Letters
Age of unreason
Editor:
Some of us are in despair at the level of discourse and the fact that in our democracy we can’t discuss important issues rationally.
In the book, “The Age Of American Unreason,” Susan Jacoby says, “the scales of American history have shifted heavily against the vibrant and varied intellectual life so essential to functional democracy.
Our anti-intellectual tendencies have been grievously exacerbated by a new species of — anti-rationalism feeding on and fed by an ignorant popular culture of video images and unremitting noise that leaves no room for contemplation or logic.”
Jacoby blames dumbed-down mass media, the shrinking of newspapers, the decline of serious book reading and the rise of fundamentalist religion.
“The more time people spend before the computer screen, or any screen, the less time and desire they have for two human activities critical to a fruitful and demanding intellectual life: reading and conversation.”
This seems to be so true in the debate we just had concerning health care and with the behavior during our town meetings and rallies leading up to the House vote.
Let us hope that we can become more reasonable and turn down the heat and “hate speech” to better listen to both sides and come to a health care bill that will take care of all of our needs.
The world looks to us as the example of a democratic country. We have been a beacon of hope to the rest of the world.
We are trying to establish democracy in Third world countries. Can we be proud of our current political discourse?
We have our work cut out for us!
Mary Lou James, Green Valley
Some of us are in despair at the level of discourse and the fact that in our democracy we can’t discuss important issues rationally.
In the book, “The Age Of American Unreason,” Susan Jacoby says, “the scales of American history have shifted heavily against the vibrant and varied intellectual life so essential to functional democracy.
Our anti-intellectual tendencies have been grievously exacerbated by a new species of — anti-rationalism feeding on and fed by an ignorant popular culture of video images and unremitting noise that leaves no room for contemplation or logic.”
Jacoby blames dumbed-down mass media, the shrinking of newspapers, the decline of serious book reading and the rise of fundamentalist religion.
“The more time people spend before the computer screen, or any screen, the less time and desire they have for two human activities critical to a fruitful and demanding intellectual life: reading and conversation.”
This seems to be so true in the debate we just had concerning health care and with the behavior during our town meetings and rallies leading up to the House vote.
Let us hope that we can become more reasonable and turn down the heat and “hate speech” to better listen to both sides and come to a health care bill that will take care of all of our needs.
The world looks to us as the example of a democratic country. We have been a beacon of hope to the rest of the world.
We are trying to establish democracy in Third world countries. Can we be proud of our current political discourse?
We have our work cut out for us!
Mary Lou James, Green Valley
Copyright © 2010 - Green Valley News and Sun