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i have sneaking suspicion that most people think they're rational, slightly smarter than the average bear, and well informed.
They believe that other rational people, if they have the same information, will believe the same things they believe. Yet when they give out a cry for social revolution or government reformation, they are faced with an overwhelming lack of response. They blame this on social apathy, on a hostile culture, on the right-wing radio networks, on the left-wing news networks, etc.
What they never stop to consider is that maybe the reason there's no response is because a vast majority of people disagree with them. I don't think the US is a country caught between complacency and despair. I think a vast segment of the population thinks that things are going well, that 95 out of a 100 of their friends are employed, that they are enjoying the same freedoms they have had their whole lifetime, that their home is increasing in value, and that the places where the system breaks down are by-and-large inconveniences (DMV) not glaring monuments of social injustice (Dred Scott). They believe that this country has a pretty good track record of correcting it's flaws and returning to center.
-sm
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