All people seem to talk about lately is pop culture. I hear loads of information about celebrities, upcoming movies, popular books, the best songs, and the even latest Starbucks drink.
What I don't hear about are the latest updates on the Syria conflict or the developments in Obamacare. It's clear we all know about the MTV Video Music Awards and the appearance of pumpkin spice lattes, but it's not so clear that we know about events in the rest of the world.
If we're interested in pop culture, that's fine and dandy. What happens every day is more than "hard news," it's also little things that affect our social lives. The type of shows on television, the popular genre of music, and the latest movies and novels are what shape our society and mark the personas of 21st century Americans. Pop culture spotlights our population's personalities and creates the setting for everyday life.
Not paying attention to current events, however, is a dangerous habit to start, and it's easy to get into with our little DePauw bubble. These current events are what shape society around the world and mark who 21st century humans are. Without understanding what is happening outside of pop culture, we take the chance of being enclosed in our personal bubbles and losing the growth that comes with relating with people across the globe.
Take the Syria conflict. President Obama has declared he wants to take military action against Syria, but requested Congress' authorization. Depending on how things go, and granted there are a lot of "ifs," this "act of war" could lead to Congress formally declaring war against Syria. For context: America hasn't had a formal war since World War II.
Do you realize what that means? Do you know how weapons have changed since the 1940s? Did you even know Syria had issues this severe?
Ignoring national and global issues, especially as voting-age college students, is harmful not only to you but also to the world. The generations of young adults before us who cared shaped a lot of America's 20th century change. The Civil Rights movement, the women's movement, pulling out of the Vietnam War, the right to vote at 18 years old-- that was all done by young adults, just like us. Without them, who knows what our history would be.
We matter. But we can't do anything without knowing what the issues are and what needs to change. Picking up a newspaper or clicking through a news website not only educates you, but it molds you as a person. You learn what your values are, what matters to you and what creates that motivational "spark,," all of which lead to change. This is our world, and we are not just living in it-- we're shaping it.
So grab that pumpkin spice latte and scroll through the most recent headlines before heading off to read about the latest awards show or football games. Take the time to be well-informed, and become fully aware of the much larger world outside of Greencastle, Ind. Maybe then, we can start the next wave of change.
It's time to pop the bubble.
-Sausser is a sophomore from Indianapolis, Ind. whose major is still undecided.