Many people don't even know what happened.

[MineralMan]

We went to my wife's mother's house yesterday (Sunday) for dinner and conversation. After a while, my wife's sister showed up with her 13-year-old son. We had be talking about the awful events in Tucson, so my wife asked her sister what she thought about it. "What happened?" her sister asked. "What happened?"

How many people in this country would answer the same way, I wonder? How many people never see the news on television, hear it on the radio, or read it in the newspapers? Sadly, I suspect that the number is higher than any of us can imagine. It's completely possible to avoid any mention of current events these days. If no paper comes to your door, you only watch entertainment programming on non-network channels, and your radio is either off or tuned to some bland music station with no news coverage at all, you might not even know that anything had happened on Saturday.

And, yet, my sister-in-law and her idiot husband vote in every election. They always have something negative to say about government. It's just that they know absolutely nothing about anything that is going on in the world. It's incomprehensible to me, but I know it's far more common than people think.

Even so, every time I find evidence of this, I'm completely gobsmacked.

[lpbk2713]

1. This is how most people vote.

Uninformed.

If anything, they go by what their neighbor or a relative or the guy at work says.

Pathetic.

[MineralMan]

3. It is pathetic.

Even worse, though, are the people who only listen to radio talk shows like Limbaugh for their "news." I know some of those, too. It's shocking!

[MH1]

2. That's a really interesting take.

A lot of people don't pay one whit of attention to the news, then feel they have the right to complain about the government.

I recc'ed this. Interestingly enough, that didn't get it above zero.

[MineralMan]

4. I never worry about recs and unrecs.

They're irrelevant to discussions. The only things that count are replies.

[MH1]

9. i don't 'worry' ... but I find it interesting.

as I usually find your posts, by the way. :)

[lpbk2713]

12. I noticed something.

I recced a Palin thread earlier this morning that only had about five views at the time. My rec didn't register, the total stayed at zero. I could be way off base here but for a Palin thread to remain at zero so soon after it is posted tells me the trolls/moles must be out in force today in light of recent events. Note to Mods: I didn't mention any names here, so don't be so quick to delete.

[MineralMan]

15. I don't know. I've just stopped noticing that stuff at all.

[hlthe2b]

5. I admittedly become quite contemptuous of those who are so

ignorant and out of touch of current events, yet undoubtedly could tell you all the sports news or the latest on Lindsey Lohan or some other celebrity.... I guess I'm just an "elitist" that way...:eyes:

[Jackpine Radical]

10. I was just thinking about that sports thing as I read this thread.

I imagine in the bars and workplaces across the country, people are so divided politically that it feels dangerous to talk about any current events that have a political tinge, so people are reduced to sports, celebrity fluff and the weather as safe topics of discourse.

[hlthe2b]

16. Being aware or discussing those issues is not the problem...

It is being exclusively aware only of sports and celebrity fluff while totally unaware of anything else that is the problem.

[Jackpine Radical]

17. Yes, I get that.

But the pressure I think the low-information types selectively tune out stuff that feels threatening, and that political information feels threatening.

[hlthe2b]

18. I remember a discussion with some of my sister's nurse friends...

Obviously educated people, yet incredibly unaware of any current events, politics, economics, world events... Nada. This was a low key social setting and very cordial. Yet I asked what they liked to read in their spare time and across the board, nothing more "serious" than a People magazine. Granted, I can understand that after the stress of working in health care all day and with the public, tuning out via tv or similar would be tempting. Having been in their shoes, I'm not overly critical of them for that reason.

I do remember a funny aside when I mentioned liking to read a variety of newspapers (and this was a few years back before the drastic drop in newspaper subscribers). One offered as to why she didn't read newspapers and never really had, was that she didn't like getting the newspaper "ink" on her hands.

It is a problem, nonetheless.

[SoCalDem]

6. Ask her who won American Idol or Dancing with the Stars

:(

[MineralMan]

7. I'm afraid to. I have a suspicion that she doesn't know that, either.

I suspect that she and her family spend most of their time playing video games and watching old reruns on some cable channel. It's scary.

[Jackpine Radical]

11. I don't even know what that stuff's about.

Some kind of TV shows, I guess.

[MineralMan]

8. To add to the story:

When my wife explained to her sister what had happened in Tucson, her sister said, "Oh." That's all. Then she changed the subject to something inane. I wonder if she even knows what state Tucson is in....

[Ohio Joe]

13. I would agree it is a sad situation

But there is no requirement to be informed to vote. I would not want to change that either... Who would define the requirements for "informed".

[MineralMan]

14. This apathy towards the news extends even further.

I'm in Saint Paul, MN. We have weather here. In the winter, we have some really bad weather...weather that needs some preparations in advance. I've noticed that many people are caught completely by surprise by a snowstorm. They didn't expect it, and left their car parked on the street, instead of in their driveway, their stuff is outside that should be inside, and they look really surprised when the finally roll out of bed and find their car buried in snow. Then, they don't even own a decent snow shovel to use in clearing it.

Every storm, it's the same thing. People seem shocked that it snows enough to keep them from being able to just get in their cars and go to work.

How does this kind of apathy develop?