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Themes Of The Dumbing-Down Of America

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The U.S.’ prison population has increased by 500% from 1972 to 2003, accounting for a rise of 200,000 incarcerated persons to over 2,000,000, which is significantly higher than other developed countries. Growth in this population according to Mauer seems to be fueled by periods of rising crime rates, which the media loves to distort and blow out of proportion in order to instill fear in its citizens. Rather than addressing more important issues such as the underlying causes of crime, the media plays on its viewers’ fear by focusing on news such as gang violence, shootings, and drug activity. This reflects one of Mauer’s themes, the ‘dumbing-down of America’, where due to the controlling educational system, obedient media, and oppression; Americans

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