Can you handle Andrea Peyser's cold, hard Ruth? The New York Post's fire-breathing columnist is furious that Americans can more easily identify Paris Hilton—a "woman [who] has no education... [and who] cannot write a coherent sentence"—but fail to recognize Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Prompted by the news of Hilton's latest mini scandal, Peyser took photos of the heiress and the Justice to the streets (well, to a Bed, Bath & Beyond) and found that while Hilton had near-universal recognition, Bader Ginsburg drew blank stares from the bathmat-buying public.

That does seem like an egregious example of American ignorance. Either the American education system is completely broken, or all the people Peyser approached to ID the two ladies are Post readers. It seems that between January 1, 2006, and January 1, 2007, the paper has mentioned Bader Ginsburg only four times, usually in AP wire stories. (The Supreme did pop up in Cindy Adams's column on July 5, 2006, when the gossip name-dropped the justice to pump up another law lady: "Forget Hillary, forget Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, forget Mme. Curie, we're talking the sharpest toughest keenest brain in captivity. If this former Brooklyn prosecutor ever decides to go back to lawyering, Gotti should hock his gold fillings to hire her. Star Jones is that smart.")

During the same period, the paper mentioned Hilton 350 times.

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