Ignorance, not bliss
I was informed by my media adviser that there is a journalism student, who has made it to Junior standing and is taking the second level news writing class, who makes an effort to remain clueless about the world. She does not watch tv, avoids news websites and pretty much has no recollection of the world because it "distracts her."
I was appalled by this and was inspired to write an Opinion article for my school newspaper, since we needed to fill space anyway. I've gotten some positive feedback, and I want to share it with you guys. Enjoy.
It amazes me to think that there are some people in this world who would intentionally keep themselves in a bubble. People between the ages of 18 and 25 who think the events of the world do not affect them in any way will have a brutal awakening once they venture out into the professional world of well-informed adults.
Those who make an actual effort to remain ignorant about world, national or regional events that aren’t on their Facebook calendars are useless participants in our society.
I’m not claiming to be all-knowing when it comes to the world around me. I don’t read a newspaper or watch the news every day as Dr. Furr advises. I do, however, make an effort to browse the headlines on AOL or Yahoo News, stay up-to-date on election business, and have a general interest in things that may or may not affect me. Others in my generation may not be as information-conscious.
It’s scary to think that my generation will one day be forced to rule the country.
When I think of former generations, I consider my parents, who grew up during the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam protests and the Cold War. My parents’ generation was a generation of do-ers actively taking part in their government whether they were for or against it.
Even hippies filled with marijuana knew enough about current events of the time to hug trees, protest against the draft, or do whatever else hippies did that had any kind of anti-government reference.
People my age need to wake up. Everything in this world has an effect on everything else in little ways, and if you are uninformed, you’re just a sitting duck with no opinion.
In the professional world, current events are good conversation starters, icebreakers, or just a way to share information.
If you are ignorant of the world around you, the people around you will not take you seriously; they will think you are an idiot.
I know we all have our own little worlds consisting of the people that we choose to involve in them, but the bigger picture is just as important as the smaller picture. When our generation is next in line to control the fate of others, we had better be prepared and informed. Otherwise, the future does not look bright.
I know I’m preaching to the choir. If you picked up this newspaper and were interested enough in the content to make it to the Opinions page and read this, then you are obviously curious about others and not just interested in your own little world. I applaud you for this.
I think the uninformed members of our youth should feel stupid for being intentionally ignorant.
One day they’ll be forced to get their heads out of unmentionable places and realize the potential impact the world has on them – and the impact they have on the world.
I was appalled by this and was inspired to write an Opinion article for my school newspaper, since we needed to fill space anyway. I've gotten some positive feedback, and I want to share it with you guys. Enjoy.
It amazes me to think that there are some people in this world who would intentionally keep themselves in a bubble. People between the ages of 18 and 25 who think the events of the world do not affect them in any way will have a brutal awakening once they venture out into the professional world of well-informed adults.
Those who make an actual effort to remain ignorant about world, national or regional events that aren’t on their Facebook calendars are useless participants in our society.
I’m not claiming to be all-knowing when it comes to the world around me. I don’t read a newspaper or watch the news every day as Dr. Furr advises. I do, however, make an effort to browse the headlines on AOL or Yahoo News, stay up-to-date on election business, and have a general interest in things that may or may not affect me. Others in my generation may not be as information-conscious.
It’s scary to think that my generation will one day be forced to rule the country.
When I think of former generations, I consider my parents, who grew up during the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam protests and the Cold War. My parents’ generation was a generation of do-ers actively taking part in their government whether they were for or against it.
Even hippies filled with marijuana knew enough about current events of the time to hug trees, protest against the draft, or do whatever else hippies did that had any kind of anti-government reference.
People my age need to wake up. Everything in this world has an effect on everything else in little ways, and if you are uninformed, you’re just a sitting duck with no opinion.
In the professional world, current events are good conversation starters, icebreakers, or just a way to share information.
If you are ignorant of the world around you, the people around you will not take you seriously; they will think you are an idiot.
I know we all have our own little worlds consisting of the people that we choose to involve in them, but the bigger picture is just as important as the smaller picture. When our generation is next in line to control the fate of others, we had better be prepared and informed. Otherwise, the future does not look bright.
I know I’m preaching to the choir. If you picked up this newspaper and were interested enough in the content to make it to the Opinions page and read this, then you are obviously curious about others and not just interested in your own little world. I applaud you for this.
I think the uninformed members of our youth should feel stupid for being intentionally ignorant.
One day they’ll be forced to get their heads out of unmentionable places and realize the potential impact the world has on them – and the impact they have on the world.
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