I'm stealing part of the title and this quote from Bill Maher who wrote a great article in the Huffington Post.
At the risk of getting criticized by those who have kindly given me a home in their country, and be told to move back to my own if I'm not happy...I have to admit that I do agree with Bill Maher - and not just in reference to the US, though it is the focus here.
I will not dwell on the past when Americans voted not once but twice to put Bush in power (giving comics worldwide a source of daily material), nor will I spend time on the fact that Obama's education was held against him during his presidential campaign (!) or that Sarah Palin actually got a following.
However, in light of the current sinking standards of the health care debate, and amidst of the "birthers" movement, here is what I what I have to say: SHUT UP!
I think that now is one of those times when people who are ignorant on the issue (I’m talking health care, I’m not even going to address the birthers) should not be asked to participate in a discussion whose standards they are only lowering with their shouts. To be fair, it is a complex issue and there is a lot of propaganda on both sides but this is further reason why people should use some silent time to listen and educate themselves before making false accusations, and creating chaos. (The irony is that the loudest voices are more likely the ones who would benefit the most from reform).
Though the current town hall meetings started with the good intentions of encouraging constructive dialogue, reaching across differences, and offering everyone a chance to participate in this important issue, this has proven to be placing way too high expectations on the average citizen.
Though the United States offers some of the best standards in higher education worldwide - and I'm glad I got to take advantage of it - less than 30% of the US population actually holds a college degree, and when it comes to secondary education, the US really lags behind.
According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)'s 2006 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), U.S. 15-year-olds trail their peers from many industrialized countries. The average science score of U.S. students lagged behind those in 16 of 30 countries and in math they ranked at #24. The PISA survey is the most comprehensive and rigorous international yardstick of secondary-school students' attainments.
My point is not to question the American educational system itself but the power placed on people who - at least from the images the media have painted- seem to show little or no understanding of the issue nor - that's the sad part - any real interest in understanding it. Yet these are the people who are determining the future of health care, via the pressure they will be able to apply on the government though their loud cacophony.
Though I would love to believe in what Mandela described in his book Long Walk to Freedom as his model for democracy, in remembering his experience with tribal leadership - "Democracy meant all men were to be heard, and a decision was taken together as a people" - I don't think this is always the wisest option when addressing people with various special interests or limited understanding of the issue at hand.
Democracy can only work up to a certain point. History has many examples of its flaws, like the tiranny of democracy, where a majority oppresses a minority, or examples of democratic elections that give rise to "illiberal democracies" (for a great article on the topic, read Fareed Zakaria's take on it).
And this is not a problem facing just Obama, whose platform of change -including in regards to health care- he was elected on. Back in my home country of France, President Sarkozy, has been facing similar challenges. Elected because he promised to shake things up, once given the opportunity to do so, the French have responded to him as they know best, by taking to the streets and protesting any chance for modernization of the country. (Under President Chirac, the biggest disappointment was the French rejection of the European Constitution - due to a lot of misunderstanding- a setback that the EU has still not gotten over. It is not clear why Chirac asked for a referendum when he could have had the Treaty ratified directly by the French parliament, but this is a perfect example of what can go wrong when you ask people uneducated on an issue to voice their opinion).
While Sarzoky has made no efforts in hiding his frustration as to ruling a stubborn people, Obama has remained as much as he can his cool self. But no doubt that in private, as Jon Stewart jokes, he surely sighs a lot as he watches the quality of the ongoing debates drop.
(watch from minute 5 to 5:40, and more!)
In conclusion, "if you want to call me an elitist for this, I say thank you. Yes, I want decisions made by an elite group of people who know what they're talking about. That means Obama budget director Peter Orszag, not Sarah Palin.
Which is the way our founding fathers wanted it. James Madison wrote that "pure democracy" doesn't work because "there is nothing to check... an obnoxious individual." Then, in the margins, he doodled a picture of Joe the Plumber." (Bill Maher)
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