Imagine my disgust! During work, I turned to a coworker to ask her her feelings on the Middle East revolts, attempting to get another teenager's point of view.
"What's going on in the Middle East? OH! You mean with Egypt?" Her boyfriend walked in. I asked him what he he thought. His reply? "Oh... yeah, I only know a little bit. Something with Egypt, and then, erm, right now they're trying to get him outta office."
(mind you, Mubarak was thrown out of office Feb 10/11 (disputed) and right now Libya's Gaddafi is the one trying to hold onto his 42-year old regime.)
I felt lost among the chaos, yet I realized I'm probably one of the only people who understand what's going on at the High School level. I feel blind, yet every one else looks to me for information. I flipped through a newspaper and counted... dismayed. Five pages on Charlie Sheen's drug-related issues and not a single clip on the Middle East uprising. Now, I was also flipping through an unreliable news source for just about anything... however, to flip on CNN and see more on Charlie Sheen than the Middle East made me quite uneasy. I'd like to ask your opinion, do you think you know what's going on in the Middle East? As a professional with a job and obviously the regular amount of tv-time... do you think the media has accurately portrayed the Middle East, and has given enough time to it? I think not... having to sift through Israel and Arab newspapers to just get basic information seems excessive.
Back to Charlie Sheen. I think that American news has failed me. YES this is a post on how absolutely pissed I am that it takes ALL THIS RESEARCH TO FIND THIS LITTLE with a CURRENT EVENT. I believe America has gotten a severe disease: apathy. Anytime America hears of Africa or the Middle East they immediately assume turmoil, avoid.
Well, my fuming rant is done... you see, the last thing America needs is another "article" with more mentioning of Charlie Sheen than Libya....
Clearly I hear your frustration and I share it. I listen to NPR (national Public Radio) and that has had lots of coverage on the region and no coverage of Charlie Sheen. Of course, Congress is now considering removing all funding from NPR.
ReplyDeleteCertainly, events are overtaking your project a bit. We might plan for a brief "addendum" at the end of your paper to discuss the changes in the region and their impacts on the peace process.
Mainstream media is all about what sells (and makes $) and not about educating us on current world events. While it takes more effort, it is worthwhile seeking out reliable and balanced news outlets. Keep your interests and passions.....and search for truth!
ReplyDelete