Serious topic: Why don't we care about the issues in the world more?

[timcity2000]

i think it's easy to ignore larger issues unless/until they personally affect you. it's not an excuse, but i think it is human nature.

the earthquake in japan for instance... the day after it happened, i opened up my checkbook (figuratively) and donated to the relief efforts. but i'd be lying if i said i had diligently kept up with how those efforts are going.

conversely, when the tornadoes struck here in alabama, not only did i again open my wallet, but i also volunteered in the clean-up efforts in nearby communities that were devastated. i follow it more closely because i know people who were affected and because it was (almost literally) in my backyard.

 

[timcity2000]

i think it's easy to ignore larger issues unless/until they personally affect you. it's not an excuse, but i think it is human nature.

the earthquake in japan for instance... the day after it happened, i opened up my checkbook (figuratively) and donated to the relief efforts. but i'd be lying if i said i had diligently kept up with how those efforts are going.

conversely, when the tornadoes struck here in alabama, not only did i again open my wallet, but i also volunteered in the clean-up efforts in nearby communities that were devastated. i follow it more closely because i know people who were affected and because it was (almost literally) in my backyard.

 

[nyota de la star]

It's not even about issues in the "world" anymore. Americans have become even more negligent about this crumbling "empire" that surrounds them.

 

[nyota de la star]

It's not even about issues in the "world" anymore. Americans have become even more negligent about this crumbling "empire" that surrounds them.

 

[703 hwy]

Idk why but I always sober up and read Rex and Wawa posts real seriously like I'm being lectured by my parents.

 

[703 hwy]

Idk why but I always sober up and read Rex and Wawa posts real seriously like I'm being lectured by my parents.

 

[wr]

Rex delivers once again

 

[wr]

Rex delivers once again

 

[rexanglorum]

scshift wrote:

---

I'm 17, just finished my third year of high school. You say you graduated CSUN at age 16? How? Did you skip many grades? Or were you a foreign student?

I was not clear, I was in high school when I was 16. I started College right before my 18th Birthday, I did not skip any grades.

1.) I understand what you say when you say that hard news has more use than soft news in a shorter period of time but the roles are reversed as the time gets longer. However, even when I go all out and watch movies nonstop for a day or play xbox for hours, I feel like I just wasted my time so I try not to do that. Usually I'll try to limit my time and spend my other time on the internet reading about things like personality traits and other various topics which interest me. I hate spending a lot of time on soft news because it just feels like I'm wasting my time, digesting useless information.

If you have strong a preference for serious news and serious scholarship and you spend multiple hours on that for every hour that you you spend being entertained, that is great. I was like that when I was your age and if you ar ea very good student and after your second or third year of college, you still have this level of focus and commitment to learning new things, I suggest that you go to graduate school and get your PhD. Despite all the claims that PhD's are not useful and that MBA's and JD's are, there is a glut of the former and dearth of the latter.  


2.) I feel like almost everything we do is escapism. As people we always try and do something that pleases us. While it might not please us directly, we think that eventually it will. So if we work, we might hate the labor but we like the paycheck that comes every two weeks. Or if we eat, we make sure to order something we like. Escapism is trying to avoid the rigors of everyday life by diverting your attention, and I feel like everyone is always trying to do this, even subconsciously. It's why we listen to music when we're alone in the car, or rush to get to the first subway car so we don't miss it, everything we do we try and reduce the stress on our bodies.

People are not profit maximizers, people are pleasure maximizers and human nature is generally oriented toward the short run. The best thing to do is to tell people that we live in a society that is consensual and if self governed and if we let ourselves, through complacency, arrogance, ignorance or short term greed (allowing politicians to promise us that we can have our house and pension benefits and low taxes and a social security system that is solvent is what we want to hear and politicians tell us that because they will generally be out of office when the terrible consequences of those lies come to fruition) be made into a people who fear our government and where the public sector makes our lives miserable. If we can convince ourselves and those around us to keep a close on our government and make it work for us and to be honest about the long terms, we can check public corruption and mediocrity and still have time to do things that are pleasant for us, both now and a half a century from now. 

3.) You can definitely be more conscious of what's going on around you apart from politics. A lot of people seem to think that they voted and therefore they fulfilled their duties as a citizen. Yet, there is just so much more to it. Many voters do not even understand the concepts of the Republican and Democratic party (I don't fully understand them myself), and just choose based on what others are choosing. In the months before and after the 2008 election, so many young people and minorities were happy Obama was elected president. I asked them why they were so pleased, and all they could say was that there was change and finally there was a black president. I can see how that is a great move for America, but that is also a very shallow way of thinking.

It is very annoying how some people will go into political mania from the start of their state primaries and up to the presidential election and spend the other three and half years with their heads in the sand. Steady vigilance is the key and not spasms of political activism. I agree with completely about the over emphasis on elections every four years and the general ignorance that follows. 

4.) Agreed.

In all I just feel like there's a lot of people out there who either don't care or don't know about more of the issues in the world. But it's not like they don't know anything, they just know a lot of other stuff that doesn't seem as important. How is it that a person can name every single character on Jersey Shore but can't name the 8 planets in the solar system? Or how people rave about getting drunk but don't know the difference between why we entered Iraq and why we entered Afghanistan?

Luckily, many of those people whom you mentioned do not vote and people who do pay attention not only vote in Presidential elections but on the loal and state levels and in primaries and in midterm elections. Almost every adult citizen can vote yet only a third in mid term elections do and two thirds in presidential elections do. Some people see that as a bad thing and yet it is probably a good thing, if every one voted but the same number of people were completely uninformed, the ability to buy advertisements and build name recognition would make politics even more corrupt as it would enhance the importance of money in elections and would further enhance the position of incumbents.


I'm not criticizing anyone or what they do. I'm only wondering why people don't care/know about these issues more, and whether it's due to ignorance or simply not caring.

 

[rexanglorum]

scshift wrote:

---

I'm 17, just finished my third year of high school. You say you graduated CSUN at age 16? How? Did you skip many grades? Or were you a foreign student?

I was not clear, I was in high school when I was 16. I started College right before my 18th Birthday, I did not skip any grades.

1.) I understand what you say when you say that hard news has more use than soft news in a shorter period of time but the roles are reversed as the time gets longer. However, even when I go all out and watch movies nonstop for a day or play xbox for hours, I feel like I just wasted my time so I try not to do that. Usually I'll try to limit my time and spend my other time on the internet reading about things like personality traits and other various topics which interest me. I hate spending a lot of time on soft news because it just feels like I'm wasting my time, digesting useless information.

If you have strong a preference for serious news and serious scholarship and you spend multiple hours on that for every hour that you you spend being entertained, that is great. I was like that when I was your age and if you ar ea very good student and after your second or third year of college, you still have this level of focus and commitment to learning new things, I suggest that you go to graduate school and get your PhD. Despite all the claims that PhD's are not useful and that MBA's and JD's are, there is a glut of the former and dearth of the latter.  


2.) I feel like almost everything we do is escapism. As people we always try and do something that pleases us. While it might not please us directly, we think that eventually it will. So if we work, we might hate the labor but we like the paycheck that comes every two weeks. Or if we eat, we make sure to order something we like. Escapism is trying to avoid the rigors of everyday life by diverting your attention, and I feel like everyone is always trying to do this, even subconsciously. It's why we listen to music when we're alone in the car, or rush to get to the first subway car so we don't miss it, everything we do we try and reduce the stress on our bodies.

People are not profit maximizers, people are pleasure maximizers and human nature is generally oriented toward the short run. The best thing to do is to tell people that we live in a society that is consensual and if self governed and if we let ourselves, through complacency, arrogance, ignorance or short term greed (allowing politicians to promise us that we can have our house and pension benefits and low taxes and a social security system that is solvent is what we want to hear and politicians tell us that because they will generally be out of office when the terrible consequences of those lies come to fruition) be made into a people who fear our government and where the public sector makes our lives miserable. If we can convince ourselves and those around us to keep a close on our government and make it work for us and to be honest about the long terms, we can check public corruption and mediocrity and still have time to do things that are pleasant for us, both now and a half a century from now. 

3.) You can definitely be more conscious of what's going on around you apart from politics. A lot of people seem to think that they voted and therefore they fulfilled their duties as a citizen. Yet, there is just so much more to it. Many voters do not even understand the concepts of the Republican and Democratic party (I don't fully understand them myself), and just choose based on what others are choosing. In the months before and after the 2008 election, so many young people and minorities were happy Obama was elected president. I asked them why they were so pleased, and all they could say was that there was change and finally there was a black president. I can see how that is a great move for America, but that is also a very shallow way of thinking.

It is very annoying how some people will go into political mania from the start of their state primaries and up to the presidential election and spend the other three and half years with their heads in the sand. Steady vigilance is the key and not spasms of political activism. I agree with completely about the over emphasis on elections every four years and the general ignorance that follows. 

4.) Agreed.

In all I just feel like there's a lot of people out there who either don't care or don't know about more of the issues in the world. But it's not like they don't know anything, they just know a lot of other stuff that doesn't seem as important. How is it that a person can name every single character on Jersey Shore but can't name the 8 planets in the solar system? Or how people rave about getting drunk but don't know the difference between why we entered Iraq and why we entered Afghanistan?

Luckily, many of those people whom you mentioned do not vote and people who do pay attention not only vote in Presidential elections but on the loal and state levels and in primaries and in midterm elections. Almost every adult citizen can vote yet only a third in mid term elections do and two thirds in presidential elections do. Some people see that as a bad thing and yet it is probably a good thing, if every one voted but the same number of people were completely uninformed, the ability to buy advertisements and build name recognition would make politics even more corrupt as it would enhance the importance of money in elections and would further enhance the position of incumbents.


I'm not criticizing anyone or what they do. I'm only wondering why people don't care/know about these issues more, and whether it's due to ignorance or simply not caring.

 

[b smooth 202]

People are not profit maximizers, people are pleasure maximizers and human nature is generally oriented toward the short run. The best thing to do is to tell people that we live in a society that is consensual and if self governed and if we let ourselves, through complacency, arrogance, ignorance or short term greed (allowing politicians to promise us that we can have our house and pension benefits and low taxes and a social security system that is solvent is what we want to hear and politicians tell us that because they will generally be out of office when the terrible consequences of those lies come to fruition) be made into a people who fear our government and where the public sector makes our lives miserable. If we can convince ourselves and those around us to keep a close on our government and make it work for us and to be honest about the long terms, we can check public corruption and mediocrity and still have time to do things that are pleasant for us, both now and a half a century from now. 

LMAO..of course rape is consensual for rapists. You continue to apply your own perspective to reality. You can't accept that your wrong and that you can lose all your precious riches tomorrow.

 

[b smooth 202]

People are not profit maximizers, people are pleasure maximizers and human nature is generally oriented toward the short run. The best thing to do is to tell people that we live in a society that is consensual and if self governed and if we let ourselves, through complacency, arrogance, ignorance or short term greed (allowing politicians to promise us that we can have our house and pension benefits and low taxes and a social security system that is solvent is what we want to hear and politicians tell us that because they will generally be out of office when the terrible consequences of those lies come to fruition) be made into a people who fear our government and where the public sector makes our lives miserable. If we can convince ourselves and those around us to keep a close on our government and make it work for us and to be honest about the long terms, we can check public corruption and mediocrity and still have time to do things that are pleasant for us, both now and a half a century from now. 

LMAO..of course rape is consensual for rapists. You continue to apply your own perspective to reality. You can't accept that your wrong and that you can lose all your precious riches tomorrow.

 

[rexanglorum]

Originally Posted by B Smooth 202

People are not profit maximizers, people are pleasure maximizers and human nature is generally oriented toward the short run. The best thing to do is to tell people that we live in a society that is consensual and if self governed and if we let ourselves, through complacency, arrogance, ignorance or short term greed (allowing politicians to promise us that we can have our house and pension benefits and low taxes and a social security system that is solvent is what we want to hear and politicians tell us that because they will generally be out of office when the terrible consequences of those lies come to fruition) be made into a people who fear our government and where the public sector makes our lives miserable. If we can convince ourselves and those around us to keep a close on our government and make it work for us and to be honest about the long terms, we can check public corruption and mediocrity and still have time to do things that are pleasant for us, both now and a half a century from now. 

LMAO..of course rape is consensual for rapists. You continue to apply your own perspective to reality. You can't accept that your wrong and that you can lose all your precious riches tomorrow.



Actually I know could lose my life my liberty and my property at any moment but it is less likely as someone living in the 21st Century West than it would be if I were in a similar position as someone living in the 16th Century West or the 16 Century Islamic World or in 20th Century China or 18th Century Zululand or 15 Century Aztec Society. I never said that the US was a perfect Democratic society with iron clad legal protections for individuals and their property and their freedom but as the classicist Victor Davis Hanson said of the US in particular and the West in General "it is better than the alternative." If you hold the US way of living and our approach to government, it will never pass Utopian standards.

With that in mind, the question is how do we make things the least bad that they can possibly be and because politics is fluid and ever changing, do we have a government where power is being more limited, more decentralized and more transparent or less so?


BTW, why does my family having money invalidate, in your eyes my ideas? I am honest about where I am from, I am giving full disclosure, would you rather that I lie about who I am and be like George W. Bush or John Kerry and put up some sort of insultingly fake working class facade?

 

[rexanglorum]

Originally Posted by B Smooth 202

People are not profit maximizers, people are pleasure maximizers and human nature is generally oriented toward the short run. The best thing to do is to tell people that we live in a society that is consensual and if self governed and if we let ourselves, through complacency, arrogance, ignorance or short term greed (allowing politicians to promise us that we can have our house and pension benefits and low taxes and a social security system that is solvent is what we want to hear and politicians tell us that because they will generally be out of office when the terrible consequences of those lies come to fruition) be made into a people who fear our government and where the public sector makes our lives miserable. If we can convince ourselves and those around us to keep a close on our government and make it work for us and to be honest about the long terms, we can check public corruption and mediocrity and still have time to do things that are pleasant for us, both now and a half a century from now. 

LMAO..of course rape is consensual for rapists. You continue to apply your own perspective to reality. You can't accept that your wrong and that you can lose all your precious riches tomorrow.



Actually I know could lose my life my liberty and my property at any moment but it is less likely as someone living in the 21st Century West than it would be if I were in a similar position as someone living in the 16th Century West or the 16 Century Islamic World or in 20th Century China or 18th Century Zululand or 15 Century Aztec Society. I never said that the US was a perfect Democratic society with iron clad legal protections for individuals and their property and their freedom but as the classicist Victor Davis Hanson said of the US in particular and the West in General "it is better than the alternative." If you hold the US way of living and our approach to government, it will never pass Utopian standards.

With that in mind, the question is how do we make things the least bad that they can possibly be and because politics is fluid and ever changing, do we have a government where power is being more limited, more decentralized and more transparent or less so?


BTW, why does my family having money invalidate, in your eyes my ideas? I am honest about where I am from, I am giving full disclosure, would you rather that I lie about who I am and be like George W. Bush or John Kerry and put up some sort of insultingly fake working class facade?

 

[morningstar7777]

Rex, you accept the fact that you can lose your property any minute? If they ever come to evict you, you think you're obligated to leave?

 

[morningstar7777]

Rex, you accept the fact that you can lose your property any minute? If they ever come to evict you, you think you're obligated to leave?

 

[rashi]

Society has been socially engineered and dumbed down to accept and be complacent towards tyranny. Resistance is considered futile by the elite and their mass public communication outlets.

 

 

[rashi]

Society has been socially engineered and dumbed down to accept and be complacent towards tyranny. Resistance is considered futile by the elite and their mass public communication outlets.

 

 

[acemaster193]

For the most part, the world's probems are beyond any of our controls. Sadly, the elites control all of our affairs. Therefore, on a microlevel, people tend to just concentrate or care about things they can control like media news, celebrity gossip, etc.  

 

[acemaster193]

For the most part, the world's probems are beyond any of our controls. Sadly, the elites control all of our affairs. Therefore, on a microlevel, people tend to just concentrate or care about things they can control like media news, celebrity gossip, etc.  

 

[Peep Game]

Originally Posted by ReJimen

Originally Posted by Peep Game

Originally Posted by ReJimen

Clearly you don't read. The topic is discussing media's disregard to pertinent vs. non-pertinent issues, "(not NT)".

I read it as in general, so clearly you can't read my mind.
  

ignance at it's weakest!

Meanwhile... in the real world.

Some of you are really not seeing the issue here. I take it that these sad opinions come from those without experience of life's hardships. Like how could you say it's not possible to change these worldly issues when you can't even think past your ignorant self to even try and make a difference. Ill even put it in lame-mans terms (If you dont attempt to take the test, then how the.....You Will Not Pass) You dudes Have to wake up and smell the radiation in the air. It exists while you all are stuck in the moment. Think Future! Think as if you were in charge of worldly issues even. Would you handle crisis or prolong it just because you cared less about anyone else's problems. If you are truly that selfish then how do you even relate to anyone or have lasting relations with anyone that's Real. The thing is...I used to be just like you, but puh-lee b-lee change is Gonna come regardless of your immaturity. You'll wake up one day, but in the mean time I'll be praying for you like a loving mother. No Karamo!

Based on that mouthful of a response, I'm trying to figure out who exactly were you talking to? Are these hardships you talk about surrounding you to where you are basically making a
an ignorant general blanket statement with no proof what-so ever? That's pretty ironic that you tried to sound philosophical like an after school special, but honestly made yourself sound
like a bigger fool than you attempted to make me. So I'll give you a real answer of why the media seems to only care about frivolous issues: it's cause bad/insignificant things and events
(for the most part) seem to just be more appealing than good genuine things. You ever notice how a triple homicide could draw more news than a student being a merit scholar for the
first time? Sadly, in the media, the bad is just more appealing than the good, and unless people actively try to change that, it'll always be that way. By the way, if you "used to be
like [me]", maybe you should go back to that, cause then you'd definitely be a better person.  

 

[Peep Game]

Originally Posted by ReJimen

Originally Posted by Peep Game

Originally Posted by ReJimen

Clearly you don't read. The topic is discussing media's disregard to pertinent vs. non-pertinent issues, "(not NT)".

I read it as in general, so clearly you can't read my mind.
  

ignance at it's weakest!

Meanwhile... in the real world.

Some of you are really not seeing the issue here. I take it that these sad opinions come from those without experience of life's hardships. Like how could you say it's not possible to change these worldly issues when you can't even think past your ignorant self to even try and make a difference. Ill even put it in lame-mans terms (If you dont attempt to take the test, then how the.....You Will Not Pass) You dudes Have to wake up and smell the radiation in the air. It exists while you all are stuck in the moment. Think Future! Think as if you were in charge of worldly issues even. Would you handle crisis or prolong it just because you cared less about anyone else's problems. If you are truly that selfish then how do you even relate to anyone or have lasting relations with anyone that's Real. The thing is...I used to be just like you, but puh-lee b-lee change is Gonna come regardless of your immaturity. You'll wake up one day, but in the mean time I'll be praying for you like a loving mother. No Karamo!

Based on that mouthful of a response, I'm trying to figure out who exactly were you talking to? Are these hardships you talk about surrounding you to where you are basically making a
an ignorant general blanket statement with no proof what-so ever? That's pretty ironic that you tried to sound philosophical like an after school special, but honestly made yourself sound
like a bigger fool than you attempted to make me. So I'll give you a real answer of why the media seems to only care about frivolous issues: it's cause bad/insignificant things and events
(for the most part) seem to just be more appealing than good genuine things. You ever notice how a triple homicide could draw more news than a student being a merit scholar for the
first time? Sadly, in the media, the bad is just more appealing than the good, and unless people actively try to change that, it'll always be that way. By the way, if you "used to be
like [me]", maybe you should go back to that, cause then you'd definitely be a better person.  

 

[mr jordan04]

Originally Posted by RetroSan

oh.

then do something about it rather then making a thread captain planet

  

 

[mr jordan04]

Originally Posted by RetroSan

oh.

then do something about it rather then making a thread captain planet

  

 

[rexanglorum]

morningstar7777 wrote:

---

Rex, you accept the fact that you can lose your property any minute? If they ever come to evict you, you think you're obligated to leave?


I would never accept confiscation of my property, not without a fight at least, or think of it as an obligation. I accept the reality that my life, my liberty, my family and friends, my property and everything good could be snuffed out almost instantly if events transpire in such an unfavorable manner.

Property rights are a great thing, the foundation for the creation of wealth and liberty. Unfortunately, property rights are just social constructs but I am glad to live in a society that is one of the most diligent at respecting it, relative to other societies. By living in the US and by being gable to fight, I make it less likely that my property be taken but it is something that cannot be 100% guaranteed to prevent it from happening.