Just How Stupid Are We?

We've suffered a cottage industry of books that bemoan the American political knowledge. Just How Stupid Are We? is one recent example, but there are others.

Now I learn that we're not the only stupids in the room.

A news account of a Finnish study says many there "have inadequate knowledge of political decision making." Two out of three survey respondents were unable to correctly name the parties in the current government coalition.

Thank you, Finland. Whew!

I'm not picking on our Finnish friends. My favorite is a Brit survey of kids who thought Winston Churchill was the first guy to walk on the moon. Clearly this is more than a U.S. phenomenon, so now someone needs to write a book that asks, Just How Stupid is the World? I suppose that'd make us feel better.

I Was Stupid to Read This Book

Rick Shenkman's Just How Stupid Are We, or perhaps Stupid R Us, has a better title than it does content. I wouldn't call the book an elitist screed because it's not monotonous. The provocative title alone gets your attention, but it is full of vague attacks on regular Americans who fail to measure up to a political scientist's lofty goals, especially if they dare elect someone the polysci guy doesn't like.

It's well written in places, but there's nothing new. I thought the book would include some interesting analyses of political knowledge and why it matters, but other than the ability to read an occasional Pew survey question I can't see much here that breaks any ground, much less new ground. The title was good enough to get him a visit on The Daily Show. Oh well.

I tried to find if Shenkman has published any interesting work on what people know, on political knowledge, anything that includes theoretical or methodological approaches to the question. Maybe it's out there and I missed it. That's damn likely. But the folks who work in this area are pretty well known to me and I thought I'd come across something he'd done in the area, published either in a serious academic journal or one of the major conferences. He deserves better and I should have looked harder.

Then again, it shouldn't be that hard.

For those interested in the political knowledge of the American electorate and what it means to society and government, there are much better choices out there. The titles may not be as cool, but the work is far superior.

Political Browser

I seem to be pointing to lots of other sites lately rather than doing my own analysis. Sorry. I'm in the middle of reading Shenkman's Just How Stupid Are We? and will have comments later this week. So far, the title is better than the book. I've discussed the book earlier, as well as his discussion of five myths about the American voters.

But I did want to point to this cool news site for political nerds and junkies out there (you know who you are). It's done by the fine people at washingtonpost.com and is called Political Browser. The idea is simple: gather all the best political coverage, even by your competitors, and point to it online. I'd call it anther example of the blog effect on mainstream news.