Attack ads, slogans, and sound bytes harm because they obscure. Climate change, cyber warfare, and economic recessions cannot be explained in a few words. Conflicts in Syria and Ukraine pit al-Qaeda and different ethnic groups into an alphabet of amorphous foes. They require a more intelligent probing than is found in a few celebrity-studded newscasts.

The new world order requires a citizenry that thinks.

The Nazis came to power in Germany in a society of educated, middle class citizens. An unsuccessful war and economic problems led a significant proportion of the population to look for simple solutions like blaming Jews. Instead they might have examined issues like the world wide recession and its effects on Germany. They might have found a way to deal with the heavy debt placed on the country by the treaty that ended World War I. Instead, they allowed themselves to be caught in the hyper nationalism championed by the Nazis.

Start thinking with this article. Based on a study, it asks if the United States can still claim to be a democracy.