Stupidity and ignorance, always issues, seem to be coming more to the fore in U.S. public life every day. This blog was prompted by a whole series of statements and actions of officials of the current Trump administration and, most recently, by an interview of Ted Cruz, the Texas U.S. Senator, by Tucker Carlson, the disgraced former presenter of Fox News. The fact that even Carlson was astonished by Ted Cruz’ comments and positions only confirms my claim that stupidity and ignorance are on the rise, and, perhaps, even encouraged in official circles. Many of my readers may have seen reports of this extraordinary interview, but many probably haven’t. Please check Youtube, you’ll be amazed.
Carlson staged the interview to talk about Cruz’ position on taking out (killing) the President of Iran, along with destroying Iran’s complete nuclear structures. However, before I get to that, I have to report on an even more unbelievable comment from Cruz, reiterated several times, that his Christian god specifically stated in the Book of Genesis, of the Bible’s Old Testament, that his (god’s) dictum was to protect the State of Israel. When asked, Cruz said he learned that in his church’s Sunday School, and that was one of the primary reasons he ran for public office in the U.S. Senate. I must admit that when I listened to that statement, I was actually on Carlson’s side, for a split second and only once, when he asked if Cruz meant the current state (country) of Israel. Cruz said YES, and he intimated that that meant the government of the state of Israel as well. Carlson tried again, by asking Cruz if he realized that the Old Testament was written several thousand years ago, (and by men, not god – my addition here), and that the state of Israel only came into being seventy years ago. Cruz was unfazed and reiterated his belief.
Apart from Cruz’ answer falling squarely under the definitions stupidity and ignorance, there are several other intrinsic worries in a U.S. Senator holding those views: (1) His primary focus is the protection of Israel, which amounts, at least in my book, as treason against the United States; (2) the fact that he was perfectly willing to state that on national media is enough to get him immediately impeached by his colleagues in the Senate; (3) if a U.S. Senator is that ignorant of history, what does it say for the U.S. Education system that he grew up with – it may have something to do with the fact that the U.S. public school system eliminated “Civics” in 1976 and doesn’t teach history anymore, except under the general and useless cloud (my opinion I should add) of social studies. I could go on!
Carlson then asked Cruz about his position about instigating regime change in Iran by taking out the President. I suppose it fits, if you consider that his main reason for being in politics is to protect Israel, but to promote that as U.S. policy, just because Israel wants to do it, is asinine. Cruz also clearly demonstrated his almost complete lack of any basic knowledge of Iran, when Carlson questioned him on it. I rest my case for stupidity and ignorance and, for a U.S Senator, it is criminally negligent or should be.
However, the theme of this blog is the rise of stupidity and ignorance in public officials, and although Cruz’ interview is a classic example, it is far from the only one in the Trump administration, starting with the president himself. These days it is remarkably difficult to separate which are deliberate lies and which are stupid and ignorant statements – I sometimes wonder if the proponents of these statements even know the difference, especially when Trump seems to be exhibiting more and more of the degenerative signs that he accused Biden of in the campaign. However, that is speculation on my part. I want to add the acts that are deliberate attempts to suppress any source of knowledge that could contradict Trump’s whim – I include here Trump’s appointees’ whims; Hegseth, Gabbard, Kennedy, Bondi, Bessent and Vance are good examples. The attacks on universities is an obvious attempt to intimidate and basically “shut them up” if they don’t “toe-the-line” and “Kiss-the ring”. Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center, his attempts to take over the Smithsonian Museum system and, recently, his gutting of the Fulbright scholarship program, among many other smaller steps of which we are only slowly becoming aware, are all designed to destroy anything that might contradict him. It is a classic, textbook, attempt to concentrate all power in the White House and put himself in the position of U.S. Dictator. As I have said before, it is the identical playbook previously used by Julius Caesar, Adolf Hitler, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinjing, among many other despots.
I have said, somewhat jokingly, in some previous blogs, that the last thing any/most politicians want is an educated electorate, because that electorate might start questioning the politician’s decisions. The same is true, and even more so, for despots and potential dictators. In their minds, education and knowledge constitute the most dangerous challenges to their existence and survival.
The exhibition of stupidity and ignorance, and the drive to eliminate all potential opposition to their capricious policies and decisions by the suppression of knowledge and education, seems to be the hallmark of the current Trump administration – let me reiterate, the classic playbook of a would-be despot and dictator. The signs couldn’t be clearer, and yet there seems to be a great reluctance to call out Trump and his acolytes. Let’s hope someone, in a position to make a difference, wakes up and acts before we reach a tipping point that only civil war can correct.
