Most people will tell you that the biggest issue facing America today is hatred and racism. But where do these broken mindsets and toxic parts of our thinking come from? They come from ignorance. They come from the idea that you know it all and you need not listen to anyone else’s opinions, viewpoints or experiences. They come from believing false ideas about the world and about others.
The sad realization that many people in this country have chosen to ignore the obvious, denounce critical thinking and refuse to be teachable, is the most alarming thing right now. Flat out hatred is easy to spot and combat at times, but stupidity? Not so much.
I am not referring to “dumb” or “stupid” as not having a college degree or not having a certain IQ. I am referring to very intelligent people who work as teachers, doctors, lawyers and journalists. They are from all walks of life — they exist in my family and in yours. They get their news from unreliable sources, they cling to outdated ideas, they ignore the findings of modern science and psychology and often times, value money over humanity.
Recently, Trump signed an executive order that allowed the VA to discriminate against veterans who are democrats and refuse them care because of their political party. This seemed so insane to me, I thought that this must be “fake news.” Upon further research, I found out that it’s true. And guess what? Most people are carrying on as if it’s all business as usual.
This should outrage everyone in America, regardless of their political affiliation. But some people believe Democrats are evil. The things that they fight for — women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, affordable healthcare, immigration reform, clean air and water — are somehow the reason for all the ills in the world. Instead of researching that it has mostly been Democrats that have championed so many progressive movements and we ALL, regardless of party, enjoy the freedoms and rights these movements have given us.
Stupidity and willful ignorance are dangerous. A person who wants to fly a plane without any experience is dangerous. A doctor who refuses to look at new medical data and information, is putting your health in jeopardy.
My grandmother on my father’s side, believed she knew it all when it came to socialized medicine, transgender issues and immigration. Her mindset was stuck in the 1950s — a different time and a different world. I tried my hardest to educate her and explain new scientific findings, as well as, psychiatric information. It always fell on deaf ears. In her mind, immigrants were the cause of our broken economy and job shortages, trans people should just admit they’re really gay and stop wanting equal rights, and nobody should get anything for free, even if they are disabled, poor or marginalized. She was a woman of privilege — white, educated, inherited a nice home from her mother, who was an Italian immigrant. She also was Catholic. She passed away several years ago — still willfully ignorant. It both angered me and saddened me at the same time.
My grandmother, like many people in this country, managed to get married, have children and raise them, work full-time and take care of herself and her family. She was not dumb, but she voted for policies that would take her gay and disabled grandson’s rights away. She voted for policies that would negatively impact her own healthcare and social security. Trump served a full term before she passed away and her life was not better when she died. Most people’s lives were not better. They were a mess. We were just getting out of the circus that was the pandemic. People were suffering financially and physically from long COVID symptoms. My grandfather had a stroke and got sick with COVID in the ER. He was never the same and he eventually passed. Nobody had more money, a better job or better healthcare. And I’m pretty convinced that if my grandmother were alive in November 2024, she would have voted for Trump again.
Willful ignorance is dangerous. It is destroying this country and will be our demise. People who just sit by, stupidly believing whatever they heard from Fox News, TikTok, or some wacky chain email, while the world crumbles around them. Social media has its benefits and there are plenty of reputable people reporting accurate news and information on there, however, willfully ignorant people will not fact check what they hear or see, and they won’t really believe anything that doesn’t already reinforce their own misguided beliefs.
The Southern Baptist Convention recently met to hold a vote on reversing gay marriage in the US. A reporter was interviewing a man at the convention and asked, “So, you want to undo gay marriage in America?” The man replied, “Yes, that’s right.” The reporter then asked the man, “Would you be upset if people tried to undo your heterosexual marriage?” “Yes, I absolutely would, the man replied.”
Stupidity. It’s dangerous.
Stephen Fratello 