Tuning Back In

The stakes have definitely been raised.

A few years ago, I would have agreed with most of the information we find in Tuned Out. People didn't care too much about politics and the news because the economy was up and things were going well. People had put a lot of trust in the government and, like the old saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

That isn't the case today. People are struggling. Unemployment and welfare are rising with each coming month. The job market is in terrible condition, and people my age are looking for answers. One of the biggest reasons students my age tune out is due to the fact they don't think what goes on in politics/news directly affects them. That is no longer the case. I believe college age students are beginning to"tune in" again because now we are starting to see the economic state of the nation hit close to home.

One of the things I think I would most like to focus on is how dated the information has become. It seems funny to call something that occurred in 2003 "dated," but I think so much has changed in that time that this information might be different if those same polls were given today.

Another thing I would like to cite is how this book defines "knowledge." As I said in class, I might be able to name each candidate running to be U.S President, but do I really know what each candidate stands for? The issues they side with and platforms they run on? In fact, in class this afternoon, I was one of a few kids who knew what position Timothy Geithner held in President Obama's administration. But I couldn't you where he stands on issues such as automotive bailouts. Does this make me knowledgeable?

These are the two big issues I'd like to cover (and maybe also the lack of disclosure on the survey demographics and data on the survey group). I feel pretty confident I can find articles based on these two or three issues.

On a final note, this famous Mac commercial is exactly what I think of when I imagine people "tuning out" and not being active in politics and the news.

...And who doesn't love a good 80's commercial with reallllllllly outdated special effects?