If you’re reading this right now, there’s a chance that you fall into a certain demographic of young adults. If so, then you probably like to read, and you are curious enough about the world at large to pick up a newspaper, at least a college paper, from time to time. You might have the desire to be better informed about things, but feel disillusioned about politics and the miserable state of the world. And even if you weren’t, there are so many sources of information spouting so many different issues that you don’t know where to start.
Maybe you know that Israel and Palestine hate each other, but are hazy on the details why. Maybe you’ve heard about talking-point issues like the war, energy, immigration, gun control, abortion, welfare, Medicare or social security. You might have some general opinions on some of these debates, but you’re uncomfortable engaging in them on a deeper level. Does this sound like you? I know it did for me, as recently as a year ago.
There is a way to start, though, a roadmap to better understanding that I found through a lot of trial and error. Maybe you’ll find some of it useful, too.
1) There’s stuff, and then there’s fluff: Politicians like to stir up button-pushing issues right before elections, and then pursue their real agendas after their seats are secured. Remember the 2004 campaigns? We were made to think that banning gay marriage and flag burning were of utmost importance to the moral integrity of our country. Later, these topics were dropped in a corner and forgotten like unwanted toys after Christmas.
Distinguishing the polarizing, yet ultimately insubstantial debates like whether or not “under God” should be in the Pledge of Allegiance, from problems that will have an actual impact on our future like immigration reform, will save you a lot of time and headaches when deciding which articles to read or news stories to watch.
2) Everything is connected. This is a big one. When I first started looking at the current events scene, there seemed to be a bewildering array of special interests and single issues jumbled into one big mess. After all, what do taxes, education, poverty and the war in Iraq have to do with each other?
As it turns out, everything. And it’s not that hard to pick up one strand and follow it to all the others, like pulling up a net from under the sand. To go back to our example, look at the way the Bush administration continually cuts taxes for big business and the wealthy, while the lower class and a dwindling middle class must shoulder the burden of ever-increased spending. What’s the biggest sinkhole for money spent by the government today? The war in Iraq. What doesn’t get enough funding, among countless other causes? Education. It’s common knowledge that a good education helps reduce poverty, but far too many Americans don’t have access to one. Who is the most likely to end up joining the military? The poor.
We can keep going, connecting the dots. It’s not only a great mental exercise (try drawing a line to the energy crisis and peak oil next, or the influence of corporations on public policy), but a tremendous help putting everything in context and clarifying the big picture.
3) What isn’t said speaks as loudly as what is. I know I devoted an earlier column to this the other month, but it bears mentioning again: The mainstream news media won’t tell you everything you need to know. How often do CNN or FOX talk about Internet neutrality, or fair housing, or the prison-industrial complex? This is where independent sources, the blogosphere and local groups come in to fill the gaps left behind.
4) Read every day. We get free newspapers delivered to the Campus Center and to each dining commons all over campus every day. Pick one up and skim the front page, then read all the way through one or two stories that catch your interest. If you’re a frequent reader of the Daily Collegian’s Ed/Op section, try checking out what the pros have to say in the New York Times.
When you make getting up to date on current events a daily routine, you’ll find after a few weeks that it gets easier and easier to stay up to date. Facts become familiar, and stories begin to develop a sense of continuity.
Welcome to the road. It’s riddled with potholes and takes many twists and turns, but along the way, you’ll experience far more encounters and sights than if you just stayed at home. Chances are, once you’re on it, you won’t want to turn back.
Jackie Hai is a Collegian columnist.
