Going the way of the Edsel is ... literacy.  ("What's that?" most Americans might ask.)  Columnist Chris Hedges put out a very pithy ("what's that?") essay in November 2008 entitled "America the Illiterate," in which he made the point that the country is not divided along liberal or conservative lines ... the real division is literacy.

Some Americans still know how to read, and use this skill to collect information from which they create opinions and further develop their critical thinking and observations.  But most Americans prefer happy illusions (fed to them by a gigantic media propaganda machine) over knowledge or the arduous task of building knowledge.  Says Hedges: "We confuse how we feel with knowledge."

Awash in a sea of images and slogans, the illiterate like to frequent fast-food restaurants where they can order from pictures rather than menus.  They are also hostages to brands.  Advertising leads them to believe they are deserving, invincible, superior ... "All we have to do is visualize what we want, believe in ourselves and summon those hidden inner resources, whether divine or national, that make the world confrm to our desires.  Reality is never an impediment to our advancement."  Hedges calls it a "post-literate world" in which ideas with grist are replaced with entertainment, unmooring huge segments of the population from reality.  The most famous person of the 18th century was Voltaire ("Huh? Who's he?") ... the most famous person today is Mickey Mouse.  To read the full essay (if you can), click here.