My opinions on the biggest issues today? none. I don't pay attention to the news because I don't find it interesting, I mean, is it interesting that people are losing thier homes, dieing, or war? I'm not that type of person to see stuff like that, so I barely update myself on what's currently happening. I only hear the news around school by overhearing people's conversations.

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While no one can force you to keep up with current events, I would highly, HIGHLY suggest that you do so. Not only will you gain a better understanding of the world and be able to make important decisions later on in your life, but you will be able to exercise your mind and gain other points of view by having discussions regarding what's happening in the world. While it's nearly impossible to shut yourself away from the world and its happenings, you shouldn't strive to make that achievement.

Inspired: I agree with your comments. Especially about the media desensitizing the public with disturbing and morbid news stories rather than positive and uplifting ones. Turn on the news in the evening and what do you see? Three or four stories about robbery, murder, or other crimes, and maybe one or (though it is unlikely) two stories about the community or a new program at the local school. The media, it seems, would rather frigthen the public than inspire it.

I watched "Bowling for Columbine" a month or so ago, and I must say that this is, quite frankly, THE ONLY point with which I agree with Michael Moore (but we won't get into that here). I had somewhat wondered about this issue but his presentation really put it into perspective.

 

 

 

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My biggest issue for me is the Michael Jackson child molestation trial. Just because a 13 year old thinks he can convince everybody he was molested for money, dosnt mean that Michael Jackson is a criminal. I think his career being over is enough, but putting the guy in jail for 74 years max is just plain BS. If the witnesses cant give a confident answer to the questions they are being asked, they really have no big proof. I think he is innocent, and that the court should ust let the guy be. So what if he likes to run around and play tag with children. And a maid THOUGHT she heard giggles in the shower, he likes to play with kids. It makes him feel like a kid, and i think they should leave him alone.

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Spacemonkey:



Well, I can't really blame him/her in a sense. Sometimes world issues can become so annoying and depressing that some people just want to shut themselves away from it all. On the other hand, some are
"desensitized" to it, so they just continue to watch without really feeling compassion or whatever, like I mentioned in an earlier post.



Exactly. Fear creates confusion, which makes it a less daunting task to misinform people, which may inturn lead into easier brainwashing of the public. Did you also know that news show ratings go up when they air depressing stories? That's probably one reason why they don't air too many good, comforting uplifting stories. The more violence and disaster they show, the more audience they attract [ due to the desensitization tactic ], the more viewers they get, and the more ratings they receive. It's a very simple process. A very effective process at that. It's kind of like a station-to-station competition: the one who can attract the most viewers with disasterous news stories will win the ratings.

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yeh thats really crap. Its all the controlling mother. Right head case i say. Altho he is quite an odd and mysterious man. . . . like him denying he's had any surgery, insisting that "people jsut change" . . .lol not as much as he has.

but for me the biggest issue is the spread of jamster and that F**King crazy frog bol*ox.. . . i mean, its constantly on all the music channels, and its moved onto Channel 4 now aswell (UK) and not to mention the million of add banners all ova the web which play the tacky S**t when u roll over them. . . grrrrrrrr i bloody hate them. . .

But politcally a major issue is the USA's pollicies. Their foreign pollicy, Their foreign aid policy and there ignorant and selfish policie on Global polluting, global warming etc. . . . . grrrrrrr

the new european consitution and eventual forming of a european super state is a quite a big issue too.

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The big issues really depend on where stand in todays society, for the sick it would be there health, the poor it would be money, for the homless it would be somewhere to sleep at night and for the rich its staying away for the above.
From here the issue's we face everyday run into the hundreds, from the time we wake up in the morning to when we go to bed we are bombarded with information.

What we should or should not eat, how much exercise you should or should not do, GM foods, bird flu, sars, ebola, Marburg haemorrhagic fever, Oil prices, Aids, job security, kids, north korea, iraq and don't forget those killer comets running around the solar system just waiting for our planet to be in the right spot to take us all out!

The less we worry are life the quicker we get to live it. We should only worry that others get the help they need.

The people should never forget Rwanda, because their Governments did.

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I just don't think that ignorance to the world, whether for the purpose to prevent depression or otherwise, should be encouraged. That's the gist of what I wanted to say.

In response to your comments on violence versus ratings: you are spot on. As I began to read your agreement with what I had initially commented, I thought the same thing, then I read it from your post, so that's one less subject I have to type out. Yes, I agree. Society doesn't matter anymore -- ratings (i.e. - money) is what matters.

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Oh, I'm not saying that anyone should be totally ignorant or anonymous to world events, news, etc. I'm just trying to look at it in a different perspective. Sometimes the news and the issues around the world do get abit annoying and depressing. And I'll be honest - sometimes, I hate listening to news. It gets me down in the dumps sometimes. Not all of the time, but there are moments where I wonder.

And you're right - ratings, money and audience size is what really matters. There are some behind the news programs that do care about what happens out there in the world, but I think this group is overshadowed by the greedy majority. What a sad world this is.

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I really do believe the enviroment is a pretty big issue right now. More than one person said "gas prices" which more than anything is directly tied to the environment. not in the least because of largely contributing to (deadly) pollution.

but the way that our current population uses up energy resourses incerdibly wastefully with the luxury of not having to know how expensive that wastefullness is (particularily to the environment), is pretty alarming. I definantly think the raise in gas prices is a good thing. It is prompting people to try to conserve that resource by buying hybrid cars or investing money into alternate sources of energy.

does anybody know about ANWR? congress approved oil drilling to be done in the arctic National Wildlife Refuge! it is a devistating loss for the environment for a measly short supply of oil. but we are desprate for it... :-( the benefits of drilling there don't nearly compensate for the draw backs

(also it is a fact that the united states uses about 90% of the world's energy resourses.)

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I'm sure there are plenty of big issues out there, and it would probably be theoritically impossible to prioritize them. For instance, enviornmental problems and financial problems (poverty et al) each demand a lot of concern in their own right.

As a matter of opinion, I would think discrimination is a pretty big issue. If the general social mindset could change so that nobody discriminated on the basis of caste, creed, nationality, gender and so on, a lot of things would probably be much nicer. I have never been a particularly patriotic person because I think some of that philosophy sounds synonymus to discrimination of the grounds of nationality. Although I'm sure things are much more complicated than that, I still believe that everyone - to the extent possible under his/her circumstances - should try and be a citizen of the world and follow the 'religion' of humanity. It probably sounds cliche, but this is something I stand by.

Apart from that, I quite agree that the environmental issues seem to be getting out of hand and are a big concern. I would also be very worried about the quality of education if I was the government. Poverty is an issue that may never be sorted out, but perhaps there is hope in the sense that financial status is not the only way to feel good about life. I am an optimist, and I like to imagine that happiness is an inherent part of our system, and can be independent of surroundings and circumstances if we try hard enough. Well, maybe that was a tad too optimistic

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