From the BBC comes this shocking news that Americans might be more interested in pop culture than their own government:
Americans know more about The Simpsons TV show than the US Constitution's First Amendment, an opinion poll says.
Only one in four could name more than one of the five freedoms it upholds but more than half could name at least two members of the cartoon family.
About one in five thought the right to own a pet was one of the freedoms.
[...]
Another finding from the poll, a telephone survey of 1,000 random adults with an error margin of 3%, was that 22% of Americans could name all five Simpson characters.By comparison, just one in 1,000 people could name all five First Amendment freedoms.
I blame myself, really. I fear that by placing so much emphasis on Simpsons trivia - even going so far as to use the word "cromulent" in the title of this blog - I have led my countrymen down a hard road, away from a place where honest, hard working Americans might otherwise have spent their leisure hours reading civics books, engaging in serious dialogue about government, and eschewing mundane pursuits like watching television.
And I'll get right to rectifying the situation, just as soon as this Jaws marathon on TNT is over.
Man, that Lance Guest is one tall drink of water.
But, everything I know about the US government I learned from the Simpsons! The electrical college, that the thirteen stripes on the flag are for good luck, and that there are precisely 47 stars on it.