« Bush sinks to new low in nationwide poll | Main | Online Freedom of Speech Act »
Homer Simpson, Yes; First Amendment? "Doh!"
Associated Press via MediaChannel.org: Homer Simpson, Yes; First Amendment? "Doh!"
A new poll by the McCormick Tribune Foundation (study results here, PDF) reveals that Americans know more about the long-running Fox cartoon family the Simpsons than they do about the First Amendment.
Only one-tenth of one percent (1 in 1,000 people) of those surveyed were able to name all five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment while 22 percent could identify the five members of the Simpson family.
Yep, I'm one of those strange 1 in 1,000 (even wrote 'em down). Go ahead, take the First Amendment test!
March 1, 2006 at 08:38 PM in Current Affairs | Permalink
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83451db1569e200e55058621d8834
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Homer Simpson, Yes; First Amendment? "Doh!":
» Free Speech v. The Simpsons from IP Democracy's Best of the Blogs
A very important and very scientifically illuminating survey by something called the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum found that Americans are far more familiar with the names of the family members of The Simpsons than they are with the ... [Read More]
Tracked on Mar 4, 2006 10:38:21 AM
» Codeine and no prescriptions and no consults. from Codeine.
Codeine cough syrup. Smoking codeine. [Read More]
Tracked on Jul 1, 2009 5:15:15 PM
Comments
While the results of this poll are disconcerting, one could argue that remembering a list of five names you've been exposed to on a weekly basis for over a decade (none of which is longer than six letters) is a far simpler cognitive task than remembering a list of abstract political freedoms that you may have learned about in grade school.
The results are telling, and expose important flaws in Americans' understanding of their own democratic system, but are insufficient justification for saying that "[...] Americans know more about the long-running Fox cartoon family the Simpsons than they do about the First Amendment."
Posted by: Louis Simoneau at Mar 2, 2006 10:24:09 AM
