March 1, 2006

Rights vs Pop Culture

Good news for the Fox Network.

    Americans apparently know more about "The Simpsons" than they do about the First Amendment.

    A new survey shows more than one in five Americans could name all five Simpson family members -- but, only one in 1,000 people could name all five First Amendment freedoms.

    And, more people could name the three "American Idol" judges than identify three First Amendment rights.


If only those rights, through an aggressive syndication program, were on TV 5 times a day for nigh 20 years.

... oh, being funnier would help too.

Education Posted by AlexC at March 1, 2006 2:20 PM

They will never let Senator McCain take away Lisa -- but free speech? Who cares?

Posted by: jk at March 1, 2006 3:32 PM

But it's not just about being "funnier." Pop culture values vapidity and escapism. The Constitution is only for "dead historical dudes" in the minds of those like "Bill and Ted."

Posted by: johngalt at March 1, 2006 3:33 PM

I'll confess, I got all the Simpsons and only four freedoms. I had to look up "to petition the government for a redress of grievances." To be fair, five seems hard.

I get extra points for knowing zero American Idol judges.

Posted by: jk at March 1, 2006 3:46 PM | What do you think? [3]