CULTIVATED IGNORANCE

A UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR who’d lived in Chico for nearly two decades, held on to a lilting Australian accent even after all those years. As a young teen, I figured his affectation helped win the hearts of co-eds in the classroom, later adding to that thought, “and perhaps other places.” My mother felt his voice should have assimilated into the melting pot long ago. “Oh, he works at keeping it. He just has a cultivated accent.”


AT A COMMISSION MEETING for a rural California county, members were asked to approve actions that would support “Smart Growth.” The idea revolves around building communities with more efficient transportation networks, walking paths, bike trails; encouraging use of recycled and renewable materials; and encouraging the development of “Green” industries. The commission was unanimous. They voted it down. “Too much bureaucracy,” one stated. “Loss of local control,” stated another. “Global warming is a myth,” said a third.

It can be argued that it was prudent for these guys to be wary of change. Too frequently our legislative bodies respond what's couched as an urgent need only to end up with a solution that is worse than the problem. That said, however, it is not okay, in the face of mounting evidence, for a public representative to make decisions based upon cultivated ignorance. i.e.: "Global warming is a myth."


CULTIVATED IGNORANCE is something one ‘works at’ by being selective about that which the individual allows to influence his thinking. It breeds in people who are unwilling to change the radio dial, pick up a book or read a newspaper. Folks who get all of their news and information from the Internet are easily infected, too. Typically, folks suffering from C I aren’t in too great a rush to hear the other side of the argument.

Individuals and companies that benefit from the status quo are fans of Cultivated Ignorance. These entities know that if they can convince Joe the Plumber that climate change is a myth, regulation is bad, universal health care will kill grandma, and that tax money is always wasted, Joe will vote against his own and his community’s own best interest. And the wealth will continue to flow.

Just not to Joe. Joe will develop cancer or diabetes. His kid: asthma. Gas will continue to get more expensive. The summer droughts longer; the winter weather weirder and more severe. And the cops may not show up when Joe needs ‘em.


THE CURE FOR CULTIVATED IGNORANCE comes to a well-educated society in the form of scientific research; thoughtful, reasoned discussion; personal introspection absent – if just for moments – those influences that stand to gain from maintenance of the status quo; and a willingness to see change as opportunity.

We do need to take actions locally to stem the impact of our way of life on the planet’s natural systems. Such actions may not be beneficial to those to whom the wealth currently flows, but the eco-system doesn't really give a crap about who has money and who does not. Neither should we, because that’s one thing that probably isn't going to change.

But we should collectively care for our eco-system, which will change. And is.