#989: "If Ignorance is Bliss . . ."

The 18th century poet Thomas Gray (best known for his An Elegy Written in a Country Church Yard, one of the most admired of all English lyric poems) is responsible for the oft-quoted aphorism [or is it an epigram?], Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise. President Thomas Jefferson embellished that quotation with one of his own when he said, If ignorance is bliss, why aren't more people happy? — a line that British comedy writers John Lloyd and John Mitchinson co-opted for the title of their recent anthology of quotations which carries the subtitle Quotes For Quite Interesting Times. Of late, Jefferson’s version of Grey’s bon mot has been whirling about in my brain. What is the cause? It has far more to do with politics than poetry. How so? Well, while contemplating the horrifying and very real possibility that we may well be on the brink of losing our democratic republic to a motley mob of ignoramuses, who are in turn being led by Shakespeare’s favorite idiot (“. . . full of sound and fury signifying nothing”) I find myself wondering how it is that so much blissful ignorance hasn’t led to utter elation if not just plain happiness?

Amongst the professional Republican political class (a majority of whom support the candidacy of Donald Trump in public, while “praying before the porcelain god” [i.e. retching into the toilet in private], they are fueled not by the bliss of ignorance, but rather by a cowardice born of abject fear. And that fear is? That if they quit remaining on his good side (even though they find him to be a disgusting excuse for a human being . . . let alone the so-called “Leader of the Free World”) their careers will quickly vanish. I for one cannot imagine how they live with themselves, let alone how they sleep at night. Have they forgotten all the nasty names and nasty truths they said about the Donald before he became POTUS and in the days just after January 6? Haven’t they spine enough to turn their backs on a man who has called them every nasty name in the book? How can so many self-professed patriotic men and women of G-d support an individual who has time and again broken (let alone publicly spit upon) the most basic tenets of their faith? It’s not the bliss of ignorance; it is the selective pusillanimity of craven jellyfish. (I urge Joe Biden’s team to dust off the video clips of various Republicans speaking oh so truthfully about Donald Trump back in 2015 and 2016 and using them in political ads in 2024.

So much for all the professional MAGAites; what of all that vast collective Hillary Clinton referred to as “The Deplorables”? What fuels their unswerving loyalty to a man who makes Benedict Arnold look like a paragon of patriotic political virtue? Are they so blissfully ignorant of how very little Donald Trump thinks of them; of how truly disgusting he finds them, of how very little he has added to their lives or that the only things he demands of them are fealty and funds? To Donald’s loyal base he is the bully they always wished they could have been; the dude who can say what he wants, do as he pleases and get away virtually everything. And to top it all off, Trump’s richer than Croesus (even if they don’t know who in the hell he was or how to pronounce his name . . . kree-suhs) and far more entertaining than Joe Biden. Because of where they get their news and views from (FOX, Breitbart, Newsmax and Right Side Broadcasting Network (RSBN) to name but a few, they are predisposed to believing in virtually every conspiracy they see or hear. As a result, they firmly believe that Donald Trump is both the ultimate victim, and the ultimate redemption. Their total ignorance should bring them ultimate elation; instead, it makes them as angry, miserable, bigoted and victimized as history’s most tyrannized cult.

Is it any wonder that culturally and politically speaking the United States (“US”) is as bipolar as at anytime since the Civil War?

The "bliss of ignorance” has also begun showing up on some of the nation’s most prestigious colleges and universities. The other day, a dear friend and student - my "Pal Al” - emailed me the following video capture. If you are able, please take look. It will absolutely blow your mind as to how very, very little supposedly educated young people know about the the war between Israel and Hamas:

The fact that these newly-minted college graduates - who have closed down the very universities from which they should be donning caps and gowns - is both stunning and as frightening as hell. Where in the world did they get their “knowledge” and talking points? How can it be that they are shouting out anti-Israel slogans without knowing the geographic spots to which they refer, or having not an iota of understanding that not one Islamic kingdom or country has lifted a finger to help the Palestinians? They are being purposely swathed in the bliss of ignorance, so that they may do the bidding of the enemies of freedom, democracy and hope.

As I finish writing this piece, there are approximately 160 days and 5 hours before the November election. It feels like a long time until then, but it is not. The clock keeps ticking down. Remember to do everything in your power to make knowledge - not ignorance - the blissful component of democracy.