The Lack Of Cognitive Reasoning In The United States
The television hums
like a drunk uncle
who won’t go home.
Everybody’s got an opinion
nobody’s got a book.
They scroll—
thumbs twitching
like lab rats
waiting for sugar pellets
of outrage.
How bad has it become?
Bad enough that a headline
is a gospel
and a meme
is a diploma.
Bad enough that a man
can shout into a glowing rectangle
and be crowned king
by breakfast.
We don’t read the fine print—
we don’t read
period.
We argue with ghosts,
with avatars,
with the echo
of our own thin certainty.
How did it get this way?
Comfort.
Speed.
The lie that louder means smarter.
Schools teaching tests.
Politicians selling fear
in bulk.
Corporations monetizing distraction
like it’s corn syrup
for the brain.
We traded patience
for immediacy.
Depth
for dopamine.
And now we wonder
why the well is dry.
How unqualified to vote
are the minimum percentage
of people now?
That’s the wrong question.
The Constitution doesn’t hand out IQ tests
at the ballot box.
Democracy is built
on equal voice—
not equal brilliance.
Some people don’t know
how a bill becomes a law.
Some people don’t know
what a tariff is.
Some don’t know
who their governor is.
But ignorance
isn’t owned by one tribe.
It’s bipartisan.
It’s profitable.
It’s encouraged.
The better question is—
How many of us
are too tired to care?
How many
confuse confidence
with competence?
How many
would rather win an argument
than understand it?
The bar is still open.
The ballots still print.
The screens still glow
at 2 a.m.
And somewhere
under the static,
under the slogans
and the shouting,
there’s still a mind
capable of quiet thought—
if it can survive
the noise.
Post Comments
Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.
Please
Login
to post a comment
Turn off ads, get more exposure for your poetry, and get more features with a
Premium Membership.
