General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: From BBC: "Study: US is an oligarchy, not a democracy" [View all]RiverNoord
(1,150 posts)'Informed' doesn't mean generally open to well-reasoned conclusions based on facts. It merely means exposure to a large volume of information on a particular subject matter.
In that sense, it's remarkable how well-informed Americans are about a great many things. Most can remember television commercials from years and years ago that they particularly enjoyed. Or, maybe, just the catchy jingles.
Americans, on average, are vastly better informed than almost everyone else in the world on the current state of the marriage of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and are exceptionally knowledgeable about the buzz from Miley Cyrus's latest escapades and the ebb and flow of relationships within the Kardashian family.
American baseball, football and basketball fans are vastly better informed about the capabilities of their favorite players and teams (or, if they're in 'pools,' lots of players and teams) than Europeans are about soccer players. Americans may not start quite as many riots during sporting events, but if you want to know the free throw percentage of Notre Dame's second string guards you could probably ask 20 random people in March and get the answer.
The real question is: just how complicit is the average American in the process of hard subject avoidance? Are we too comfortable, on the whole, to be bothered with heavy issues?