Pictures vs. Words for the Uneducated

Although I have much more respect for Hedges argument than I did for Carrs’ I still feel like there is something missing from their arguments.  Maybe it’s because I am an educated student who doesn’t like the feeling of being talked to like a 10 year old but I don’t think Hedges gives any credit to the educated.  He makes the argument that “Hamlet” can be as entertaining as “The Lion King.”  However true that may be, it isn’t a fair playing field—he’s comparing to completely different types of media from different centuries.  I’m not sure about the rest of society but as an adult I’m not really looking toward Disney to give me my educational information.  Disney is an entertainment business…BUSINESS.  They create things to catch consumer’s attention.

Now I completely get why Hedges is making the argument that America relies heavily on what people tell them rather than what they think.  It was obvious in the Obama election that there were quite a few people who had no idea is Obama was a Republican or a Democrat but because he is black they voted for him regardless.  That is the sad part about our society that some are so easily swayed by a few flowery words and pretty pictures, but that’s only some of us.  Hedges says that the illiterate don’t vote because they aren’t educated enough to know what is going on.   But in all honesty although I understand a majority of what politics are talking about I would never be able to sit through hearing or reading all about every complicated word about policy.  I think it would be extremely difficult.  It’s not because I’m illiterate that I wouldn’t be able to read it, it because its not interesting to me to know every detail, as long as I understand the main point I think that is enough.  Isn’t that what the politicians are trying to do, make it easier for those who don’t have the means to be educated.  So although a lot of the population isn’t educated, the real problem isn’t blaming them for being tricked by pictures—the real problem is the society around them, that doesn’t help them to get an actual education.