Profiles in Ignorance: How America's Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber
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- Author：Andy Borowitz
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Summary
Andy Borowitz， “one of the funniest people in America” （CBS Sunday Morning）， brilliantly examines the intellectual deterioration of American politics， from Ronald Reagan to Dan Quayle， from George W。 Bush to Sarah Palin， to its apotheosis in Donald J。 Trump。
The winner of the first-ever National Press Club award for humor， Andy Borowitz has been called a “Swiftian satirist” （The Wall Street Journal） and “one of the country’s finest satirists” （The New York Times）。 Millions of fans and New Yorker readers enjoy his satirical news column “The Borowitz Report。” Now， in Profiles in Ignorance， he offers a witty， spot-on diagnosis of our country’s political troubles by showing how ignorant leaders are degrading， embarrassing， and endangering our nation。
Borowitz argues that over the past fifty years， American politicians have grown increasingly allergic to knowledge， and mass media have encouraged the election of ignoramuses by elevating candidates who are better at performing than thinking。 Starting with Ronald Reagan’s first campaign for governor of California in 1966 and culminating with the election of Donald J。 Trump to the White House， Borowitz shows how， during the age of twenty-four-hour news and social media， the US has elected politicians to positions of great power whose lack of the most basic information is terrifying。 In addition to Reagan， Quayle， Bush， Palin， and Trump， Borowitz covers a host of congresspersons， senators， and governors who have helped lower the bar over the past five decades。
Profiles in Ignorance aims to make us both laugh and cry: laugh at the idiotic antics of these public figures， and cry at the cataclysms these icons of ignorance have caused。 But most importantly， the book delivers a call to action and a cause for optimism: History doesn’t move in a straight line， and we can change course if we act now。
The winner of the first-ever National Press Club award for humor， Andy Borowitz has been called a “Swiftian satirist” （The Wall Street Journal） and “one of the country’s finest satirists” （The New York Times）。 Millions of fans and New Yorker readers enjoy his satirical news column “The Borowitz Report。” Now， in Profiles in Ignorance， he offers a witty， spot-on diagnosis of our country’s political troubles by showing how ignorant leaders are degrading， embarrassing， and endangering our nation。
Borowitz argues that over the past fifty years， American politicians have grown increasingly allergic to knowledge， and mass media have encouraged the election of ignoramuses by elevating candidates who are better at performing than thinking。 Starting with Ronald Reagan’s first campaign for governor of California in 1966 and culminating with the election of Donald J。 Trump to the White House， Borowitz shows how， during the age of twenty-four-hour news and social media， the US has elected politicians to positions of great power whose lack of the most basic information is terrifying。 In addition to Reagan， Quayle， Bush， Palin， and Trump， Borowitz covers a host of congresspersons， senators， and governors who have helped lower the bar over the past five decades。
Profiles in Ignorance aims to make us both laugh and cry: laugh at the idiotic antics of these public figures， and cry at the cataclysms these icons of ignorance have caused。 But most importantly， the book delivers a call to action and a cause for optimism: History doesn’t move in a straight line， and we can change course if we act now。
Reviews
Caroline
，
I liked it and should be recommended reading。 Took me awhile to get thru it only because it's hard to digest so much ignorance in one place。 Fortunately saved by Borowitz's dry， sardonic comments liberally interspersed。 （no pun intended？） I liked it and should be recommended reading。 Took me awhile to get thru it only because it's hard to digest so much ignorance in one place。 Fortunately saved by Borowitz's dry， sardonic comments liberally interspersed。 （no pun intended？） 。。。more
Sharon
，
My favorite political satirist is at it again。 He provides references for all his "accusations"。 How many of our presidents and vice presidents have not read a book since college？ seldom read briefings？ did not know how government worked？ did not manifest the ability to think critically？ barely made it through college？ My favorite political satirist is at it again。 He provides references for all his "accusations"。 How many of our presidents and vice presidents have not read a book since college？ seldom read briefings？ did not know how government worked？ did not manifest the ability to think critically？ barely made it through college？ 。。。more
Jerry Wall
，
Chronology of practices leading from intelligence to dumber and then， finally， dumbest。Working through ridicule first， then acceptance， then celebration of lack of smarts。Some in the public arena take pride in not knowing much about the world except thatthere are enemies out there to be feared and people to call them out （though they don't exist）and we can improve the world with violence apparently。One convincing squib is that the best story prevails usually。 Chronology of practices leading from intelligence to dumber and then， finally， dumbest。Working through ridicule first， then acceptance， then celebration of lack of smarts。Some in the public arena take pride in not knowing much about the world except thatthere are enemies out there to be feared and people to call them out （though they don't exist）and we can improve the world with violence apparently。One convincing squib is that the best story prevails usually。 。。。more
Nancy
，
I really enjoyed this book。 It was one of the funniest I've ever listened to or read， and it was accurate as I remember the comments of politicians from Eisenhower， who he respected and Adlai Stevenson who he did not， up until the most recent election deniers of our time。 It was frightening to observe how low our expectations for leaders have become since the 1950s。 Borowitz divides this period of politics into three stages in terms of the knowledge we require of those we elect: （1） Ridicule whe I really enjoyed this book。 It was one of the funniest I've ever listened to or read， and it was accurate as I remember the comments of politicians from Eisenhower， who he respected and Adlai Stevenson who he did not， up until the most recent election deniers of our time。 It was frightening to observe how low our expectations for leaders have become since the 1950s。 Borowitz divides this period of politics into three stages in terms of the knowledge we require of those we elect: （1） Ridicule when woefully ignorant statements resulted in career-ending rejection by voters; （2） Acceptance when those mutterings were tolerated and even favorably viewed， and finally。。。（3） Celebration where we now appear to prefer politicians who are clueless or pretend to be。This book was laugh-out-loud funny and my husband couldn't understand why I was walking around smiling and exploding into giggles for two days。 But at the same time， this book is a wake-up call for all citizens to raise our standards and take action to elect people with the basic knowledge and honesty to govern。 He exhorts himself， and all of us， to become involved， especially in local elections， before it is too late and we lose our ability to govern ourselves through our representatives。 Borowitz uses satire with dazzling skill。 I recommend this book， either the print version or the audiobook， which he reads himself so effectively。 。。。more
NancyG
，
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Andy Borowitz read his well researched， engaging， funny while at the same time horrifying， deeply disturbing and disheartening exploration of the utter deterioration of intellect and civility in American politicians over the past several decades。 It is eye-opening and I have a much deeper understanding of how we got to the place we now find ourselves in 2022 where sheer ignorance and outright bullying are not considered impediments to electability， but rather as I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Andy Borowitz read his well researched， engaging， funny while at the same time horrifying， deeply disturbing and disheartening exploration of the utter deterioration of intellect and civility in American politicians over the past several decades。 It is eye-opening and I have a much deeper understanding of how we got to the place we now find ourselves in 2022 where sheer ignorance and outright bullying are not considered impediments to electability， but rather assets valued by many Americans who want a leader ‘just like us’。 。。。more
Rick Reitzug
，
A book that is both funny and frightening。 The author's analysis of our current and past political scene is deeper， scarier， and in some ways， funnier than I thought it would be。 His liberal bias is clearly evident but， with a few exceptions where he stretches things a bit， results in an accurate analysis。 An entertaining， but thought-provoking， book。 A book that is both funny and frightening。 The author's analysis of our current and past political scene is deeper， scarier， and in some ways， funnier than I thought it would be。 His liberal bias is clearly evident but， with a few exceptions where he stretches things a bit， results in an accurate analysis。 An entertaining， but thought-provoking， book。 。。。more
Murray
，
Andy Borowitz is a political humorist who can make you want to scream into the night while laughing hysterically at the same time。 He uses great wit and sharp turns of phrase to point out the many contradictions and flaws in the political world。 "Profiles in Ignorance" is a well-researched treatise that draws the connection from Reagan through Quayle。 George W Bush， Sarah Palin， and， ultimately Trump。 His theory is that ignorance and laziness used to be ridiculed in the eighties， accepted later Andy Borowitz is a political humorist who can make you want to scream into the night while laughing hysterically at the same time。 He uses great wit and sharp turns of phrase to point out the many contradictions and flaws in the political world。 "Profiles in Ignorance" is a well-researched treatise that draws the connection from Reagan through Quayle。 George W Bush， Sarah Palin， and， ultimately Trump。 His theory is that ignorance and laziness used to be ridiculed in the eighties， accepted later on， and ultimately celebrated in the more recent past。 Remove all of the humor （and there is a LOT of it） and you're still left with a very interesting narrative about the decline in our political system。 I would quote some of his funnier morsels but I don't want to give anything away。 Read this book for yourself！ 。。。more
Irene
，
This book is funny and eye opening and undoubtedly true as far as it goes。 And yet。。。 I wish the author had presented examples from both sides。 I felt beaten over the head with "people on the right are （mostly） stupid and ignorant， and people on the left are （mostly） intelligent and well read。"The author's theory about the rise of stupid politicians describes three stages: 1） Stage 1 politicians try to hide their stupidity， 2） Stage 2 politicians admit their intellectural shortcomings to show th This book is funny and eye opening and undoubtedly true as far as it goes。 And yet。。。 I wish the author had presented examples from both sides。 I felt beaten over the head with "people on the right are （mostly） stupid and ignorant， and people on the left are （mostly） intelligent and well read。"The author's theory about the rise of stupid politicians describes three stages: 1） Stage 1 politicians try to hide their stupidity， 2） Stage 2 politicians admit their intellectural shortcomings to show they are ordinary people just like us， and 3） Stage 3 politicians purposely appear stupid to get elected。 The author presents Donald Trump as the prime example of a Stage 3 politician。 But Donald Trump does NOT try to appear stupid。 Just the opposite。 He's a throwback to Stage 1。 I'm not sure how this validates the author's theory about how stupid politicians have multiplied， unless he switched from analyzing politicians' views to analyzing the voting public's views。 Maybe the general population has gotten stupider （I tend to agree）， but his three stages of acceptance don't support the premise。 People vote the way they do for a variety of reasons。 Smart people and stupid people exist on both sides of the aisle。 The author oversimplifies things by presenting virtually all Republicans as stupid but likeable， while presenting virtually all Democrats as smart but beset by bad luck， arrogance， or a hostile press。There are nuggets of truth in here， and I laughed out loud many times， but the biased presentation taints what could have been （dare I say it？） an intelligent analysis of recent political events。 。。。more
Pedro dos Santos
，
Whole book: 2。5 to three stars。 Reads like some funny bits pandering to progressives。Conclusion: 5 stars。 Some introspection and actionable steps。
Sally Bache
，
Perfect Halloween read … if this book doesn’t scare the bejesus out of you， nothing will
Eric
，
Pretty much pure screed - not the way to encourage civility in politics。 And it doesn't really work all that well as humor。 Pretty much pure screed - not the way to encourage civility in politics。 And it doesn't really work all that well as humor。 。。。more
Bev
，
Wonderful！
Margaret
，
Well written， well researched and funny！ Highly recommend。 I learned a lot！
Tammy
，
4。5 highly recommended
jeffrey
，
Hilarious and frightening。 Accounts of the three stages of ignorance in American politics， from Adlai Stevenson to Trump。 Where are we going from here？
Karen
，
Thank you Borowitz， for the satire that made me laugh out loud and commit Shakespeare-worthy insults to memory， even as you reminded me of the very painful decline of intellectual curiosity and rigor among pol’s and voters alike。 After laughing and groaning for a few hours， the conclusion is brief but still a balm。 What do we DO about it？ The key is to actually DO。 - Know the difference between political hobbyism and activism。 Noisy spectating might make us feel informed but to what end？ Being a Thank you Borowitz， for the satire that made me laugh out loud and commit Shakespeare-worthy insults to memory， even as you reminded me of the very painful decline of intellectual curiosity and rigor among pol’s and voters alike。 After laughing and groaning for a few hours， the conclusion is brief but still a balm。 What do we DO about it？ The key is to actually DO。 - Know the difference between political hobbyism and activism。 Noisy spectating might make us feel informed but to what end？ Being at a Super Bowl party is not the same thing as playing in the Super Bowl。 As Borowitz points out， only the latter will actually change the outcome。- Know that satire alone isn’t Fact。 But wow， this book has 50 pages of reputable citations。 No slacking here。 - Stop it already on the social media platforms。 Arguments on Facebook are not effective。 Real listening is required for the kind of effective （and affective， thank you voice2text） storytelling that changes minds。 We don’t truly LISTEN to new things online; we are either sitting in our own echo chamber， or we are just waiting to get to the end of someone else’s tirade so we can respond with our own。- Instead， get out and get down。 On the streets， on the ground。 Use the tools of democracy: Votes。 That’s how Stacy Abrams did it。 It’s also what made the overturn of Roe v。 Wade possible， and the empowerment of the NRA， and Biden‘s win in 2020– all because of getting out the vote， supporting the voters， going to town meetings， listening， relating。 Community works。 But we have jobs， kids， parents， and the next episode of She Hulk！ She Hulk isn’t coming to our rescue。 So how bad do you want it？ The one criticism I have of the book is that while it entertains and educates， by the end I was more tired than inspired。 。。。more
Ricardo Vladimiro
，
Profiles in Ignorance é um livro sobre o declínio da qualidade intelectual dos políticos norte-americanos。 Seria um livro de história profundamente aborrecido se não fosse escrito num tom satírico que oferece uma dose q。b。 de entretenimento。Borowitz defende que estamos na Idade da Ignorância e que para aqui chegarmos passámos por três fases。 O Ridículo é a primeira fase e inicia-se com Ronald Reagan que foi o primeiro presidente norte-americano abertamente anti-intelectual e que conquistou a opi Profiles in Ignorance é um livro sobre o declínio da qualidade intelectual dos políticos norte-americanos。 Seria um livro de história profundamente aborrecido se não fosse escrito num tom satírico que oferece uma dose q。b。 de entretenimento。Borowitz defende que estamos na Idade da Ignorância e que para aqui chegarmos passámos por três fases。 O Ridículo é a primeira fase e inicia-se com Ronald Reagan que foi o primeiro presidente norte-americano abertamente anti-intelectual e que conquistou a opinião pública mais pelo entretenimento na TV do que pela sua capacidade。 A segunda fase é a Aceitação em que ser-se abertamente ignorante passou a ser aceite num presidente， a saber George W。 Bush。 A fase final é a Celebração da rejeição dos factos e do seu conhecimento caracterizada， sem surpresas， por Donald Trump。Outros políticos norte-americanos， incluindo presidentes， não escapam。 Sarah Palin， Dan Quayle， Bill Clinton e Barack Obama são apontados como parte do problema。 Na verdade o único político relevante que tenho memória e que escapa é George Bush， versão pai。É um livro que se lê bem， pejado de factoides e disparates que permite grandes doses de riso e uma ligeira melhoria do conhecimento da história moderna dos EUA， mas nem por isso o aconselho a menos que tenhas muito interesse na política e/ou história deste país ou queiras umas graçolas e largas doses de sarcasmo， non-fiction style。 。。。more
James Dennis
，
As others have already noted， this book is both funny and scary。 I was looking forward to Andy's cutting satire and was not disappointed。 He gets better at it at the end， perhaps owing to the source material。 One of my favorite lines was: "When you start out with "Hitler got it right"， it's hard to stick the landing。" The best part， however， was the epilogue where he gives his opinion on his opinion and what Americans really need to do to end the possibility of him needing to write a sequel。 You As others have already noted， this book is both funny and scary。 I was looking forward to Andy's cutting satire and was not disappointed。 He gets better at it at the end， perhaps owing to the source material。 One of my favorite lines was: "When you start out with "Hitler got it right"， it's hard to stick the landing。" The best part， however， was the epilogue where he gives his opinion on his opinion and what Americans really need to do to end the possibility of him needing to write a sequel。 You should read it yourself; it was surprisingly inspirational。 。。。more
Ty
，
One of the best nonfiction books I’ve read in the last few years。 Alarming and hilarious while highlighting the stunning ignorance of some of our more prominent politicians over the last several decades。 Biggest takeaway…there’s a drastic difference between being “educated” and being “intellectually curious”。 The latter being way more important in determining how fit someone is to hold the highest offices of the land。
Mary Tarro
，
Thoroughly enjoyed。 Entertaining and informative。 Laughed out loud。
Tiffany
，
My housemates think I’m deranged after hearing me laugh while alone for days。 The wise conclusion was a surprise and much appreciated。
James Bretz
，
worth your time…Entertaining and， like the politicians covered， very， very funny。 Given where we are as a nation， there must be a Volume II and III。 It’s a target rich environment。
Nancy
，
I have enjoyed Borowitz' posts and a virtual event with him speaking about this book。 However biased， this book is fact-based and advances the idea that beginning with Reagan， the U。S。 presidents have become increasingly ignorant。 Borowitz defines the three stages of ignorance: Ridicule （Reagan）， Acceptance （Quayle， Bushes， Palin）， and Celebration （Trump）。 Some of the parallels between Reagan and Trump were new to me， and depressing。 The author also lampoons democrats: noting， among other things I have enjoyed Borowitz' posts and a virtual event with him speaking about this book。 However biased， this book is fact-based and advances the idea that beginning with Reagan， the U。S。 presidents have become increasingly ignorant。 Borowitz defines the three stages of ignorance: Ridicule （Reagan）， Acceptance （Quayle， Bushes， Palin）， and Celebration （Trump）。 Some of the parallels between Reagan and Trump were new to me， and depressing。 The author also lampoons democrats: noting， among other things and personalities， the Adlai Stevenson curse， Bill Clinton as Elvis。 The book is well-researched with about 50 pages of end Notes。 Although there are parts when I laughed， too much of this book is just sad。 However， Borowitz ends on an upbeat note， with tangible steps to reverse the current trend。"Reagan demonstrated that， in the hands of a talented TV performer， one joke could sink a thousand facts。 。 。 His gang of goons included Roy Cohn， the disgraced former aide to Senator Joseph McCarthy， and three hard-charging political consultants， Roger Ailes， Roger Stone， and Paul Manafort。 It was hard to imagine another Republican presidential candidate assembling such a team， or coming up with a campaign slogan as winning as Reagan's， 'Let's Make America Great Again。'" （40）"I don't want a president who's just like me。 I'm pretty sure I'd suck at the job。 I want a president to be better than I am: smarter， braver， calmer， and more patient。 When a country faces war， economic collapse， or contagion， I'm not sure it's Miller Time。 Lincoln may have been our greatest president， but he wouldn't be in my top hundred potential drinking buddies。 He could get kind of dark，" （126）"So extreme were [Rick] Santorum's evangelical views that it sometimes seemed as though he were running not for president but for a slot in the Holy Trinity。" （173）On similarities between Trump （who reportedly wanted to be Bush 1's VP） and Quayle: "The two men were roughly the same age， from the same generation of family wealth， and allegedly indistinguishable from the same blond movie star。 In yet another eerie parallel， they both used family connections to get into college and out of Vietnam。 Given these similarities， it's worth imagining the counterfactual history that would have unfolded had Bush chosen Trump over Quayle。 In more innocent days， bad spelling still had the power to end a political career。 So many lives would've been saved。" （198）"Unlike in the Ridicule stage， which ended before the kudzu-like growth of the internet and the advent of social media， in Celebration voters were free to choose only the facts they agreed with。 On outlets such as Fox News， Breitbart， right-wing talk radio， and countless Facebook and Twitter accounts， Trump wore an immunity idol around his neck。" （215）"Actually， the minute you get into an argument online， the other side automatically wins， because you're expending energy that could have been applied to political activities that are productive and not just symbolic。" （235） 。。。more
Deb Van Iderstine
，
More than the satire for which Borowitz is justly famous， this is a history of the devolution of American electoral politics over the last half-century or so。 Humor is present， but functions as highlight rather than purpose。 The author reads his own text， delivering just the right note of incredulity at the developments he recounts。 Well worth listening to。
Matthew William
，
The old saying， “politics make strange bedfellows，” is a perfect way to describe the new book by Andy Borowitz， Profiles in Ignorance: How America’s Politicians Got Dumb And Dumber， （New York: Avid Reader Press， 2022， 316 pgs。， $28。99， $38。99 CAN）。 Borowitz has written a wonderfully witty and sarcastic portrait of some of the most strange and wildly chaotic and detrimental politicians of the last century。 The journey from Ronald Reagan’s time as governor of California to Donald Trump and Sarah P The old saying， “politics make strange bedfellows，” is a perfect way to describe the new book by Andy Borowitz， Profiles in Ignorance: How America’s Politicians Got Dumb And Dumber， （New York: Avid Reader Press， 2022， 316 pgs。， $28。99， $38。99 CAN）。 Borowitz has written a wonderfully witty and sarcastic portrait of some of the most strange and wildly chaotic and detrimental politicians of the last century。 The journey from Ronald Reagan’s time as governor of California to Donald Trump and Sarah Palin is both a dangerous and hilarious look at how politics does indeed make “strange bedfellows。” Borowitz has done a masterful job in providing the reader with a wonderful dive into what makes an ineffectual and dim-witted politician so popular among Americans。 Profiles in Ignorance is a must read for anyone interested in how our political world works and sometimes does not work。 tBorowitz chronicles the many mistakes， misquotes， and deliberate efforts to misinform the American populace by wonderfully uneducated leaders like Sarah Palin， Ted Cruz， and Matt Gaetz。 The scary political scenarios that could have happened with these leaders are documented by Borowitz in an extremely convincing fashion。 It is eye-opening to think what could have happened if law enforcement would have given in to the rioters on January 6， 2021。 It is just as scary to think what would have happened if the vote would have been forcibly overturned after the 2020 presidential election。 Borowitz shows the reader just how easy it can be for a demented politician to wreak havoc and damage the American democracy beyond repair。 tProfiles in Ignorance is a must read。 It should be required reading in History and Political Science departments in colleges and universities across the United States。 Profiles in Ignorance is a useful tool in evaluating the performance of our leaders along with our recent performances at the polls。 It can be described as an indictment of our national I。Q。 and how we as Americans have contributed to the rise of the leaders described within its pages。 This wonderful little volume should take an important place on the fully-informed Americans’ nightstand。 。。。more
Ashish Vyas
，
Sometimes all you can do is to laugh it off。 Being dumb has become a vitue in american politics， with progressively deteriorating standards of democracy with extraordinary dumb politicians like Regan， Dan Quayle， Palin， Bush， Trump and many others， who not only survived， but thrived and succeeded because of their dumbness， interpreted by mass as their folksy appeal。 It appears almost unbelievable， but backed by real quotes， and fact verified， the historical foolishness tgat have flourished in fr Sometimes all you can do is to laugh it off。 Being dumb has become a vitue in american politics， with progressively deteriorating standards of democracy with extraordinary dumb politicians like Regan， Dan Quayle， Palin， Bush， Trump and many others， who not only survived， but thrived and succeeded because of their dumbness， interpreted by mass as their folksy appeal。 It appears almost unbelievable， but backed by real quotes， and fact verified， the historical foolishness tgat have flourished in front of our eyes。 Must read。 。。。more
Stephanie
，
Brilliant！ Should be required reading。 Funny as shit and scary as hell！
elizabeth michele edson
，
Very entertainingLots of facts interspersed with humorous comments about a lot of stupid politicians。。。way too many stupid politicians well before trump
Andy Borowitz
，
This review is not for my book， PROFILES IN IGNORANCE， but for all of you who have taken the time to read and review it， and for Goodreads for helping authors connect with readers。
Marguerite
，