Every few months, some researcher somewhere releases the results of a new survey or study that demonstrates yet again how astoundingly ignorant the average American is about, well, everything: science, history, politics, other countries, and especially our own country. I never quite know what to think about these surveys. On a good day, it seems impossible to me that my fellow citizens can be so stupid, that the surveys must be biased, or filled with poorly worded questions that lead the subjects too much. Then there are other days when my grumpy-old-mannish tendencies are ascendant and it’s all too easy to believe that we ‘muricans are a bunch of hopelessly myopic rubes obsessed with sex, celebrity, consumer goods, and religion (these days often coincide with elections, oddly enough).

Earlier this week, political blogger Kevin Drum made note of yet another one of these surveys, this one conducted annually by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, on which “fewer than a third of the 2,500 randomly selected test takers managed to score higher than 60%.” Kevin included a link to the test itself, so naturally I had to click on over there and experience for myself this brutally difficult thing that so few otherwise fully functional adults could manage to pass.

Not to brag or anything, but I scored 93%, based on correctly answering 31 out of 33 questions. And the two I missed were both “Doh! How could I get those wrong!” types of things.

Now, I honestly don’t consider my all that smart or well-informed, so I am utterly flabbergasted by all the results of this survey. And also more than a little scared. Especially terrifying is the chart of “additional findings,” which indicates that, as poorly as the average citizen did on this test, our elected officials — the ones who are running the country and thus, presumably, know a thing or two about it — did worse in most categories. For years, our society has been playing up the “ordinary joe-ness” of our politicians, voting for the guys we’d most like to have over for a barbecue, and sneering at intellectual “elites.” It looks like we’ve gotten what we’ve been asking for.

One more little serving of food for thought: the aforementioned Kevin points out that “[o]ther ISI findings, by the way, include these: the more education you have, the better you do; it doesn’t matter much what kind of university you went to, whether you go to church, or what your politics are; watching lots of TV is bad for your score; and reading lots of history is good for your score.” All of which ought to be obvious, I suppose…

It was nice this afternoon, unseasonably warm, and I’ve been feeling antsy all day because a bout of insomnia last night completely hosed my ability to focus, so I decided to walk down to the local bookstore during my lunch and pick up something I’ve been meaning to buy for a while. I’m used to encountering homeless people and/or eccentrics along the way, but I rarely take note of what they’re doing unless they’re somehow threatening.

Today, however, I couldn’t help but do a double-take at the sixty-something guy in a bright blue parka who was standing in the middle of the sidewalk, his face tilted up toward the sky, arms straight out as he spun himself around and around in a tight circle, like a toddler who’s just figured out how to make themselves dizzy. If you’ve been reading this blog for any time at all, I’m sure you know what he reminded me of:

I watched the guy for a couple of minutes, but he never did transform into his superhero identity. He must’ve forgotten a vital step…

This is an unexpected pleasure: Jaquandor, who recently re-entered the blogging fray after a few months off, has bestowed upon me the “I Love This Blog” award:

He calls Simple Tricks “a terrific geek blog” and says that yours truly “writes a lot of well-considered opinion on topics wide and sundry.”

In all sincerity, thanks, man. I’m honored to think that my silly little rantings here provide someone I don’t even really know with some entertainment value and/or food for thought. One thing I find interesting, though: I don’t really think of this as a “geek blog.” I just write about whatever happens to be on my mind when I find the time to write. Which I suppose says quite a bit about me, doesn’t it? Oh, well… we should all accept who we are, I guess.

Anyway, this prize comes with certain obligations:

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