April 29, 2009
Well Then
Posted by Sam on the NING on April 27th: “‘Watching the news…’ he said scathingly. ‘I’d like to know what he’s really up to. As if a normal boy cares what’s on the news-Dudley hasn’t got a clue what’s going on, doubt he knows who the Prime Minister is! Anyway, it’s not as if there’d be anything about his lot on our news-”
(Order of the Phoenix, page 2 American edition)
Upon watching the newest video uploaded(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQiLngzLiGI) by John Green (a Vlogbrother and nerdfighter) I realized that not only is the situation in Sri Lanka horrendous, but also that news coverage seems to be off.
With school just about to be over I’ll have much more time to dedicate to keeping informed on international, as well as national and local, events as covered by the news. I try my best to stay informed and help in any way that I can, but right now I feel absolutely let down. Within the news coverage on my television I’ve heard nothing. I’ve had to learn to rely on alternative sources.
What is the most upsetting is that not only is the news lacking for what I feel is important, but I feel that there is just too much coverage on celebrities. I can’t seem to change a channel without seeing something related to this person or that person. It’s overall annoying.
But while all of this is frustrating, what surprises me the most is how uninformed a lot of people seem to be. It is that reason that I picked that quote. Are ‘normal’ children expected to only surround themselves with pop culture and their own interest? I don’t think so. While I can’t say that Harry Potter made me desire to be more knowledgeable about international news, it did help reaffirm that belief. It is seen time and time again how Harry must struggle against not only muggle news, but also The Prophet. If Harry and co. fit the build of ‘normal’ children, then they would remain uninformed and only focus on their Potions exam, or their Charms essay. Voldemort would have risen unknown and eventually gained what he truly desired. The only opponents to his regime would have been the adults.
I am glad, therefore, that Harry and co. did not remain in the dark. So, for all of this, I think that everyone can look at the example set within a children’s book and realized that focusing our whole lives only on things that we have a personal relationship is fruitless. In some degree we need to be informed about our fellow man, and in someway we’ll hopefully aspire to help them.
katie
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I’m 16, so I’m surrounded by what are considered “normal” children day-in and day-out. I’m friends with a lot of these kids, who know, or want to know, nothing outside of their cars and blasting stereos and what haircut they can get next year. They are all very nice and funny and great, but the products of an extremely vapid culture. I watched “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” with my brother last Saturday, and, despite its unlikely premise and slightly unbelievable characters, wept in my room for twenty minutes afterward. As soon as it finished, I hit “Exit” on my remote and was brought back to the “On Demand” screen, which was guffawing at some Adam Sandler movie, then some grievous blonde told me what not to wear, then whatnot about a fat celebrity who found a miracle drink and lost fifty pounds. As I walked into my kitchen, my father was cheerfully Twittering (Tweeting? I’m not hip to this) at an attractive, spray-tan woman that he would never meet.
It’s really disheartening, I agree. Americans, and citizens of every privileged country, but us especially—call me a self-hating liberal—are awfully uninformed. They prefer not to think about things that don’t affect their paycheck or the size of their combo meals, and pass that mindset onto their children. I know I’m generalizing and there is a hard-working and brow-beaten middleclass, I get that. Still, there’s something missing. As a teenager, I’m told to do well in school, which feeds me a one-size-fits-all curriculum that is neither challenging or inspiring, to get a job in an office and buy a picket fence, and, ultimately, become another ant in our self-absorbed machinery.
We forget that there is real distress, that some don’t have food and that women are being raped and children killed and forced to kill. It’s, you know. I don’t know how to end this on a hopeful note, except for that there are people like those in the Alliance, thank God, and we will make a difference. That’s the best we’ve got right now.
katie
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Of course, the inherent hypocrisy of all that I just said; any movie like that, that inspired all those thoughts, it can be argued that it exploited the tragedy of the Holocaust for money, which they knew they could get for a few tears. Maybe I’m just being very cynical, but it’s hard not to think thoughts like those in this consumer society. Consuming, and regretting it, realizing how simultaneously you haven’t been satisfied and have been exploited and supported exploitation… Oh, dear.
And, I realized this was a blog post on the Ning. Next time, I’ll pay more attention and comment there. Sorry!
Malavi
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So true…
“Normal people” are expected to eat exactly half of what they order, and throw the rest away, “normal people” are expected to leave a room without bothering to switch off the lights and fans, the list goes on.