The world of politics is often depicted as a battlefield of questionable decisions, conspiracy and corruption. Based on the way the media portrays the political realm, many young adults have decided to ignore it altogether and the repercussions are severe.
After a day of classes, work and other extra-curricular activities the last thing I want to do is watch the news and hear about who has died recently or what Bobby Jindal has done to cause so many to be upset. Despite those feelings, I tune into the news or read about current events because it keeps me plugged in to the world – a world that I will be a part of soon.
Many of the subjects young adults find themselves apathetic toward are the very topics that have an impact on their lives.
Smaller things, like traffic reports and information on construction zones, can make one’s life much easier. Stories on political corruption remind people that they should be careful about who they elect and support. Political campaign coverage exists to display a candidate’s goals and ideals, which allow viewers to determine if those ideals align with their own.
Call it boring but when tuition rates increase there are multiple media outlets available to explain why it happened. Special scholarships, information on job markets and student loans are all readily available if a person is willing to sift through uninteresting subjects.
For our generation, the excuse, “no one ever told me” becomes unacceptable. Between the Internet, phone, radio and actual television the millennial generation is submerged in the news. Future bosses may ask for an opinion on a major issue and if you don’t know what you’re talking about, that open-mouthed lost face can become permanent.
The reasoning behind avoiding hard news boils down to young adults trying to run away from the real world and its issues. An article on renewable resources may not be the most entertaining piece to some, but the information can educate much more than an episode of “Scandal” or “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.”
There’s nothing wrong with taking in entertaining media. The ability to escape adult life for a while is something that, while great, should not be abused. Running from the heavier topics can result in a jaded view of the world. We base so much of what we know on the knowledge of others instead of researching and forming our own opinions.
Late Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs suggested that every person have the courage to form their own opinion despite how unpopular it may be.
There is more to the world than any of us will ever see, but we have been given an opportunity to learn about more than anyone before us ever has. Think of the news as a general education class; while not all of it is relevant to a person’s immediate life, there is a reason that material is being discussed.
We run and ignore what we don’t understand without taking a second look. We fear what we don’t know and fear the results of investigating the unknown even more. Most of the time when we say we don’t care about something, it truly means that we do not know enough about the subject to care, and that should change.
The world is changing, and for a generation that prides itself on being open-minded, we sure know how to close our minds to what we think doesn’t matter. The millennial age group should take this chance to step outside of its comfort zone and learn about the world around it before the world drowns out its voice.
Joshua Jackson is a 20-year-old theatre junior from New Orleans.