We are living in the era of mediocrity, and we got here

[RockRaven]

1. While I think there are decent arguments that "both sides" are not equal in this regard,

Last edited Sun Jun 14, 2026, 12:01 AM - Edit history (1)

there is a general/broad embracing of ignorance, superstition, and anti-intellectualism in American life which is longstanding and transcends partisan affiliation, although it appears to be worsening over the past few decades and some particularly ugly and dangerous strains certainly have partisan political identity.

While numbers vary by source/survey, a commonly cited recent figure is that 40% of US adults have not acquired or read a single book in the past year, and that 20% of readers account for 80% of book consumption, with the middle 40% accounting for the other 20% of books. And while book purchasing is not the end all be all of measuring it, "living a life of the mind" is certainly a minority position in the US presently.