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11/13/2002: "Ignorant people"

I was reading this complaint the other day that Americans don't know much about what's going on in other countries. The person who wrote the editorial said that Americans are all horrified if a plane crashes and kills two Americans, but if the same thing happens in another country, to people who aren't American, then Americans don't pay attention, or care.

I thought it was a pretty strange complaint, since *I* read the news articles online every day to find out what's going on in the world. I also actually like CNN. Then the other day I mentioned the hostages in the Russian theater that had been taken over by a group of Chechens, and my roommate had NO idea what I was talking about. I asked other people at school about it, to see if this ignorance was just an isolated incident, and no one had any clue what Chechnya even WAS, much less why it was targeting Russia. *sighs* And now I agree. If a group of terrorists took control of a theater in the US and held over 800 people hostage, it would be the topic of discussion at the dinner table for weeks. Especially if the US government used a tranquilizer gas that ended up killing over one hundred hostages instead of just neutralizing the terrorists.

So here's a public service announcement: read the newspaper. Or at least check out Yahoo's little box with the daily headlines in it each day. It'll make you look smarter, even if you're really stupid.

My puppy is falling asleep while she's sitting up and staring at me. It's kind of funny.

Replies: 5 Comments

but there's the relevancy thing. we have THOUSANDS OF MILES OF OCEAN separating us from these other countries. of COURSE we don't feel any connection to them; a vast majority of the population has never BEEN to them. when a plane crashes in America and kills two people, we're horrified because IT'S CLOSE TO HOME. we don't expect people in England to go, "oh my god! two people in America were killed!"

just a thought, though I'm not excusing ignorance. it just sounds like this reporter is rather unrealistic in their expectations.

melantha, Thursday, November 14th

But everyone in England knew about that Russian thing, it was the top story in the news for days. And no one even likes the Russians.

Now it's "Lady Di and What The Butler Saw".

:-

Jolly Oli, Thursday, November 14th

I love British news...I wish I could get ahold of newspapers that headlined the attempted Posh Spice kidnapping...

Brooke, Thursday, November 14th

At least Russia and England are on the same landmass.

:D

melantha, Friday, November 15th

There is no excuse for ignorance .... this is the MAIN reason we have such a foreign policy troubles and why we arent very well liked overseas.

Heck ... a few months ago HUGE news in Europe was the US changing of tarrif charges for Steal imports, yet people barely realised it here.

Ignorance leads to many problems ... just look at the south

Joe, Friday, November 15th