It never ceases to amaze me how much goes on in the world, that the average American is unaware of. This is not a rant against Americans by the way. This situation likely holds true for people everywhere. Earlier today, I was talking with my daughter and I asked her if she was aware what was going on in Europe? She quickly said no, and I started to explain to her about the refugees flooding Europe from the wars in the Middle East and how European economies were under great strain due to their generous social programs that were quickly bankrupting the governments on the continent, As I watched her eyes glaze over, I realized that I would likely get that look from about 95% of the population.
Oddly enough, as the world has grown smaller due to technology, people seem less and less likely to know what is going on in the world. Funny, but people can tell you all about silly videos they see on Facebook, or even what a friend of a friend of a friend is doing, but that can't tell you what is going on with the euro, that the banks had been closed in Greece or that there were/are refugees flooding Europe, and that some of them were likely ISIS plants. These same people have no clue what is going on in either local or national politics, but they can tell you exactly who they are going to vote for. Oddly enough, I don't remember being like that when I was a kid. I read the newspaper and I had a basic idea about what was going on in the world. Not only that, but I had a general idea of where countries were located, and I didn't need a map to get around my own section of the county. It seems that while technology is convenient, the sheeple use it more for entertainment than for education. I look at the internet as if it is a gigantic online library. Most people use it to send texts and to help them find their way around their own town! The final part of my rant is the way that people communicate nowadays. In a way it is both better and worse than it was in the old days. My daughter talks to lots of people over Facebook and in some cases, have them met those people at school events or through other friends. That part is great. What is really weird, is when she actually meets the people face to face. The other day, I drove her to McDonalds to meet a girl she had met once before at a school function. I grabbed a coffee and some chicken nuggets and sat with them for a couple of minutes while I ate. "The girl actually sat down looked at Maddie and said, I'm sorry I am awkward at this, Maddie smiled and said me too! And then they went on to have an animated conversation. When I left, they were chatting like two school girls...which they were! I find it amazing that these girls can have great conversations on the internet, where they are essentially anonymous (meaning they can give whatever info they want and hold back the rest), and then when they meet in person, feel a little bit awkward about it! And then get over it so quickly! We never had anything like that when I was a kid. It seems weird to me, but this is how they are growing up. I guess the only thing that really bothers me about these online conversations are all the acronyms the kids use when they talk to each other. Almost like they are too lazy to spell properly. Maddie uses them when she texts to me sometimes and I have no clue what she is talking about usually until I ask her to translate it. This seems to be the new way of the world, though. Get used to it, or get passed by.
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