Here's something I tried on radio a few years ago: Can you name all seven of Snow White's dwarfs?* Today, I read that three-quarters of Americans can name two of the dwarfs but only one-quarter can name two Supreme Court judges. According to the same poll, more Americans knew the name of boy wizard Harry Potter than British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and while 60 per cent of them knew Superman came from the fictional planet Krypton, only 37 per cent could name Mercury as the closest real planet to the sun.
What this all means is that pop culture is taking over the world - and that it's often more palatable (and way less scary) than what's really going on.
* The correct answer is: Grumpy, Sleepy, Sneezy, Bashful, Dopey, Doc and Happy.