The Culture of Ignorance

Mike-O

Mike-O

Active member


Lately, I have run into a strange and unusual phenomenon of appreciation of ignorance. This Friday night I got into a conversation with a person I had not met before and at one point I mentioned how disappointed I was in our government's and lawmakers' twisted sprint to the megaphones to use the Norway Murders lashback to push through their own, crooked agendas. Interestingly enough, he replied "I don't know anything about that stuff and I don't give a FUCK."

Not giving a fuck about anything seems to be all the rage these days. After I asked the slightly ignorant dude as to why he doesn't know or give a fuck, he proudly proclaimed that he doesn't follow the news or events in the world, doesn't read any books, doesn't want to learn anything. My first thought was that he was some kind of pseudo-secludist - cutting himself off from "the world" and "Babylon". Then it became apparent that he actually did read something: tabloids and Internet forums. Again, he proclaimed his hatred towards immigrants (the dark-skinned ones) and how all of our country's problems would be solved if they just "got the fuck out from leeching our system". Now, it had previously become apparent that he himself was unemployed and had been leeching the system for years - alas, something he was proud of.

This is not the first time I've run into willingly ignorant people. They simply refuse to learn anything new in life. They just want to go on about their business like "normal people", day in, day out. This is simply something that I can't and probably will never understand as a person who always wants to learn more about the world and ourselves. The key in this rant, however, is that although ignorant, these people are often highly opinionated. As they refuse to take in new information, their opinion becomes a fact.

How do you argue with a person in the wrong, who strongly believes in his own opinion as a fact, while you on the other hand possess the knowledge to set him straight but simply cannot break the barrier of ignorance. While these people could be left on their own, to continue their subfound ignoramusness silently by all themselves, they lately seem to have a knack of airing out their opinions well-enough to the other ignoramusses and somehow even make their to parliament. We now have a person up there running things, who doesn't know shit about the world and spouts unintelligent statements daily. Interestingly enough, the other fools who voted him in are happy about having an idiot in our governing system.

Where does this end? When did these people get so entangled about "going about their lives" that they refused to want nothing more in their lives? I know a lot of people, who don't want to go abroad, ever. They believe our country is the best in the world and has anything one could need, completely missing out on the broadening of the mind brought on by travel, insinuating that Paris or New York are just some "towns".

Years ago while returning home from Rhodes, I was seated next to group of ignants on the plane. They discussed in length how much Greece sucked. Listening in, I learned that their opinion was a bit loosely based, as they had only left the pool area of their hotel once during a nine-day vacation. In their hotel restaurant, run by a huge conglomerate chain, they hadn't tried a single Greek dish, scared of it having colera or other killer bacterias and went on to eat french fries with meatballs with a side of Finnish rye bread every night. The one time they actually went out on the town, they went to a Finland-themed bar to watch hockey, drink Finnish beer and sing Finnish songs in karaoke. Sitting in the plane, they unanimously claimed that traveling is costly, stupid and unnecessary - "We have all we need in Finland". It made me baffled and so sorry for them, but now I understand that I should feel sorry for myself for not understanding that this ignorance has become prevalent everywhere I go.

This phenomenon has quite certainly been around since the dawn of time, but with the rise of the Internet, these people are starting to gain momemtum en masse all around the world, sprouting their ignorance wherever they will. I don't really understand if there's anything to be done to stop this sickening glorification of insisting ignorance.

Well, I guess don't know enough about it to give a sincere fuck, so I'll just go read a book on the subject.

 
I totally agree, and its sad because its so much easier being ignorant than actually learning that people just take the easy way out.

As much as I hate it, I'm also guilty of it. Over our mid semester break, although I did work part time, I spent the majority of it inside, mucking around, not doing anything productive. Toward the end of the two week break I started to realise all of the things I could have achieved in two weeks and it was quite depressing that I had chosen to spend it doing nothing, its just human nature really.

If we spent half of the time we spent relaxing and doing nothing, on doing something productive, it would progress the human race so much I feel, the sad thing is there is no individual motivation in the majority of people (Me included)

Michael Jackson said start with the man in the mirror so, that being said, Im going to quit the pointless game I am playing right now, and study for my test coming up this week.

 
I have a couPle friends like this. I remember last year she had to give a speech on something going on in the world. I gave her some current news stories and she had no idea about any of them. "I don't really care about what's going on in the world. It doesn't effect me."
 
I had to log on mid- poo to say this is unbelivably true in our generation in murica. Kids will not follow politics or news willingly and yet still have very strong opinions on matters they know nothing about. It seems like our generation, surrounded by instant access thru wifi, is dumber than ever, and nobody has a problem with it. Kids can be book smart to pass grades, but hugely worldly ignorant, and that pisses me off. I know kids from california who have never left the state, yet consider
 
Ignorant people like this frustrate me so much. In the end though there is nothing you can do, most are ridiculously stubborn and set in their ways not even open for discussion on the subject. All you can do is grit your teeth, shake your head and be baffled by their ignorance.

I'm lucky enough to have travelled to some of the best places in the world, but where I live it's not isolated geographically but it is very isolated culturally. Most people are said to be in the 'Mornington Peninsula Bubble' meaning they can't comprehend life outside of the 30,000 people that live in their area. Going as far as to even the major city just 40 minutes away as full of stupid, rich people they have no need to associated with unless in a drugged up haze at a club. They have no desire to explore the world, read the global or even national news and see themselves at a level above everyone else because of where they live. One girl in my class Junior year didn't even know the capital of Australia as she said it was unimportant to her, 'Why should she remember such irrelevant things?'. They shun any exchange students because they're different and speak funny and must all be gay because they kiss each other on the cheek. They can't understand that people have different cultures. Sorry for the rant but it really irks me to be around people like that

*Disclaimer this is a harsh generalisation of my area based on the majority of the high school and university population I have to interact with.

 
you sound kinda opinionated yourself, and as for your view of finnish people, you are quite ignorant youself. It is in the culture and in the genes of finns to be independant. They are the most genetically isolated ethnic population in europe, because the finns ancestors set up their own isolated protected culture up around where modern day finland is today and did not interact with the rest of europe for tens of thousands of years. Finns are fiercely independant, and they are very prosperous. They have a right to complain about greece, because they in part have to pay for greeces bailout. In fact finland is one of the most right wing mentality countries in the entire world. Their attitude is to just let things sort themselves out. If you want some more interesting facts, greece and the other debt troubled nations of europe, have the lowest national average iq. I would not say that iq determines how "smart" you are, but it does have a very close correlation to the level of technology a countryy exports. for example you would expect german an japaneze iqs to be the highest because of their technology right? well it turns out, they are. i dont want to say i disagree with you. i dont like ignorant people either. I just wanted to give you a fresh dose of reality yourself, seeing as reality is what you seem to be persuing.
 
you can't, because, that's just like, your opinion man.
But seriously, as much as i agree with your OP, some people are beyond reasoning with. It's a hard truth.
 
What the fuck are you on about? That was the most ridiculous piece of crap I've read in long time.

 
That's how I felt after his first two sentences.

But, this kind of stuff sucks. It makes me really sad. I have such a huge desire to travel and experience as many different cultures and things as I can. It just doesn't compute when people are like 'naw, I'mma stay in 'merica and drink beer and work at the grocery store my whole life'. Barf.

Had a similar type of interaction with a girl I worked with at Mt. Baker, actually. The bitch was crazy. Didn't want to go to Asia because 'asian people are weird and its all like cartoons and shit'. And 'oh my god, you would actually eat sushi in JAPAN? why would you do that, the sushi in Seattle is way better.....'

.............What? Japanese food? In Japan? Oh fuck no. Can't do that. 'I like Europe cause its funnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!'
 
hey mike o, the funny thing is, and i really do have to laugh at this, is that maybe the people you complain about in your original post would be able to understand what i said, while you seem unable to. So its funny how you complain about ignorant people, haha. Maybe, you are the special new american breed, of very curious (which is good), but not very intelligent (which is not so good), haha. Please keep posting though haha..,
 
tumblr_ld4ee4A5iq1qevkryo1_400.jpg
.

Oh my fucking God, you are daft.
 
and mike o, im really not trying to troll you or anything, but i know what is taught in schools and on tv, and i know what is not taught. I just wanted to see what your reaction would be to information you knew nothing about. In my opinion, your about as open minded as your redneck friend at the bar
 
It's funny how you, a Coloradoan, tell me things about my own country, its populus and its history. That's not only ignorant, it's also quite arrogant.

We are not some fiercely independent backwoods dwellers, we are one of the most "left-wing" societies in the whole world and we definitely don't just "let things stort themselves out".

I really hope you were trolling. This is not about finnougrian genes, this is about the astounding rise of proud ignorance as a phenomenon. So please stop saying stuff you obviously know nothing about.
 
On another note, I hate to make generalisations but, I'm from New Zealand at a school that gets alot of American exchange students which is awesome but every now and then we get a 'typical american' who (I cant really say is ignorant cause they are travelling on the other side of the world) irritates alot of New Zealanders by there lack of acceptance of our culture.

Constantly comparing New Zealand society (Which in comparison to America, is probably a little backward in things) to back home, insinuating we do it 'wrong' & I almost feel that is another strain of ignorance. If I went to japan and they bathed naked, its not how I would do it in my home country but as the saying goes "When in Rome, Do what the Romans do"

I'm not singling out Americans either, had a Dutch girl who did the same, however there does seem to be alot of Americans who are the stereotypical "Ignorant American" from my experience.
 
I have no idea what you are on about, I'm serious. Why are you posting shit about known Finnish hereditary diseases in here, calling me ignorant and stupid at the same time? I just don't understand what is your issue here, and although it is the Internet once again, I'm actually getting a bit mad here.

Who said anything about the world not being interesting, I don't follow your bullshit logic and I think I'm above this crap.
 
soooo you're trying to say finland is inbred?

get out of here kid you look like an idiot, everyone knows finland isn't super tea party right wing or exceptionally backwoods and isolated.
 
this is quoted from the link i just posted. "Genetically speaking, Finns and Italians are the most atypical Europeans. There is a large degree of overlap between other European ethnicities, but not up to the point where they would be indistinguishable from each other. Which means that forensic scientists now can use DNA to predict the region of origin of otherwise unknown persons (provided they are of European heritage). These are among the conclusions to be drawn from a genetic map of Europe, produced by the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam (the Netherlands), published in Current Biology’s August 7 issue. In its Science section, the New York Times devotes an article to the study, and reproduces the genetic map.
 
ignorance is bliss.

seriously. i found its better to not give a shit about things that dont affect me, and be happy, rather than try and give a shit about everything. news is often depressing, and at 16, i could give a fuck about 90% of the things on teh newses
 
john.stossel, you need to shut the fuck up right now. You are so ignorant and stupid and what you are trying to do is not working for you. You keep writing all this random bullshit that makes no sense and you are the only one who believes it is true. That is the definition of ignorance. Your bigotry has to stop, and you need to stop posting on NS right now.

I 100% agree with OP, though I think we are all guilty of it in some ways or another.

P.S. Fuck you john.stossel
 
I know this post was directed to mike-o but i'm really confused by this post. This is about one's willingness to live in ignorance. Sure you can infer that because their genes are most "unique" that they don't interbreed among other populations but it doesn't mean that these people have an inherent ignorance of world issues. i must be missing something here..
 
I like how this thread and "The Bible" thread were right next to each other. Appealed to my sense of humour greatly.
 
If you came up to me on a friday night and started talking about that shit I would tell you I didn't give a fuck as well. Sometimes those topics are not meant for friday nights.
 
yeah i totally agree, sometimes i'd spend hours talking about some very deep stuff with someone, but there's a time for everything IMO and a night out isn't the right one for that
 
john.stossel, it is people like you that cause the world to dislike Americans. The "I am from the greatest country on earth and therefore I am superior to you in knowledge and know what is best for you" attitude you have is completely bullshit.

You say that you KNOW what IS taught in schools or on TV and what IS NOT taught is complete lunacy. YOU know what YOU know based on what you have been taught and what you have found for yourself...but what is to say that you are correct? I will assume from your attitude you have never heard of educational bias, in which case I would research the Texas board of education's control over the education system in that state and their partial control over the textbook publishing industry.

The fact is that you have only read what one side has said about Finland and are making all of your judgement on the country based on that data, without gathering information from other sources and with differing points of view and creating a synthesis and conclusion for yourself. You are thinking and acting like Fox News, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachman, Westboro Baptist Church, etc.

All you are doing is taking what little knowledge you have and are claiming it as the truth. Note the difference between something being factual and truthful. The best way to describe the difference would come from the USSR during the cold war. The Russians decided to pit their best automobile against a Ford in a series of tests to show that their car was better. They lost by a considerable margin, but did not want to proclaim that the American car was superior. The news the next day read "in a international automobile comparison the Soviet car placed second, while the American car placed second to last." Note, that statement was completely factual, but it was not the truth.

In reality, you are proving mike-o correct, you are showing the true ignorance of today's society.

Also the fact that you refused to use proper grammar and spelling in multiple situations ruined your credibility and negated all impact that your attacks had...which I believe is another form of ignorance altogether IMO. The willingness of people to abandon proper use of the language they are attempting to communicate in is a cause in the "dumbing down" of society. By truncating the words they are trying to use to convey information gets distorted and meaning and emotion is lost.
 
shaham haha y u mad? You know i won the internets here. dont be a sore loser. i encourage you to make a case that refutes the widespread knowledge that the finnish culture is one of the most interesting and unique in all of europe. finns are way cool in my opinion, although it seems like mike grew up in america, but who knows. in finland they teach 12 year olds how to rally race, its a wicked cool culture in my opinion. mike o was complaining about finns in his op, and now hes saying hes finnish, i dont even know what to say to him
 
"Not giving a fuck about anything seems to be all the rage these days. After I asked the slightly ignorant dude as to why he doesn't know or give a fuck, he proudly proclaimed that he doesn't follow the news or events in the world" /Mike-o

"seriously. i found its better to not give a shit about things that dont affect me, and be happy, rather than try and give a shit about everything. news is often depressing, and at 16, i could give a fuck about 90% of the things on teh newses" /you

..................
 
Lololol just go kill yourself. You're are a perfect example of what Mike-o was talking about in the OP.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top