Extra, extra, read all about (Br)it
Muhlenberg Weekly Executive Board
Issue date: 11/1/07 Section: Op/Ed
- Page 1 of 1
We are pretty sure a majority of students on this campus have not yet heard about the fires in Malibu, California, or if they have, they have only been concerned with the celebrities who lost everything, not the hundreds of everyday people who were also part of the devastation. The overwhelming amount of celebrity news that invades our culture these days is astounding. For example, most college students know every single detail of Britney Spears' custody battle for her children - which she should lose, by the way - but no one bothers to brush up on the real news that's happening as well.
We wonder why our society is so fascinated by celebrities; then cringe with guilt because we too encourage this obsession with our weekly column. However, we stay abreast of current news, which is unlikely of most people our age. Is it because classes, work and other activities zap so much energy and require so much focus that students do not have time to care? Or is it that school is so removed from the outside world that there is no real connection to the pain?
We, as journalists, have to stay connected for the sake of our paper, but we believe college would be a much more well rounded and frankly, a more interesting place, if the majority of students did so, as well. Honestly, there are only so many conversations one can have about Reese Witherspoon's love life before it becomes incredibly dull. We know there are students on this campus who care about issues, and care deeply; we just wish that passion could extend to all of us. If it did, we feel that students would not only find their everyday conversations blossom, but their daily experiences at the College deeply enriched and satisfying.
What would happen if Garden Room table conversations turned to topics like war, global warming or presidential elections? We know many of these issues are discussed in class, but once in a while would it hurt to discuss these pressing matters with a group of friends? Internet news websites and television stations turn celebrity gossip into hard news stories and this in turn, forces students to do the same. Maybe, it is the media's fault, or maybe it's the busy, never ending life of a student and maybe its even the enabling Weekly. Perhaps, it's just that times, well, they are a-changin'.
We wonder why our society is so fascinated by celebrities; then cringe with guilt because we too encourage this obsession with our weekly column. However, we stay abreast of current news, which is unlikely of most people our age. Is it because classes, work and other activities zap so much energy and require so much focus that students do not have time to care? Or is it that school is so removed from the outside world that there is no real connection to the pain?
We, as journalists, have to stay connected for the sake of our paper, but we believe college would be a much more well rounded and frankly, a more interesting place, if the majority of students did so, as well. Honestly, there are only so many conversations one can have about Reese Witherspoon's love life before it becomes incredibly dull. We know there are students on this campus who care about issues, and care deeply; we just wish that passion could extend to all of us. If it did, we feel that students would not only find their everyday conversations blossom, but their daily experiences at the College deeply enriched and satisfying.
What would happen if Garden Room table conversations turned to topics like war, global warming or presidential elections? We know many of these issues are discussed in class, but once in a while would it hurt to discuss these pressing matters with a group of friends? Internet news websites and television stations turn celebrity gossip into hard news stories and this in turn, forces students to do the same. Maybe, it is the media's fault, or maybe it's the busy, never ending life of a student and maybe its even the enabling Weekly. Perhaps, it's just that times, well, they are a-changin'.