I have said before that I don’t think that the all-pervasive incivility on the internet is helpful. I’m going to have to be a little careful here as I now intend to slight most of humanity. I will speak in sweeping generalities and you can rest assured that it doesn’t apply to you.
The massive improvement in global communications is a wonderful thing and will lead to major advances in civilisation. I have no doubt. One of the first great services it has provided is to highlight how dumb most of us are… Let me re-phrase that. It has highlighted how ill equipped most of us are to engage in well-informed discussion on a wide range of topics. We need education and lots of it. The top priority of every government on the planet should be education. Starting with the fundamentals but taking each student as far as they can go.
Pick any topic. Go to an internet site discussing that topic and read the discussions. Now read up on the topic yourself – if you aren’t already an expert. Now go back and read the discussions. They are choc-a-block with misinformation that would be easily corrected by a brief study of the subject. The only practical solution is more education. Far too many people are taking as factual the rantings of fools on blogs and those spouting opinions either for media outlets or in response to things they read there.
The ignorance is startling. Yesterday we had a person running for high political office in the US reveal that they had no idea that the first Amendment to the US Constitution specifically prevents the State from meddling in religion.
“Where in the Constitution is the separation of church and state?” Christine O’Donnell.
Coons responded that the First Amendment bars Congress from making laws respecting the establishment of religion.
O’Donnell asked: “You’re telling me that’s in the First Amendment?”
I’m picking on one person there but this sort of thing goes on all the time. We need all 6.3 billion of us educated. The sooner the better.