDaShow]

21. This goes for the media too

The types of headlines and news content, including from some big M$M sources, shows a breathtaking lack of knowledge of Civics 101. I expect... to paraphrase MLK... some of it is pure conscientious stupidity (or purposeful disinformation to garner clicks), although some might be sincere ignorance - or better - sheer laziness to actually look up the processes.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

25. +1. Media are serving shareholders, not serving the country or democracy. . . . nt

[Delphinus]

45. Sadly true ...

and

[Bernardo de La Paz]

23. K & R

[Mr. Steve]

28. Well Stated

Ignorance is no reason for stupidity.

[Evolve Dammit]

29. "America will not be better with the autocrats and fascists in charge." While I'n not at all

disagreeing, it is perceived by at least 70 million white folks that it will be much better for them. That's a huge problem. They don't give a shit about any kind of actual knowledge.

[AllaN01Bear]

30. i found a video that was for civics classes called why we need a federal govt

on youtube . discovered it by accident.now cant find it.

[NewHendoLib]

31. ignorance IS killing us

[Joinfortmill]

32. Totally agree.

[calimary]

34. Understatement of the decade(s). "Ignorance will kill us all."

[BobTheSubgenius]

35. A small case in point.

I was in WNY, visiting my wife's family and friends - all my new inlaws, etc. A seemingly fine group of people except for one loudmouth idiot who wasn't THAT bad, but who made people roll their eyes at times.

One of their number was a super-organized type, and somehow managed to get some sponsorship for a backyard cookout with entertainment. Branded prizes and a couple of boxes of coolers from Smirnoff, for example.

As it was July 4th, the theme of a general free-for-all kind of trivia game was Americana. I got the first 3 questions and won a couple of small things - a paperback is all I remember, then was kind of embarrassed into silence. Unintentionally, I'm sure.

The hostess/MC said "Have you noticed that the person answering all these questions is a Canadian?" I don't claim to be uber-smart, or that Canadians are smarter than Americans, because that would be absurd. But in a crowd of about 20 adults ranging from late 20's to 50's or 60's, you'd think ONE of them would know the 3 branches of government.

When I was in grade school, we tackled the history, economy and so on of more or less one area the world per school year. Naturally, it was quite Euro- and America-centric, but we did "do" other continents. I could rattle off all the states and capitals, principal industries by region and ALL KINDS of American history.

In short, I caught what I believe was the zenith of general education of North America. Kids today may be unbelievably better at tech matters, but when I was in school, "tech" might have been an Etch-A-Sketch or a Spirograph.

How can you possibly make sense of the world or even one's own country if you know almost nothing worthwhile about it?

[usaf-vet]

36. Civics classes NEED to be put back into public school curriculums. IMHO they were removed....

... as part of the long long plan to DUMB DOWN Americans. Dumb enough so they could and can be manipulated to follow the likes of DJT and his fellow cultist.

I'll bet the majority of the Jan 6th insurrectionist couldn't name the three branches of government they wanted to overthrow.

[IbogaProject]

37. Mostly happened already

America imported hundreds of thousands of fascists who mostly beefed up the Republican party and the military industrial complex. Our government is designed to protect property rights more than anything else. I'm still hopefully, while being very scared at how unknowledgable most citizens are.

[bucolic_frolic]

38. They live in an autocratic world where dictatorship - theirs - guarantees freedom

What earthly use is it trying to educate these cretins? Everytime you explain power from the people - the voters - all you get is 'my vote is the only one that should count.' They don't understand WWII. They think FDR was a radical pinko commie boozer who prevented Nazis from allowing the strong to control the weak coastal liberals. There is no rational thought or fact with these people. They can't even equate childhood vaccinations with covid vaccinations. The former is to be ignored because it doesn't support their current political bias, they embrace the latter because MAGA!!!

So, there is a plan to reach these people? In what universe? Maybe covid will grind them down over the next decade. Ironic it would be if covid saved freedom, but such possibility is not beyond it.

[bucolic_frolic]

42. As rivals, the early Christian sects in the 13 colonies were often intolerant

but the politicians were not. They knew they fled Europe for freedoms of all kinds, especially the freedom to worship as they pleased. Now it's all turned on its head.

[GoodRaisin]

43. Apathy is killing American democracy.

Yes, they are ignorant. They don’t care, they don’t follow current events, they don’t vote. They take America’s democracy for granted as though it’s not something that has to be protected and nurtured. They are so ignorant that not only do they not realize democracy is slipping away, but we could be 5-10 years into autocratic fascist control and they would still think America is governed under a system of democracy.

[MineralMan]

44. We Could Start Right Here on DU.

Sadly, there are many DUers who are woefully uninformed about the Constitution and how Government functions. If we expect to educate everyone in the country, we can test our ideas by educating ourselves and those in our own circles.

We can also be eager, as individuals, to gain better understanding of such information. It is not enough to talk about educating "them" until we educate ourselves effectively, it seems to me.

[live love laugh]

47. Here's somebody doing God's work

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM81X264t/

For the skittish it’s a video of dhstokyo who does civics quizzes on TT and the overwhelming response.