That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore

There was an excellent op-ed by author, blogger and editor Garrett Graff in yesterday's Washington Post sums up everything anyone in tech policy has ever muttered about politicians who Just Don't Get It (or, more specifically IT).

[As you might remember, a 463/Zogby poll found that 83 percent of Americans believe that a typical 12-year-old knows more about the Internet than their member of Congress.)

From Graff...

In Wednesday's CNN/YouTube debate, Sen. John McCain let slip a fairly stunning admission. The Arizona Republican assured viewers that he wouldn't need to lean on his vice president, George W. Bush-style, for national security expertise, but might "rely on a vice president" for help on less important issues such as "information technology, which is the future of this nation's economy."

Hold it. Would we allow a serious presidential candidate to admit to knowing so little about any other key subject?

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The problem goes far beyond McCain, who's usually rather tech-friendly. Search for Sen. Ted Stevens on Google, and one of the first results you get about the man who until this year was third in line for the presidency is his famously clueless characterization of the Internet as a "series of tubes." President Bush's similarly addled descriptions of the Web (he has referred to "the Google") have been pure gold for "Saturday Night Live." After Bush alluded during a 2004 presidential debate to rumors "on the, uh, Internets" about an Iraq war draft, Will Forte (who impersonates the president on the show) gleefully played Bush saying, "I think the problem here may be more of a question of getting rid of the bad Internets and keeping the good Internets. You know, 'cause I think we can all agree, there're just too many Internets."

In fact, technology shouldn't be such a laughing matter.

As a nation, we wouldn't tolerate such ignorance about any other area of policymaking. Would we be amused if it came out that Joe Biden, as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wasn't clear about the difference between Shiites and Sunnis or couldn't find Sudan on a map? How about if Chris Dodd, the chairman of the Senate banking committee, wasn't entirely sure what the term "subprime mortgage" meant?...

Adam Thierer at PFF agrees...

Indeed, I think about all this every time I attend a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on tech policy and listen to lawmakers regale each other with stories about when they bought their first transistor radio or black-and-white television. Then, without missing a beat, they make jokes about not ever using the Internet or computers but that they have staffers or young family members who do and keep them informed. And yet, despite this stunning unfamiliarity with all things high-tech, they then move right on to pass reams of regulations governing the Internet and digital economy.

Again, it's not funny anymore and we should stop allowing them to pretend it is.

I agree. Though, I contend that there should be some level of realism that sets the bar at policymakers focusing their knowledge on the impact of technologies and not necessarily the ins and outs of how it works.

Still, one point that Graff and Adam get at that just shouldn't be okay anymore is the badge of honor some regulators and legislators wear when expressing how little they know about tech. It's the same type of attitude that they would rip to shreds if it came from inner city kids trying to stay cool by pretending not to like or understand their high school subjects.

Comments

[Mark Van Patten]

You hit the nail on the head: this joke isn't funny anymore.
We have known all along that politicians are woefully out of touch. (add: The Amazing Grocery Store Scanner)
I'm sixty years old and have been using a computer since the TRS 80. A huge majority of my peers have done the same.
All we can hope is that the lawmakers DO depend on staff to write legislation and don't foul things up so bad that once boomers get in office they can fix things.

Thank you for giving this issue some light. I hope other influential tech bloggers will pick it up.

Lawmakers should be embarrassed by the lack of ability to operate a computer.

[Wyatt Ditzler]

I don't think this issue is as important to the majority of voters. Other issues are more pressing, like war, debt, and immigration. All we can do is try to get this message out from our techcentric blogs and into the mainstream press.