Spring Break
Column: Politics bigger than Hollywood
Jason Duarte/Assistant Verge Editor
Issue date: 10/3/08 Section: The Verge
If you're expecting a usual column reacting to something going on in the wide world of entertainment this week, I'm sorry to say I don't have it for you.
This week, I'm suggesting a regression from entertainment.
Last Friday was the first presidential debate for the upcoming election next month and on Monday, the $700 billion bailout bill failed, causing the Dow Jones to plummet.
While sports and entertainment are terrific means of keeping our minds and mouths busy from day to day, real serious things are happening in our country and world as we speak, and judging by what people are talking about, I believe most students are sweeping it under the rug or responding apathetically, which I believe to be attributed directly to ill-informed minds.
Apathy, to me, is just a means of hiding the fact that you don't have anything to say.
For example, when the Georgia/Russia conflict issue surfaced, I heard multiple people in their 20s say things puzzled like, "Why would Russia invade Georgia?" in reference to the U.S. state. Call me insensitive, but when the first thing you think of is Russia invading our country's "Peach State" for no reason, something's off.
Here's the situation at hand: Our country is going through very, very hard times. We have an extremely important election coming up. Television news stations talk about it all the time. The newspapers do, too. The Internet has an unbelievable amount of sites where you can access everything you need to be well informed in a matter of seconds. By no means do I consider myself that well informed. We're all busy people with a lot of things to think about concerning our own lives. But let's take one step back from pop culture. Let's miss a football game every once in a while and leave Facebook for a few minutes and instead, spend that time brushing up on what's going on in our country; your country.
In the midst of all this, don't forget to register to vote.
It may not be cool and it may cause you to miss some sleep, but you will be contributing your sliver's worth in the pie chart of votes, and ultimately determining the path this country will follow for the next four years.
You've only got a matter of days to register if you haven't already and you most likely meet the requirements.
I also empathize with people like Wednesday's columnist, James Stewart, uninterested in voting and dissatisfied with "the media." Look: Most of us - freshmen to seniors - will be out and in the working world within four years. As a working member of society, whoever is in charge, will probably matter more. Don't abstain from voting, blaming the media and TV's talking heads for your lack of knowledge. Uniting with society and voting for our leader is a great right we have.
Informing yourself takes only minutes.
This week, I'm suggesting a regression from entertainment.
Last Friday was the first presidential debate for the upcoming election next month and on Monday, the $700 billion bailout bill failed, causing the Dow Jones to plummet.
While sports and entertainment are terrific means of keeping our minds and mouths busy from day to day, real serious things are happening in our country and world as we speak, and judging by what people are talking about, I believe most students are sweeping it under the rug or responding apathetically, which I believe to be attributed directly to ill-informed minds.
Apathy, to me, is just a means of hiding the fact that you don't have anything to say.
For example, when the Georgia/Russia conflict issue surfaced, I heard multiple people in their 20s say things puzzled like, "Why would Russia invade Georgia?" in reference to the U.S. state. Call me insensitive, but when the first thing you think of is Russia invading our country's "Peach State" for no reason, something's off.
Here's the situation at hand: Our country is going through very, very hard times. We have an extremely important election coming up. Television news stations talk about it all the time. The newspapers do, too. The Internet has an unbelievable amount of sites where you can access everything you need to be well informed in a matter of seconds. By no means do I consider myself that well informed. We're all busy people with a lot of things to think about concerning our own lives. But let's take one step back from pop culture. Let's miss a football game every once in a while and leave Facebook for a few minutes and instead, spend that time brushing up on what's going on in our country; your country.
In the midst of all this, don't forget to register to vote.
It may not be cool and it may cause you to miss some sleep, but you will be contributing your sliver's worth in the pie chart of votes, and ultimately determining the path this country will follow for the next four years.
You've only got a matter of days to register if you haven't already and you most likely meet the requirements.
I also empathize with people like Wednesday's columnist, James Stewart, uninterested in voting and dissatisfied with "the media." Look: Most of us - freshmen to seniors - will be out and in the working world within four years. As a working member of society, whoever is in charge, will probably matter more. Don't abstain from voting, blaming the media and TV's talking heads for your lack of knowledge. Uniting with society and voting for our leader is a great right we have.
Informing yourself takes only minutes.
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