A question for someone who knows more about the world than I do

[wtf]

I was wondering if the level of 1984-style amnesia and ignorance of the facts where it concerns politics and history, is something that people of every country deal with, or is it unique to America?

[Jose Diablo]

1. From what I have seen

We in America for some reason do not know history as well as Europeans.

I am not sure why. I suspect our education systems curriculum at the secondary level has a lot of legends about what has happened in the past in America. Part of creating Merikans I guess.

As for current events, our news media sucks in its constitutional mandate in providing information to keep an informed citizenry. This no secret here on this board.

[Oggy]

2. It's there

everywhere, but to differing degrees. I'm a Brit, and we are suffering from it more and more. TV dumbing down, short termism everywhere. From what I read at DU though I think you ( the U.S. ) may be top of the pile.

[TrogL]

3. Hardly unique, just particularly bad

I think of it as a scope issue. Some people simply are uninterested in anything almost literally beyond their back fence. I know a number of people incapable of thinking beyond the neighbourhood or at best city level. They are utterly clueless about provincial or federal politics. They have no concept of the world beyond. They wonder why other countries don't simply adopt English.

[HEyHEY]

4. Oh, sorry wrong thread

I thought you said "LEss than me"