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*Poll!* Issues around the world

T

TheBiggmann

Senior member
I'm writing an essay right now and I'm curious. How many of you out there feel that you are educated about issues around the world. Britney Spears' latest custody crisis does not count as an "issue". And by educated I do not mean "We're in a war with Iraq", or "People are dying in AFrica," I mean "Malaria kills 2-4 million people annually in Sub-Saharan Africa alone, and while many countries are making an attempt at helping people living in destitution, the United States among them, current strategies may not be working. The UNited States donates .1% of their GNP to foreign assistance, falling short of the US multilateral commitments of .7%. However, much of this money never even reaches African nations due to the large amount of corruption in many governments, etc, etc, etc." So yeah, that was just a small, condensed example of one thing. I'm curious how many people think they are educated to an extent such as that or beyond. Be honest, and encourage people to vote in this, as it would really help me out. Thanks!
 
To too great of extent we all know only a what's good for America viewpoint. And as soon as some other country does what we do, namely start doing whats good for them, we tend to see it as a conflict rather than an opportunity. Only a win win foreign policy succeeds long term. Trying to walk even an inch in someone else's shoes is a starting point.
 
I think anyone who spends some time around here is better educated about world issues than the average Joe, who spends his time voting off someone on American Idol and skipping commercials on his Tivo 😛
 
See, now i was hoping to get responses from the average joe as well, but having placed this in the politics forum I am starting to think thats not gonna happen lol...
 
Originally posted by: Pabster
I think anyone who spends some time around here is better educated about world issues than the average Joe, who spends his time voting off someone on American Idol and skipping commercials on his Tivo 😛
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I'd say people around here are more AWARE of the issues, but becoming educated and forming an opinion are two different things. Actually becoming education involves a lot of work, and it's hard in an area of study where there is so much bullshit floating around. There are some areas in which I would consider myself extremely well informed, and comparing those areas to a lot of political issues, I realize I'm probably not as informed as I think I am. When I consider how much effort and time it took to really be informed about the areas I DO know a lot about, I don't think my feeble forays into politics quite match up 🙂
 
I am, but what about the rest of America? Sad part is most media in USA water down and swing it to a certain viewpoint for their targeted audience.
 
Very true. That's what's so sad about it. The media does a terrible job of accurately representing the facts and are more concerned about slanting the information to meet their cause instead of showing the pain and suffering that occurrs in other parts of the world. God forbid someone might see something they term offensive.
 
I'm sorry, but this has got to be the most skewed poll ever. 0% think they're not educated?! ATPN can be a good place to discuss and read about US politics, but it not anything pertaining to world issues or politics in other places. The few threads on non-US topics are usually full of dull and superficial discussion and most people's views are overly simplistic and filtered through WASP lens.
 
Lol well, I DID post it here so I guess I'm partly at fault, I'm just taking it with a grain of salt. Or maybe a boulder....
 
Originally posted by: TheBiggmann
I'm writing an essay right now and I'm curious. How many of you out there feel that you are educated about issues around the world. Britney Spears' latest custody crisis does not count as an "issue". And by educated I do not mean "We're in a war with Iraq", or "People are dying in AFrica," I mean "Malaria kills 2-4 million people annually in Sub-Saharan Africa alone, and while many countries are making an attempt at helping people living in destitution, the United States among them, current strategies may not be working. The UNited States donates .1% of their GNP to foreign assistance, falling short of the US multilateral commitments of .7%. However, much of this money never even reaches African nations due to the large amount of corruption in many governments, etc, etc, etc." So yeah, that was just a small, condensed example of one thing. I'm curious how many people think they are educated to an extent such as that or beyond. Be honest, and encourage people to vote in this, as it would really help me out. Thanks!
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Contrary to popular belief Britney Spears and others like her are very important as an insight to present day American culture, since in many other cultures she would have been tarred, feathered and relegated to obscurity a long time ago.

But it is not her that we should be most offended at but rather the superficial nature of today's society that makes her appear more important than actual events that affect us, domestic and internatonal.

Don't be surprised if many if not most people know more about celebrities lives than present day events that actually are more important, and I wouldn't be surprised if that is part of the current media brainwashing.
 
Originally posted by: Martin
I'm sorry, but this has got to be the most skewed poll ever. 0% think they're not educated?! ATPN can be a good place to discuss and read about US politics, but it not anything pertaining to world issues or politics in other places. The few threads on non-US topics are usually full of dull and superficial discussion and most people's views are overly simplistic and filtered through WASP lens.
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I agree, all the people who said "Confidently Yes" are either full of themselves or just ignorant of what they don't know.
 
Kind of. I'm far more, grossly more, educated than most people (as are most P&Ners, simply because we read the news), but there are enough people on P&N who've got knowledge in areas to make me know there's a heck of a lot I don't know about.

I agree, all the people who said "Confidently Yes" are either full of themselves or just ignorant of what they don't know.
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Unless they've acted as a foreign diplomat to a few continents over various decades or teach foreign affairs and history at university, I'm inclined to agree.
 
Originally posted by: ProfJohn
Originally posted by: Martin
I'm sorry, but this has got to be the most skewed poll ever. 0% think they're not educated?! ATPN can be a good place to discuss and read about US politics, but it not anything pertaining to world issues or politics in other places. The few threads on non-US topics are usually full of dull and superficial discussion and most people's views are overly simplistic and filtered through WASP lens.
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I agree, all the people who said "Confidently Yes" are either full of themselves or just ignorant of what they don't know.
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Probably one of the few times I agree with ProfJohn 😉 Unless those 10 people are lurkers, I'm having a hard time coming up with 10 people who regularly participate in discussions here who I'd say appear to have a confident command of the various issues around the world.
 
Originally posted by: piasabird
I feel the media is run by political hacks that only report what fits into their agenda.
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QFT

Edit: I said I'm only kind of educated, for this reason. You really have to search and seek out facts for yourself to even get to that level.
 
Kinda.

Some issues I know a great deal about, however there are many where my knowledge is sadly lacking. African and Indonesian topics are things I don't have a good grasp of.
 
I think it's more than a bit difficult to be educated about ALL global issues.

I spend quite a bit of time reading/watching etc, but still it's gonna be mostly filtered through the MSM no matter how you go about it.

I'll read at least one paper a day (a NYT paper), and catch the news broadcast of at least different channels, then some websites. Much of it is repitition.

I think you'd prolly need to have it focused on, and/or summarized by Continents to keep abreast.

Mostly I just get NA, SA and Middle East sources, with the occaisional bits about Asia & Africa.

Fern
 
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