Idiot Nation
In this excerpt entitled “Idiot Nation”, Michael Moore details his frustration and anger at the sorry state of the United States education system and the role the US government has had to play in its downfall. So how does Moore characterize the politicians and pundits with regard to the state of the US education systems? Well, in a typical scathing rant he labels them as over privileged, ignorant idiots who have no business running the country. “An idiot leader of an idiot nation” (pg. 125 Moore 2002). This sums up the feelings Moore has towards this government and its leader, and ultimately his followers as well. A mass of uneducated idiots blurting random sports facts to each other on a daily basis, with the average spending less than 100 hours reading per year. While their President brags of his ignorance to his fellow Yale alumni. This however comes at little surprise to Moore as he astutely points out other examples of such ignorance among former US government officials. “We have quite a proud tradition of being represented by ignorant high ranking officials” (pg. 126 Moore 2002). This point serves as a marker for widespread ignorance among US politicians. The sort of ignorance that seems to filter down through the ranks and become apparent amongst the masses. Moore highlights this well as he observes that 70% of graduates from American colleges are not require to learn a foreign language, and that we as the general public believe the rest of the world should adhere to our policies and speak English. “Isn’t the rest of the world speaking English now? And if they aren’t, hadn’t all those damn foreigners better GET WITH THE PROGRAM” (pg. 128 Moore 2002). Moore holds the politicians directly responsible for the state of the US education system, he lifts the blame from the educators and in doing this points out the downfalls of the government and how they have not correctly prioritized budgeting for the good of students and educators. He also highlights