In class this week, we took a quick, eight question pop quiz. The first four questions had to do with the media, particularly celebrities and their lives. I failed each question because I typically don’t care which celebrity couple is breaking up or making up. The second half of the quiz involved questions about political positions.
One of these questions was: What is the name and political affiliation of Pennsylvania’s governor?
The truth is, I couldn’t remember who our governor was. The only question I got correct was the final one: Who is PSUGA’s Chancellor? The answer was Dr. Porter. I was proud of myself for finally knowing an answer, but at the same time, I was horrified by how little I knew about the political world around me. The first half of the quiz showed me that I don’t get sucked into the tabloids and E! News shows. At least I can say that I’m not completely controlled by media. On the other half, I didn’t know about the people in the political world. Because of this quiz, I was forced to ask myself, "How much do I really know?" I didn't dwell on that for too long, though.
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The lecture on Wednesday mentioned two experts on media, Walter Lippmann and John Dewey. Walter Lippmann believed that decisions should be made only by experts (AKA: the “Elite”). On the other side of the spectrum, John Dewey believed that we can’t just trust the elite. We have to have at least one other source that we can trust.
Personally, I agree with Dewey. You can't just listen to experts, because they're just one opinion.
Which one do you agree with?
Lippmann or Dewey?
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Do you think it is bad that we are so uneducated about our history but seem to know everything about the celebrity media?
ReplyDeleteYes, I do think it's bad. If we don't know our history, we can't learn from our mistakes and have a successful future.
ReplyDeleteI find it very refreshing that your performance on the quiz we took made you look within yourself and analyze what media really does to you. I am interested to know if this will have an impact on how you consume media in the future. Will you now seek out sources that keep you more informed about state government or international affairs?
ReplyDelete-Steven
This quiz has definitely made me consider getting informed about political affairs and I will probably seek out sources so I can.
ReplyDeleteDo you feel that the "elite" is what runs our country and makes our decisions in-between the lines or do you believe that the public is what truly runs the United States?
ReplyDeletewhat do you think could be done to improve the democratic aspect of our society?
ReplyDeleteMatt, I believe that the elite run our country even though some of us don't know it. Kearsten, I think we should educate ourselves and vote in the elections.
ReplyDeleteSince you said you don't really follow what E! news has on about famous people, what would you say is the type of media that you mostly stay informed about? Do you think our society mostly stays inform about the celebrity gossip rather than political issues?
ReplyDeleteI stay informed about the premiere dates for TV shows that I like and I think our society definitely stays informed about celebrity gossip rather than political issues. This isn't true for some people, of course. For example, elderly people are mostly informed when it comes to politics.
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