2008 Woodie Awards
Being informed makes opinions more valid
By Mike Goodwin
Issue date: 10/21/05 Section: Opinion
In case you missed it this past week, a white supremacist group marched in Toledo, Ohio and incited violence. I unknowingly and somewhat predicted a situation like this using an analogy in my article last week. Maybe it makes me some kind of prophet or something. Honestly, it's a saddening truth I had proven to me. The riots started from a decision by local government to allow white supremacists the freedom to hurl insults at a black and Hispanic neighborhood. Irresponsibility and the First Amendment; who would've thought I was on to something.
I'm still disappointed with the religious rhetoric. If racial division can arouse anger so easily, faith can do the same. To make this quite clear, yet again, I am not anti-religion, although, I am pro-choice so I guess I'm still going to hell. Obviously, any issue involving inequality and the spread of ignorant, superior messages is going to create anger.
But it's redundant every week. I mean, if I sit here typing and preaching to everyone about equality in each article, you're going to get bored by it. I'd get bored writing it. Some of you will even have the audacity to tell me people who strive to be equal, in fact, are equal, and will feel that you've put a socialist back in his place. Because those people who were stranded in New Orleans during the hurricane chose to be there, right?
It's depressing how uninformed we really are about everything. Did you know Slippery Rock has a literary magazine that publishes submissions from around the world? For those of you who don't watch "The Daily Show", did you know Florida passed a law enabling its citizens the authority to shoot someone in a public place if they feel threatened? (Alas! The return of the Wild West is upon us!) Look, I still don't know which residence hall is called what and this is my fourth year here. Yes, this 23-year old has never sat through an entire episode of "American Idol." Blasphemy, I know! Hey, at least I watch "Lost".
I don't know where to place the blame on the lack of information either: Polarizing 24-hour news networks and media bias? Corporate greed? Government misinformation? Blind faith? State system schools? Citizen apathy? They're all fantastic choices that more than likely play some sort of role in alienating society from actuality. The things we're led to accept as true aren't exactly authentic no matter how hard you hold your eyes shut and believe. I'm sure a certain optometrist I know would call that unhealthy anyway. And my eyes are blurry enough; even if I would "see the light" I'd still have to squint.
I'm still disappointed with the religious rhetoric. If racial division can arouse anger so easily, faith can do the same. To make this quite clear, yet again, I am not anti-religion, although, I am pro-choice so I guess I'm still going to hell. Obviously, any issue involving inequality and the spread of ignorant, superior messages is going to create anger.
But it's redundant every week. I mean, if I sit here typing and preaching to everyone about equality in each article, you're going to get bored by it. I'd get bored writing it. Some of you will even have the audacity to tell me people who strive to be equal, in fact, are equal, and will feel that you've put a socialist back in his place. Because those people who were stranded in New Orleans during the hurricane chose to be there, right?
It's depressing how uninformed we really are about everything. Did you know Slippery Rock has a literary magazine that publishes submissions from around the world? For those of you who don't watch "The Daily Show", did you know Florida passed a law enabling its citizens the authority to shoot someone in a public place if they feel threatened? (Alas! The return of the Wild West is upon us!) Look, I still don't know which residence hall is called what and this is my fourth year here. Yes, this 23-year old has never sat through an entire episode of "American Idol." Blasphemy, I know! Hey, at least I watch "Lost".
I don't know where to place the blame on the lack of information either: Polarizing 24-hour news networks and media bias? Corporate greed? Government misinformation? Blind faith? State system schools? Citizen apathy? They're all fantastic choices that more than likely play some sort of role in alienating society from actuality. The things we're led to accept as true aren't exactly authentic no matter how hard you hold your eyes shut and believe. I'm sure a certain optometrist I know would call that unhealthy anyway. And my eyes are blurry enough; even if I would "see the light" I'd still have to squint.
