By Ale Ibarra Posted December 7, 2017
Isn’t it baffling how people can name the whole family of the Kardashians but have no clue who their mayor is? It doesn’t make sense to me how people expect to have freedom but they don’t even know the meaning behind the word.
As Thomas Jefferson once said, “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.”
People are always saying “I plead the fifth” or “I have freedom of speech”, but do they really know the Bill of Rights and the meaning of each one? Most do not.
Based on the information collected on a national survey of 1,230 adults conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, 15 percent correctly named John Roberts as Chief Justice, while almost twice as many (27 percent) correctly named Randy Jackson as a judge on American Idol.
People don’t have to stop following their favorite celebrities or actors, but we should start paying attention to things and issues that actually determine how we live.
Knowing how our country’s laws work predicts civic participation and support for protecting our system of government. Based on the results of the survey from the University of Pennsylvania and other examples we see from the people in our community, can be worrisome.
The majority of people live by the moment; one doesn’t make plans and doesn’t think ahead. Many people are ignorant of their own lives. The human race works fine if you give them food and entertainment and it has been that way for centuries.
Take the Roman Empire for example. They were given bread and chariot races and gladiatorial games that satisfied their hunger and distracted the mind, allowing emperors to rule as they saw fit. Celebrities are making millions with or without one following them on social media; while one sits behind an $800 phone screen, following their every move, stressed about school or financial problems. That is just an example to show just how shortsighted we can be.
