Study: Few Americans Know 1st Amendment
The money graph:
“The study by the new McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum found that 22 percent of Americans could name all five Simpson family members, compared with just one in 1,000 people who could name all five First Amendment freedoms.”
I’ll admit I might be stumped on naming all five freedoms. Some seem to blend in with each other — speech and press, for instance. And assembly and redress of grievances — I might have stumbled on those.
The Simpsons, on the other hand (I do solemnly swear I didn’t cheat): Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie.
Technorati Tags: first amendment, simpsons
Well, duh. That’s why we have elected officials. To take care of our freedoms so we can concern ourselves with other things.
In the face of such quizzes I always remember the interview for my first job as an editorial assistant. The man who hired me wasn’t as concerned about what I knew of spelling and grammar as he was that I knew where to look those things up.
I know where to look up the First Amendment, so I’ve never felt a need to memorize it.
But then I couldn’t tell you the names of the Simpsons, either.
Knowing where to look everything up — I think that’s one of my strengths. A certain amount sticks in my head, but not enough that I’ve ever lost the habit of checking my certainty against authority (when available).
Oddly enough I could name both groups of five as well, though I refer to “redress of grievances” as “petition”, and often see Homer in the mirror. What I am most curious about is how many responses were supplied by current administration officials?
oh oh wait . . .
The other thing that came to mind when I saw this study was, why don’t they ask people to recite the second amendment as opposed to it’s current “sound bite” form.
You mean the part about “a well-regulated militia”?
I think that’s just another name for the NRA.