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A review by sueodd
Profiles in Ignorance: How America's Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber by Andy Borowitz
5.0
I actually saw Andy Borowitz live during his promotional tour for this book, which is where I purchased my very own copy. About 10 minutes of the hour or so talk was just Andy reading Dan Quayle quotes, which had the audience in stitches.
The book is simultaneously humorous and depressing. It's not Andy's typical satire. The book is well researched and serious, and follows American politics as we moved from the Age of Ridicule, through the Age of Acceptance, and finally into the Age of Celebration.
During the Age of Ridicule, ignorance was a magnet for mockery, and could kill a politician's career. Dumb politicians had to pretend to be smart. His case studies are Ronald Reagan and Dan Quayle.
The Age of Acceptance is when ignorance mutated into a sign that a politician was authentic. Dumb politicians were free to appear dumb, with varying degrees of success. His case studies here are George W. Bush and Sarah Palin.
In the current Age of Celebration, ignorance has become preferable to knowledge. Smart politicians must pretend to be dumb. One flaw in the book is that it doesn't really dwell on the smart politicians pretending to be dumb, but mention is made of several with Ivy League educations that pretend to be anything but well-educated. The focus in this section, instead, is Trump as the ultimate ignoramus-in-chief.
I don't need to get into the specifics, but the basic shift has been brought about by the so-called Information Age, in which politicians who can act are preferred over politicians who read and actually know things. Thanks to the internet and social media, voters are free to choose "only the facts they agree with." While many of us are still astounded at the depths of Trumps ignorance and incompetence, far too many see a completely different person. They believe the false persona that emerged from careful editing of The Apprentice and is reinforced by the skewed reporting by right wing news sources. To them, Trump isn't an ignoramus who refused to read or educate himself in any way. To them, Trump is the god-king-messiah he tells them he is. I would argue that almost refutes the Age of Ignorance premise, since die hard Trump supporters truly don't see him that way, and have resolutely sheltered themselves from any news source that contradicts that belief.
There is a short chapter at the end with ideas on how to combat the Age of Ignorance, which boils down to being more engaged in democracy. We must vote. We must help others vote. We must stop spending our time on social media and actually engage in local and regional politics. It's not much, and I don't know if we can truly overcome the anti-education, anti-science, anti-intellectualism wave that has taken root.
The book is simultaneously humorous and depressing. It's not Andy's typical satire. The book is well researched and serious, and follows American politics as we moved from the Age of Ridicule, through the Age of Acceptance, and finally into the Age of Celebration.
During the Age of Ridicule, ignorance was a magnet for mockery, and could kill a politician's career. Dumb politicians had to pretend to be smart. His case studies are Ronald Reagan and Dan Quayle.
The Age of Acceptance is when ignorance mutated into a sign that a politician was authentic. Dumb politicians were free to appear dumb, with varying degrees of success. His case studies here are George W. Bush and Sarah Palin.
In the current Age of Celebration, ignorance has become preferable to knowledge. Smart politicians must pretend to be dumb. One flaw in the book is that it doesn't really dwell on the smart politicians pretending to be dumb, but mention is made of several with Ivy League educations that pretend to be anything but well-educated. The focus in this section, instead, is Trump as the ultimate ignoramus-in-chief.
I don't need to get into the specifics, but the basic shift has been brought about by the so-called Information Age, in which politicians who can act are preferred over politicians who read and actually know things. Thanks to the internet and social media, voters are free to choose "only the facts they agree with." While many of us are still astounded at the depths of Trumps ignorance and incompetence, far too many see a completely different person. They believe the false persona that emerged from careful editing of The Apprentice and is reinforced by the skewed reporting by right wing news sources. To them, Trump isn't an ignoramus who refused to read or educate himself in any way. To them, Trump is the god-king-messiah he tells them he is. I would argue that almost refutes the Age of Ignorance premise, since die hard Trump supporters truly don't see him that way, and have resolutely sheltered themselves from any news source that contradicts that belief.
There is a short chapter at the end with ideas on how to combat the Age of Ignorance, which boils down to being more engaged in democracy. We must vote. We must help others vote. We must stop spending our time on social media and actually engage in local and regional politics. It's not much, and I don't know if we can truly overcome the anti-education, anti-science, anti-intellectualism wave that has taken root.