Well, lets see, the Simpsons comes on twice a day, and most Americans have dealt with the Constitution sense college or high school.
American Idol comes on three times a week. And people are bombarded with commercials with this info as well. I'm not sure the average American needs to be able to state these are the 5 freedoms in the first amendment, I think they need to know that those freedoms are part of the constitution, and they may be part of various amendments. But can you off the top of your head tell me what the 9th amendment is? > -----Original Message----- > From: Larry C. Lyons [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Friday, March 03, 2006 11:22 AM > To: CF-Community > Subject: americans know more about American Idol and the Simpsons than the > First Amendment > > I'm not sure whether this is sad or pathetic. > http://www.antiwrap.com/?912 > > NOTED WITH INTEREST > > Friday, March 3, 2006; A15 > > If life were a university, Americans would do better majoring in > popular culture than in history, a survey released this week shows. > > The McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum poll found that Americans' > knowledge of television shows such as "The Simpsons" and "American > Idol" far surpasses their familiarity with the First Amendment. > > Only one of the 1,000 adults polled in the telephone survey could name > all five freedoms guaranteed under the First Amendment. Yet more than > one in five (22 percent) could identify all five major characters in > Matt Groening's cartoon family. > > Similarly, only 8 people in 100 could name at least three First > Amendment freedoms. Four in 10 surveyed (40 percent) could name two of > the three judges on the star-making show "American Idol," and one in > four (25 percent) could name all three. > > "These survey results clearly demonstrate that many Americans don't > have an understanding of the freedoms they regularly enjoy," Dave > Anderson, the Chicago museum's executive director, said in a written > statement. > > The new museum, which will open its doors in April, wants to help > people understand their constitutional freedoms, especially those > protected by the First Amendment. There is a lot of work to do. > > Survey respondents wrongly said that the First Amendment guarantees > rights to own and raise pets (21 percent), to drive (20 percent) and > of women to vote (36 percent). The first two are not rights at all, > and women's suffrage was not enshrined in the Constitution until > ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. > > Grab your pen. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech, the > press, and religion, as well as the rights to peacefully assemble and > to petition the government for a redress of grievances. > > The survey was conducted Jan. 20-22 by Synovate, a research firm, and > had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points. > > -- Christopher Lee > > -- > Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; > and he betrays instead of serving you if he sacrifices it to your > opinion. > > Edmond Burke > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:198854 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
