Whenever I use Internet Explorer I start at MSN home page, which features photos of the top stories in the news. As of right now, here they are: the recent jet crash in Virginia; a swimmer interrupted a boat race in the UK; the Master's Golf tournament; man survives nail gun (men and nail guns seem to give each other a lot of trouble--and it makes for great news stories and photographs); recent tornados in Texas; a Minnesota waitress gets to keep a $12,000 tip; Jackie Kennedy's Secret Service agent shares his experiences; Saturday Night Live has some "Hot & Hilarious" hosts; Martha Stewart's Easter desserts; keys to good health.
At the risk of seeming to be a point-headed intellectual, I'll just point out that none of these stories is going to make any of us much wiser. Of course people use the internet for other reasons, too; researchers estimate that a third or more of the time we are using it to view pornography. At least the "Hot & Hilarious" SNL women are shown with their clothes on.
I think what troubles me the most about North Americans' addiction to trivial news is that most of us have extraordinary opportunities to affect the world. We live, on average, more than twice as long as our ancestors, enjoy comforts that previous generations (and much of the world today) would find unimaginable, and have unprecedented access to education and information. Yet most of us are woefully ignorant about politics or other forces reworking our world, forces that we have the freedom to shape as well as understand. We are too busy amusing ourselves.
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