The Constitution as Hot Topic
I’d like to call attention to this quote from a recent Kuro5hin article: “Whether you agree with Bush’s stance on the issue of homosexual marriage or not, the fact that the constitutional process is being discussed by citizens across the country can only be a good thing.” Nevermind the rest of the article. I’m more interested in challenging (read: cynically whining about) the common notion that current events like these educate people about civics or constitutional law and therefore have a useful function all their own.
Now, I realize that irreverent college students prone to sarcasm are a poor sample of the citizenry, so my personal experience may be atypical. But the marriage amendment proposal has moved neither me, nor anyone I know, to discuss - say - ratification requirements or the poll tax. I know exactly as much about the constitution today as I learned in high school, and I suspect (probably for worse) that it will stay that way indefinitely.
Remember how, after the 2000 presidential election, people claimed that the Florida recount was teaching children about the nuances of the electoral process. How many of those kids do you think can explain the “electrical college” today?
