Americans are Dumb?

This is news to me (insert sarcasm).  But if the statistics I read earlier while checking out Lisa Bloom's book, THINK, are true, then we are all in big trouble. Most people can't name one branch of government.  Collegians think we are at war with Egypt and Morocco. They can name more Kardashians than issues before their city council. Okay, the latter would be difficult for most, I think. I know more about DC than my actual city because the free newspaper I read on the metro to work discusses the most mundane issues like how much money the traffic cameras rake in annually. 

What is most depressing about this idea is that it highlights the consequences of this mentality. It's no secret that sex sells in our society. Ms. Bloom's research shows that women would rather be voted America's Next Top Model than become a Nobel laureate.  Sure, intellectualism isn't for everyone, but if every single woman was pressured by the media or decided to eschew the study of social issues and current news, just imagine the state of the world. The sedentary blobs floating around the spaceship in Wall-E come to mind, but just women. I would think in this scenario men would be able to easily convince women to leave Earth for promise of notoriety based on sex appeal somehow and continue to run Earth, but that's another can of worms. 

I know some women care about hot topics and are bright enough to recognize them as such. Why aren't we talking about them as often as our relationship problems? Why aren't more women empowered to find solutions to society's ailments? How do we start small and overcome the bystander effect? We as women cannot sit on the sidelines hoping for someone else to corral and conquer the world's problems.