Being a communications student, it’s hard not to read the news and keep up with currents events. Other than receiving disapproving looks from the professor and not really understanding where the class discussion is going, you might also feel a little out of touch. I know I do, and after awhile the “I’m Canadian” excuse just isn’t going to cut it. It got me out of a traffic ticket before, but I don’t think it’ll get me an A.
Even if you’re not a communications student, keeping up with current events should be just as important as keeping up with the latest celebrity gossip. You should at the very least be able to recognize names on a ballot when you go and vote. It’s not until politicians make the headlines because of a scandal that people start to take notice.
I can’t explain why when given the choice to read about Britney Spears’ hair and the Kyoto Accord, some of us will choose not to read about the treaty. Sadly, I’m guilty of this too and it makes me feel bad because I know I’m probably wasting my time and energy by reading information that will have no value to me (except that when I talk to my hairdresser we’ll have something to discuss).
I honestly was never really interested in politics growing up. Council meetings, long speeches, boredom and old people were the words and images that came into my head when I thought about politics. I could use the excuse that Canadian politics weren’t as interesting as U.S. politics, since my dad watches the U.S news coverage as if it were a reality TV show.
For some reason, once I started college in the United States, I started to pay more attention to the news. The more I read, the more irritated I got. The news I was reading was obviously biased. I didn’t know which radio stations or newspapers to pay attention to, and I only watched CNN, which I was told was the Clinton’s News Network. I’m not sure how many other students feel the same way, but when you spend most of your waking hours running around doing your daily routine, sitting down to read a newspaper with your morning cup of coffee just doesn’t seem to fit into your schedule. I don’t even eat breakfast.
Since I spend a lot of time online, anyway, I eventually started getting into the habit of browsing forums online. At first it was hobby related, but I found myself wandering into debate forums where people would talk about current issues regarding the United States. This was my entry to the wonderful world of politics. Ignoring the rude and incoherent comments, I started reading some fascinating ideas about religion, politics, education, women’s rights and other controversial topics that I’ve never really thought about discussing with anyone. These topics were considered “off limits” as an unspoken rule among my friends, and I’m not quite sure why.
With the ability to conceal your identity online, people would write what they wanted to write, and eventually I started to read more—and even had the nerve to participate once in a while—and began to read and write blogs.
Reading a news report about the latest political agenda might be dry and dull, but reading active debates or even taking part in them allows you to really explore the details and people will point you to information that you would have never come across yourself. Of course opinion is always included, but to me it’s incredibly enriching to hear more than just one. Taking a class that is discussion oriented is another way to actively take part.
It wasn’t until I started taking classes at Cal State East Bay that I realized how much freedom the First Amendment gives to the press and to the public. Not every country has the same rights and access that we have in the United States. Wouldn’t it make sense to take advantage?
No one can really make politics more interesting if you’re not willing to approach it with an open and curious mind. But as a member of this society it’s your right to receive as much information as possible and learn as much as you can. Even though we may feel that certain events don’t seem to affect us directly, it’s important to at least know and understand what’s going on so that when it comes time to vote, you can cast that vote in confidence and be an informed participant of democracy. If you don’t pay attention to what’s happening, how do you expect to make an informed decision come 2008?
Sophia is a communications major who is appalled at how low the voter turnout is during elections and suggests that people start taking notes on candidates now.
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Sophia,
Your article on the news in the March 22nd issue of The Pioneer was very enjoyable. I have to admit to the same avoidance of news for most of my life until recently. There probably is an unconscious awareness of the bias and lack of substance in the news (TV in particular) that keeps many of us away in droves. A friend happened to ask if I wanted to go see a film called Manufacturing Consent which I knew nothing about. The film opened my eyes to what gets passed off as news these days and why. I used to think that NPR and other Public Radio programs were above reproach but that illusion is now gone. I have started to catch a rebroadcast of the weekday Canadian radio program As It Happens on KALW 91.7 FM from 5-6 PM. When there is a serious news story they tend to cover it in reports as long as 20 minutes. That is a real challenge for someone with a short attention span like me. But I’m working on it. They do have fun or light stories as well so it is not all serious. KPFA “Free Speech Radio” 94.1 FM can get to be too much if listened to constantly. I tried it for months and couldn’t take it anymore. It’s a good way to find out what the polar opposite view of the world is from CNN and all the other corporate giant news firms. Another source of stuff I don’t read or hear much of is from: http://www.alternativeradio.org/ . The trouble is that most of us don’t have the time to spend on following the news. But it is important and worth the effort as you pointed out in your article. -Paul
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