The United States is a country that, while undoubtedly a strong and immensely powerful leader in many areas of global society, faces several serious issues as it pushes forward into the future. Beyond issues such as ongoing wars, steady unemployment and reality TV shows giving birth to other, far worse reality TV shows, one specific issue rises above the rest in its level of importance and the amount of immediate action we must take to combat its potential effects. This issue is a growing ignorance by a majority of our population toward confronting and solving the major problems and questions facing our nation today. This ignorance is being supported by an overall lack of resolve and patience, partisan bickering and a tendency for the national consciousness to be distracted and concerned with issues of far lesser importance.
It arises from the materialistic and media-driven culture we live in, a culture created from the 24-hour news cycle and the ever-expanding reach of technology. It is defined and enforced by an invasive media presence, social networking sites and an obsessive fascination with celebrity and popular culture. Through the advancements and abuse of technology, we have created another realm into which people can immerse themselves and forget about the real problems that face the world. It is too alarmist to say that no one pays attention to the dire issues and problems, such as global warming, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and international economic malaise. There are obviously a veritable army of experts who are handling these matters, but I feel that we should engage topics of national importance on an individual level and not become lost in our daily lives.
However, a growing majority of Americans are slipping into an electronically induced “social coma,” which has taken away their eyes, ears and ability to think for themselves. News outlets regulate and disperse news, but too often they focus on the scandal, the sensational or anything that brings in the ratings. Somewhere Tiger Woods is nodding his head. In consumer-driven America, the truth is slimmed down, parceled out in five-minute news blocks and drowned out among biased reports from all sides.
And while the Internet has brought an unprecedented amount of information to people’s fingertips, social networking sites, which receive traffic in the millions each day, have allowed people to create a world of their own while forsaking real issues that are right outside their front door. Time and energy is being lost on these endeavors as the minutiae of daily life have now gained this overinflated sense of appeal and worth. I miss the days when I didn’t know what my high school teacher thought of Avatar or what type of animal my friend found wandering on his virtual farm. We must look past the events of our own lives and form a greater coalition to solve the great problems of our age.
This social coma that has overtaken so many can only be lifted, in my opinion, through greater funding toward proper education of the youth; more emphasis on relevant areas of life, such as international relations or national governance; and a greater focus on the true reality of our increasingly precarious situation as a global leader in a dangerous world. Will all of these things be achieved in the near future and allow for this veil to be lifted? According to the Facebook poll I just completed, they will not.
Joshua Lee is a political science sophomore. His column appears every other Wednesday.
