How gullible ARE Americans, anyway?

[Mythsaje]

Well, those of us who were paying close attention KNEW this administration was lying about WMDs and the reasons for going to war. But many, if not most, Americans were originally behind the war...enough that there were few expressions of disgust at the whoring the media was doing during the "March on Baghdad." (which I personally found disgusting, btw).

The rest of the world certainly didn't buy it.

So the question arises--why are Americans so gullible? Why is it that they so easily bought the lies handed out by the administration? What is it that makes us so different from Europeans, for example?

I'm genuinely curious. What do you all think?

[Oversea Visitor]

1. The Russian

Has their Iron Curtain, The Chinese the Bamboo Curtain ... oh well they taken it down.

The US just suddenly discover their Media Curtain.

[gumby]

17. Excellent.

The "Media Curtain" indeed. Bingo!

[Oversea Visitor]

25. Its

True..... thats how I see it. First garbage is output to the general public and real input are surpress.

Do it long enough and you get a lot of morons walking around. Think its called brainwashing.

[END_HATRED_NOW]

2. no, it's not that they're gullible

basically they are too greedy and don't want to have their precious lifestyles ruined...


"oh my God,I can't live without my SUV! We need the oil!"

yep, even alot of Democrats hide behind the oil wall...:hide:

[Mythsaje]

4. That argument would make sense

if more people accepted the "liberal" argument that it was for oil in the first place.

But they didn't. Even though there were a lot of dissenting voices early on about the presense of WMDs and links to terrorism, people bought Bushco's argument that Iraq was guilty of these things. Or so it seemed to me.

[Oversea Visitor]

26. Prime example of illogical logic

Any oil producer will sell you the oil. No lifestyle threaten here. You pay for the petrol you go enjoy you SUV. See the success of their shift the blame on the American people. Convince the people we go to war to protect their way of live so we can grab the oil and make loads of profit selling it to them.

What a pile off bullshit.

[Salviati]

3. Do you want to know how gullible Americans are:

Simply click this link to find out...

[Mythsaje]

5. Cute...

pointless, but cute.

[END_HATRED_NOW]

9. I'm telling you,

It has nothing to do with being gullible! Oh maybe yes, we bought into the lie, but now that the truth is out and we're not "gullible" anymore, why do so many people still support the wars? Because they have to justify it in their own minds why they need to use up 21 million barrels of oil every day! More than the next 10 nations combined.!...It's all about greed, pure and simple; although no one will admit it except people like me.O8)(I don't drive, I use the bus!)

[Mythsaje]

15. I drive

but, then again, I'm not willing to spend 2 hours vs. half an hour getting to and from work.

Selfish? Perhaps. But I did that for several months and it was beating the hell out of me. The bus schedules are anything but convenient for my work schedule, and involved a lot of walking besides what I got at work.

[Oversea Visitor]

27. Stop

trying to shift the blame on to the american people to justify this war. Like l say oil anyone will sell.

[Kerrytravelers]

6. I think too many Americans like their easy life.

To be made to think, to analyse, is too much. They like their American Idol, their Playstations and to focus on themselves. We are a very selfish group. To actually think about people from another country is too mcuh effort- currently, less than 16% of our citizens actually hold passports. It seems many Americans have never left the country and/or have no appreciation for other countries/cultures/ways of life.

I apologize if I seem too harsh, but I am so angry by what I seen happening now. As an educator, I can not believe how little our chilren are taught about other countries and the American relationship with them. And, I have seen parents who are very upset that their children are learning about religions from around the world. These christo-fascists do not want their children even KNOWING there are religions other than Christianity in the world- let alone how these "heathens" believe.


EDITED TO ADD:
"Heathens" are their words, not mine. I"m just trying to teach and do my job--- not judge other people from other faiths and countries than my own.

[Mythsaje]

12. As a "demi-heathen" myself,

I appreciate your comments.

I have never had a passport...I've been to Canada once, but that's just about it, so far. I actually wanted to visit as much of the U.S. as possible BEFORE turning my sights elsewhere. I'd like to visit Europe (my wife spent several years there in the eighties) and parts of Asia as well. I have always been fascinated by other cultures, and the history of the world interests me at least as much as the history of the U.S. (more interested in political history in the U.S. than the nearly non-existent cultural history).

I've been IN roughly 38 states, lacking only the South and the Southwest (unless you count Vegas, which I don't) to complete my tour of the U.S.

My wife and I are already talking about getting passports--in case we want to visit Canada again, if nothing else.

[Kerrytravelers]

44. Let me clarify that passport ownership isn't necessary to prove

one has interest and respect for other countries... but it is an interesting little statistic.

I don't recall the % off the top of my head, even though I heard in at CLAD training last week, but something like 8-12% of natural born American citizens from families where both paren'ts first language is English is considered actually fluent in a second language. Compared with other countries around the globe, that explains our attitudes a lot.

I also agree with the aboved mentioned concept of a greed-driven society.

[Erika]

7. Americans want to trust their president

and at first do so. Nixon had supporters until it was shown he and his entire administration were corrupt. Many people believed in Johnson, Nixon and the Vietnam war until it became clear it was just a politically correct war with our guys being sitting ducks.

Evidently those who have not studied history wanted to trust Bush even though their common sense told them better.

[Djinn]

8. no more so than the rest of us unfortunately

Depending on the source of their info most Australians would spout the same propaganda as many Americans, just switch Fox News for the Herald Sun and the Daily Telegraph.

[AndyTiedye]

10. Everyone Who Gets Their News from the Big Media Supports ** and the War

I don't think it's that we are more gullible or more selfish,
it's that the wingers OWN our media, lock, stock, and barrel.
That isn't the case in Europe.

[Mythsaje]

14. I don't know...

like most people, I got the news they saw fit to deliver when the war started. Unlike many, I questioned what I saw. I've distrusted the corporate media for years...recognized sensationalism for what it was, I guess.

Of course, I was raised to be a critical thinker. Many people, unfortunately, are not.

[babylonsister]

11. As my friend OV observed, we in the US are

gullible because of the media. We are not getting a straight story. Every story from Iraq is pretty much a feed from wherever the action is, compliments of the US Govt. We are also being dumbed down about the rest of the world, their tribulations, their thoughts about U.S., issues we should be involved in instead of all war all the time!

[cynatnite]

13. Not Gullible...Trusting

Who wants to believe a president of the US would lie and send troops to die because of it? It's a tough pill for anyone to swallow. It took me a while to believe he lied. I considered him a murderer because he rushed to war without thinking it through.

[Gemini Cat]

16. Americans (for the most part) aren't gullible,

they are simply over worked. They are tired. When they are home, they watch the easiest TV they can find in order to unwind.
Remember the woman who told chimpy she worked three jobs to make ends meet? The one where he said that was uniquely American or some sort of horse shit like that? I doubt she has time to get the information she would need to make an informed decision. Even if she does run across the information, she's probably to tired to really understand.
In addition to that, there are the various mega right winged churches who are more than happy to tell their flockers who to vote for and who to support. It makes not thinking a lot easier for them.

[EFerrari]

34. Bingo! Tired before the 2000 selection and traumatized after

9/11 -- mostly by their own government.

Traumatized people have tunnel vision. Someone in the Cabal exploited that fact.

[Stirk]

18. Do these people look gullible to you?

Americans aren't particularly gullible, but the big media outlets in the US are corporate PR machines. They will never show you picture or carry the words of anyone with a opposing view- unless they have absolutely no other choice.

So, most Americans hear one point of view, and they hear it constantly. The corporate view.

[stevans_41902]

24. Yeah, i think most americans are too trusting and many don't

bother to take any interest in politics so whatever information that comes to them is slanted by the right wing media. They trust that the president is always looking out for their safety and think that if he really did something wrong then people would be informed by the news. Of course they also don't believe that a news organization like Fox could be able to stay on the air if they weren't being "fair and balanced."
I agree with the point about how Americans are way too overworked compared to people in other countries. I know many people who don't bother to get a passport because they don't even get a week off of work to take a vacation. Then there are other Americans who don't see the benefit of travel b/c they would rather spend their money on material things that make them happy so they can remain in their bubble.

The reason many supported the war in Iraq is the same reason why Bush's approval went up to 90% after 9-11. I think many American want to look patriotic and to go against the president in these times meant that you did not support American and you were with the enemy. They believed the lies that not supporting Bush would make them no longer be a "true american" but now that it is ok to dissent without people thinking you are a traitor they now feel free to dissent against the government.

[LiberallyInclined]

19. but where do you go to get the word out-

that the media is complicit in the problem...?

those are supposed to be our airwaves, not a tool of fascism.

[shraby]

20. I think for the most part, people just

don't pay attention. They take care of their lives and trust the government to take care of the business it's supposed to. Most people have other things to think about. Work, children, upkeep of the house, car(s), schooling, errands to run, etc. ad infinitum. There is something to do from the time they get up until they flop to watch a little t.v. before they go to bed. They just don't have time to investigate what the government is doing.

[LiberallyInclined]

21. that's my point-

that little bit of t.v. is supposed to be the 'watchdog of our fury'...(sorry- 'the vikings' has been on A LOT lately).

[END_HATRED_NOW]

22. no

Mythsaje wrote:"but, then again, I'm not willing to spend 2 hours vs. half an hour getting to and from work.
Selfish? Perhaps. But I did that for several months and it was beating the hell out of me. The bus schedules are anything but convenient for my work schedule, and involved a lot of walking besides what I got at work."....
....My point exactly, you just "tried" to justify why you are not willing to give up using oil...

Also don't forget that half of the people in America still don't have computers to learn the truth like we do...get it , they believe what the mass media wants them to believe...

[Oversea Visitor]

28. No need to give

up using oil. You got the money you can buy it. Any oil producer will sell you the oil. Until the is no more oil in this world that is.

[Mythsaje]

39. Public transportion

is not HUMAN energy efficient. At least not around here.

[0rganism]

23. As gullible as humans ever were

I seem to recall a quote from Nazi propaganda minister Goebbels, something like, "The German people have no idea how much they must be lied to in order to be led."

The National Socialist Germans of 1933 were no more gullible than Americans are today. But they were dispirited, dishonored, impoverished, craving someone to restore their national pride, tired of having no one but themselves to blame for their problems, and they trusted their leaders implicitly. Let us ensure that it never comes any closer to that here than it has already.

[raccoon]

43. Right on!

I too get disgusted with the gullibility of many Americans. But I think that kind of gullible belief in whatever BS the government spews out is by no means limited to Americans. Added to that, the corporate media is presenting a very restricted and slanted view of current events.

But I hope the majority of Americans wake up before the National Guard or whoever is loading "undesirables" into cattle cars.

[OneBlueSky]

29. the huge audiences for American Idol should answer that one . . . n/t

.

[madeline_con]

30. Too many are just

dumb as a box of rocks. They can't be convinced that their beliefs are wrong, because they have to be told one way or another that they're stupid. Maybe not in so many words, but even THEY understand when they're being told they're a dumbass.

[oasis]

31. Why would anyone fork over $39 to watch pay-for-view wrestling? What

percentage of these clueless folk voted for Bush?

[Oversea Visitor]

32. I guess many

The wrestling shows nowadays is all about cheatin breaking rules and hey its all right no punishment and also hey you can cheat and win.

Sorry but the wrestling show is shown worldwide and many take that as representatives of the Americans value.

I seriously do not know the effect this show has on young Americans.
But the takeback values of this show is just WRONG

[Mythsaje]

46. Wrestling is a circus.

It's a big drama--soap operas for He-men. Some of the wrestlers are astounding athletes, but it is exactly the opposite of "reality" tv.

Like Jerry Springer's TV show.

[Mythsaje]

40. A large majority, I'd guess n/t

[stickdog]

33. The reason we are so gullible is because we are politically immature.

It's the same reason that populism is our only viable chance at reform. It's the same reason we can be manipulated into being aghast at somebody lying about an affair, but sanguine about somebody lying us into a war.

[H2O Man]

35. TV.

Political "reality" has become a commercial. And the public is buying it.

[LynnTheDem]

36. Hmmm...Polls say that's another myth spun by the bushCartel & pundits.

Poll: Bush hasn't made case for Iraq war

More than two-thirds of Americans believe the Bush administration has failed to make its case that a war against Iraq is justified
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2002-12-17-iraq-poll_x.htm

Poll: Support For a War With Iraq Weakens Among Americans

Seven in 10 Americans would give U.N. weapons inspectors months more to pursue their arms search in Iraq, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll that found growing doubts about an attack on Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

http://middleeastinfo.org/article1795.html

February 14, 2003;

Even after the administration's aggressive case for going to war soon in Iraq, a majority of Americans favor giving United Nations weapons inspectors more time to complete their work so that any military operation wins the support of the Security Council, the latest New York Times Poll shows.
http://www.globalpolicy.org/ngos/advocacy/protest/iraq/2003/0214us.htm

March 6, 2003:

HAS BUSH ADMINISTRATION MADE THE CASE FOR WAR NOW?

Yes
47%

No
44%

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/03/06/opinion/polls/main543034.shtml



*I'm trying to find the last poll before the war; it was even lower support. But if I can't, I think these polls show that in fact the majority of Americans weren't as stupid as the MSM and bushCo made them appear.

[soup]

37. Your second link isn't working.

http://middleeastinfo.org/article1795.html
'The Page You Requested Is Not Available.'

Gonna have to think about those polls for a bit. It's hard to connect with being called a member of a 'fringe group' at best (and generally much worse) and all the abuse that was piled on simply for carrying an Attack Iraq? NO! bumper sticker.

[LynnTheDem]

38. Yes, I remember wll the abuse and cyber-stalking and threats to "get to"

me and to my US soldier hubby who was Iraqmired at the time.

Yep. We, the MAJORITY not only of the world, but of AMERICA, were mocked and ridiculed and abused.

And people wonder why I've been in such a BLOODY BAD MOOD for the past two years.

Will look out a working link in a min, thanks for letting me know.

Edit; here we go...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A23564-2003Jan21¬Found=true

[mopaul]

41. given the choice, we'll pick mythology over reality

every time

[radwriter0555]

42. The same people who believe in gods believe in the bush lies... that is of

course, the litmus test for gullibility.

[Mythsaje]

45. In gods (plural?)

Hardly. Most pagans HATE Bush.