Ben Carson: Bungling Surgeon

I haven't found that to be true. Perhaps being in a newsroom keeps me more plugged in.

 

Plus, once your kids reach a certain age, you might think you're plugged in, but time and again they're gonna prove you wrong.

 

I wish I didn't so easily acquire such useless knowledge. It's a curse to know so much that means so little.

 

It doesn't really amaze me. I remember a poll being done years ago when a very high percentage couldn't even name the Vice President of the United States.

 

There's a difference (sometimes) between obliviousness and stupidity.

 

It doesn't take that much effort at all.

 

Or just being from another culture. You could line up Tiger Woods, LeBron James and Aaron Rodgers (in full uniform) in front of my wife and she would know none of them. Sports-wise, she could recognize maybe two dozen tennis players and Peyton Manning, of course.

Yet she loves Pat Boone (seriously), learned English because of the Beatles and has read everything Mark Twain ever wrote. She knows the works of classical composers I've never even heard of. She despises Victoria Nuland, Hillary Clinton and John McCain.

Neither of us could name a rap song produced in the past 10 years.

We're all in our own bubbles.

 

Sustained ignorance requires some work.

 

At my age, the work is already done. Experience tells me I want nothing to do with, say, ESPN. So I cancel the channel. Done and done.

 

There's so much to know now, though. I think way more people have checked out in 2015 than had in, say, 1985. Or even 1995. Right now, the following shows get air play in our house: Sports. "Tom and Jerry." "Garfield." "Sophia the First."

That's it.

 

I missed the MTV era in its entirety after I had kids. Well, except for ZZ Top's Sharp Dressed Man, of course.

 

Another pop culture phenomenon that I have no clue about are video games. There are several titles, I have no doubt, that our cultural touchtones of our time. And I've never heard of them.