Otterblog

Repeat after me:

Homer. Marge. Bart. Lisa. Maggie.
Religion. Speech. Press. Assembly. Petition.

We carried a funny little story today that said Americans are more likely to be able to name members of the Simpson cartoon family than the freedoms spelled out in the

.

Is that really surprising? Quick. Name the four Beatles. Now name the four presidents on

(answers at the end.)

It’s easy to view this as yet another sign of American boorishness, but I think the lesson is a bit more subtle. Knowledge is power, but it’s also currency, and we know what we think is worth knowing and has value to others. For better or for worse, apparently most people think a working knowledge of an animated sitcom is more valuable than a working knowledge of the Bill of Rights.

But the truth is that it doesn’t have to be either/or. We have big brains, and ideally we should know about the Constitution and the Simpsons, the Beatles and Mount Rushmore, Hip Hop and Hiroshima. The counter argument is that one group represents enduring American values and history and the other is just music and culture, fads and fashion. Yes and no. At some point, culture that matters changes history.

Answers: From left to right, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln