2008 Woodie Awards
Don't be sheep: think for yourselves
Catherine Conley
Issue date: 9/25/07 Section: Opinions
Have you ever had an argument with someone who couldn't support their opinion? Ignorance certainly grates on the nerves of many individuals. Unfortunately, it is a common and widespread affliction that is affecting many in our world today. How many people do you know who support their political party and all its ideals without ever considering the facts? Or how many people depend on the media to form opinions for them? People aren't thinking about things anymore. They are too busy to contemplate, and rely on political slogans and headlines to give them the whole story. They are being blindly led into what could be an intellectually dangerous situation.
Most of the time the news media broadcasts correct information; you just don't hear all of it. A Fox News survey showed that in 2004, 70 percent of American adults did not know that Congress had recently passed a prescription drug benefit for seniors. Two-thirds of those polled did not know that there was a net increase in jobs that year. There are all too many news programs complaining about unemployment, but does anyone hear the good things?
The media is constantly focused on shock value and negativity. They claim to be the savior of the masses, saving them from political lies. The truth is that massive media corporations are political. They print and broadcast what sells. Journalistic integrity is hard to come by these days and that's a sad fact to face. This bias leads time-crunched Americans to form the same opinions as the news channels and papers they absorb. In a way, it's almost like brainwashing. You don't know that you are being purposely misled. You think you are getting all the straight facts when really it's more of an ad campaign. "We provide interesting news so listen to us." That shouldn't enough of a motive to give that media outlet your valuable time.
To a lesser degree, people also take the opinions of celebrities as fact. What do they know about politics? Answer: They don't know any more than the average person does. There are so many teenagers and, more frighteningly, many adults who are slaves to the thoughts of celebrities. I wonder how many people have converted to Kabbalah because Madonna said it changed her life. There are countless teenagers who hate the president because Green Day told them to. I mean, if you hate the guy, hate him for a real reason, like the Patriot Act. "American Idiot" is not a convincing enough argument.
In any facet of life where time can be saved by not thinking, most people take advantage of it. Whether you're catching the last five minutes of the 10 o'clock news or briefly glancing over the headlines of a newspaper, you are letting other people do your thinking for you. Don't let authority figures make decisions and opinions for you. Hell, don't even listen to me if you don't want to. You can tear this column to shreds or have it framed; just make the decision for yourself.
Most of the time the news media broadcasts correct information; you just don't hear all of it. A Fox News survey showed that in 2004, 70 percent of American adults did not know that Congress had recently passed a prescription drug benefit for seniors. Two-thirds of those polled did not know that there was a net increase in jobs that year. There are all too many news programs complaining about unemployment, but does anyone hear the good things?
The media is constantly focused on shock value and negativity. They claim to be the savior of the masses, saving them from political lies. The truth is that massive media corporations are political. They print and broadcast what sells. Journalistic integrity is hard to come by these days and that's a sad fact to face. This bias leads time-crunched Americans to form the same opinions as the news channels and papers they absorb. In a way, it's almost like brainwashing. You don't know that you are being purposely misled. You think you are getting all the straight facts when really it's more of an ad campaign. "We provide interesting news so listen to us." That shouldn't enough of a motive to give that media outlet your valuable time.
To a lesser degree, people also take the opinions of celebrities as fact. What do they know about politics? Answer: They don't know any more than the average person does. There are so many teenagers and, more frighteningly, many adults who are slaves to the thoughts of celebrities. I wonder how many people have converted to Kabbalah because Madonna said it changed her life. There are countless teenagers who hate the president because Green Day told them to. I mean, if you hate the guy, hate him for a real reason, like the Patriot Act. "American Idiot" is not a convincing enough argument.
In any facet of life where time can be saved by not thinking, most people take advantage of it. Whether you're catching the last five minutes of the 10 o'clock news or briefly glancing over the headlines of a newspaper, you are letting other people do your thinking for you. Don't let authority figures make decisions and opinions for you. Hell, don't even listen to me if you don't want to. You can tear this column to shreds or have it framed; just make the decision for yourself.
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