I have not read the Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act.
I’d be more ashamed of myself if I weren’t quite certain that I’m not even close to being alone. It would be an overly generous estimate to say that 1 in 1000 people have read it in full. In fact, I’d be willing to wager that less than 1 in 100 people have even read the entirety of the 42 page, 12,967 word Wikipedia synopsis, let alone the 906 pages that make up the full document. For anyone interested in something to help them fall asleep, here is the full Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act in PDF form. After after having simply scanned it, frankly, I’d be surprised if even 20% of our elected officials have read this document in its entirety.
We are easily fooled.
During the last election, critics desiring to claim that the law was overly complex were able to say the document was 2400 pages long without anyone so much as raising an eyebrow. The number was repeated over and over again in letters to editors and even openly displayed on political websites. The fact that this number is wrong and that the real number is 906 is of little consequence. I would think 906 pages is large enough to argue it’s complexity, but apparently not. And the unsuspecting American population just nods their heads up and down, accepting these lies as truth.
I have watched, over and over again these past few days, my friends and family members argue with great passion the good or evil of “Obamacare.” I have read the vitriolic strings knowing full well that most of my friends have never read a non-partisan breakdown of the law, that they have not taken the time to read anything in depth in order to form their own opinion. In fact, I know that most of them are simply reacting to headlines and well crafted soundbites. Democrats and Republicans alike are simply parrots of the media outlets that confirm their own biases.
[pq align=right]It appears to me that what we have come to value in our country is the appearance of knowledge, not actual knowledge.[/pq] Our elected officials know we aren’t really doing our research. They understand that if they say “Affordable Health Care Act” they will get one reaction from the population, and if they say “Obamacare” they will get a completely different reaction. We’re putty in their hands. Skits like this one illustrate just how silly we look sometimes.
Most of the time I’m reading these arguments and I feel like I’m watching two wannabe music experts argue about whether Stairway To Heaven is the greatest rock song in history, when it’s clear that neither of them have actually listened to it. One of them appears to have read a review in Rolling Stone magazine and the other a sermon by Jerry Falwell. It’s sometimes humorous. It’s more often sad.
I keep hoping that a version of Will Hunting will appear in one of these streams, lay down a verbal beating and say, “do you have any thoughts of your own on this matter?” The scene in the Harvard bar, where Matt Damon’s character schools the grad student on the evolution of market economies in the Southern colonies is one of my favorites.
I stay out of most of these conversations mainly because I recognize my own ignorance. I’ve not done my homework. All I have is media soundbites. I’m not a fan of arguing from a position of disinformation. And often, that is the position in which I find myself. I can make any number of excuses for why. That’s not relevant. The first step toward correcting this problem on a large scale is to recognize that the meaning of being informed has shifted dramatically. And then do something about it.
“[The Media] is altering the meaning of ‘being informed’ by creating a species of information that might properly be called disinformation,” Neil Postman wrote. “Disinformation does not mean false information. It means misleading information – misplaced, irrelevant, fragmented or superficial information – information that creates the illusion of knowing something, but which in fact leads one away from knowing.”
If you think this is relegated to the political news, you’re wrong. I get the same feeling reading the ongoing debates over listing syndication in the real estate industry. It’s painfully obvious when a comment stream is dominated by people parroting the soundbites of their real estate media outlet of choice. The scale is smaller, but the results are the same.
It’s long past time for us to come to value knowing something over the illusion of knowing something.
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Featured image: Some rights reserved by Ian Muttoo
Jeff sad but true!
Socratic wisdom: knowing that you don’t know. Great stuff Jeff.
And it speaks to the gross deception that authoritative attitudes are when we know they are parroting talking points from derivative sources with dubious agendas.
Very well written Jeff! I can only hope that many people read this & then begin to do their “Own” research & not rely on the media to interpret this for them.
It’s frustrating that we are presented with 906 pages to review with no apparent say in the matter. I think sometimes the frustrations voiced be people are more frustrations with the “not being able to know” that are simply voiced about what they do know – media sound or video or text bites. I don’t think most people have the time, ability, or knowledge to read and understand the act.
I have read and tried to understand the portions that directly affect our little business. Not just me, but also the 10 people that work with me who are going to be affected whether I do anything or not. We are trying to understand the best way to offer some programs and some knowledge to our team and it is quite frustrating. Just the trying is frustrating.
Jeff, lay it down. Don’t tell me what you think of the act – you have said you won’t and I don’t think anyone expects you to read it and offer a 1 page summary. But what do you think we as small business owners should do right now with what we have?
Confused, frustrated, and trying in Valencia.
Good word, Jeff. At times, “I don’t know” can be the most intelligent, important thing one can say. Politically, socially and spiritually. Maybe you saw this recent clip from the Jimmy Kimmel Show: http://youtu.be/sx2scvIFGjE
Jeff…once again, spot on. Clearly “we” are the root of the problem. We have accepted sound bite media which has only exacerbated our polarization. I think we’d all do well to eat a little humble pie, acknowledge our knowledge gap and just listen to the perspective of the other side for while.
I read the bill after it was passed in the House….in toto. While some features sound desirable, the mandatory participation and subsidies immediately turned me off.
More importantly, the implementation is not following the letter of the law. This begets the obvious question; why WOULD anyone read it?
I think the obvious question is; why isn’t there a bi-partisan, approved synopsis readily available for consumption? Is wikipedia the only option?
I’m trying. Trying to understand the ACA (I think the term “Obamacare” is hurtful for both proponents and opponents of the law) is nearly impossible, but I’m trying, and I acknowledge that I don’t have the time to read or understand the law. The only ones who’ve read it are likely the ones who are paid to read and write it – the lobbyists. That’s the new American way.
I find that among the best (only) ways I can learn is to engage in healthy conversations and debates with friends/contacts with whom I disagree as that forces both of us to support/defend our positions. I’m not necessarily opposed to health care, but I’m opposed to incompetence and waste and corruption.
I don’t know. I know and acknowledge that, but I’m trying to learn. The more I learn the more I’m convinced that We aren’t supposed to know.
Jim, I feel similarly, and I’m quite certain there are powers that love to keep us as uninformed as possible and so that they can feed us soundbites in the place of real knowledge. We are quite content with the junk food.
Somewhere I read a poll result saying that people didn’t want to take the time to do the research, that it was burdensome. And then there were comparisons to how much time people take when deciding on what car to purchase or what refrigerator to buy. These results were telling, because no one seems to mind doing that kind of research. People keep complaining about the politicians and how disrespectful they are to each other (and yes, they are). I find them to be a reflection, or a microcosm of how the general population has grown to react. For me, it always goes back to critical thinking. Excellent piece, JT.