Watching America features a translation of Tomasz Zalewski's "Appalling Ignorance of Americans." We're always a little surprised by -- and, honestly, disgusted with -- people who can't hold their own governments accountable. We are citizens of the United States and, week after week, we call out occupants of the White House, members of Congress, you name it.
Five years ago, as John Howard did his best to destroy Australia, we were appalled by Australian bloggers who religiously devoured US newspapers daily as they attempted to post one post after another calling out Bully Boy Bush when they should have been patrolling their own leadership. The easiest way in the world to pose as 'brave' is to trash another country's government while staying silent about your own.
We have a similar reaction to people who want to sneer "stupid!" at entire members of another country. Hatred is an ugly quality.
So is ignorance.
Americans are stupid, Zalewski wants you to know and then goes on to 'document' his findings via Republican politicians. Not only is this stupid -- we can do the same with Polish politicians -- but it's dishonest. The only stupid politicians, Zalewski wants to inform you, are Republicans. But if the issue is ignorance of the US by US citizens, there's no better example than Barack Obama who, in 2008, famously claimed to have visited all 57 states in the United States. (There are 50 states in the US.)
We'd assume a measure Zalewski might be familiar with is Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index. The 2010 PFI found the US at 20th and Poland at 32. As a journalist, you'd think Zalewski would stop wasting time on the US and start focusing on his own country in an attempt to increase their PFI.
But it's so much easier to call others "stupid," right?
We're Americans. We're not stupid enough to assume Zalewski speaks for everyone in Poland which is why we've directed our comments soley to him and to his cowardice.