During Sunday lunch, it has become tradition for us to read various parts of the newspaper together. Gracen loves to hear the dogs listed in the classifieds and the comics. Jeff and I each have sections that we gravitate toward first as well. For the most part, I am a headline reader until something catches my attention.
This article was carried in our local paper yesterday. I'd really like to say that I was surprised but I wasn't. I guess I was surprised by the pervasiveness of how little "general knowledge" we as a culture seem to have. On a related note, this article was on Fox News' website a few weeks ago.
As I teach my child, I am keenly aware of the holes in my own education--and I am also painfully aware that I wasn't the best student. However, I think I did have a pretty good broad base of knowledge simply by listening to people and by reading. But, I think the culture was nearly as entertainment oriented as it is now. I would be curious to know how many people can name the children of "Brangelina" or how many times Britney Spears has wrecked her car but can't name even 3 current heads of state or what continent the country of Uruguay is on.
Increasingly, it's hard to get away from "entertainment". Celebrity is something to be achieved and worship--or at the very least admired. Younger children can outfit everything from their bedrooms to closets in all things Hannah Montana--or whoever the latest Disney darling is. I'm not trying to take anything away from whatever talent some of the celebrities may have but I do think it has been taken to extreme!
On a different note, but something else that is worth your time to watch, if you haven't already...Babette's Feast. We had movie night at church last night. This was great one. I haven't had a chance to really process all my thoughts on it yet. But it is worth checking out!
Monday, February 18, 2008
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2 comments:
I distresses me that in all our progress, it's still "cool" for females to be stupid. I think it used to be young girls, but now with Paris Hilton, Pickler, Spears, and others, it's cool with young women too. I'll be glad when Hollywood goes back to intelligent women and good fathers. What happened to Andy Griffith and The Cosby Show styles of tv?
I'm really trying hard not to be pessimistic about things but it seems that most anything is valued over being intelligent and well-read (generally speaking). I think there are certainly pockets that are different. What we hear most about, of course, is the other!
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