outrage and dismay

i don't know if i've ever been so insulted or outraged and outright disgusted in my entire life

so my dad is conservative, we all know that and thats fine. i can be quite conservative in some ways as far as financial and economics crap goes. but anyway

so from time to time he sends me an article to read from Townhall. and usually they're very interesting and well written reviews or opinions that i do enjoy reading, even though i usually don't agree. Its a good way to keep a good outlook on things

but the one he sent me today was about how the average college senior doesnt know a thing about american history, politics, international relations etc.
based off a quiz.

and essentially saying that its the fault of colleges that these students are lacking in their civic knowledge. and that if we were required to take econ and american history we would be much better people and citizens and much more well rounded.

i call bullshit, but this isnt the part that pisses me off. i'll get there
i am of the opinion that the issue lies in secondary schooling, or in whatever schooling one has before college. many of us go to college to learn a trade. to become doctors, or archaeologists, or journalists or what have you...we aren't going to college to become 'better citizens"

now while knowledge and learning will make us better citizens and what have you, since we can use our brains, it is also our duty, as adults, and as citizens, to Inform ourselves.

we are adults. thus it is not anyone else's responsibility to make sure that we know whats going on in our country.

it is our own.
and if we slack off and don't care, then it is our own damn fault.

in fact, i almost feel like those of us in college are Expected to know what is going on better than most, since many of us are learning the theories and such that the world is currently turning on and we are expected to apply what we know to what we see all the time.

so what pisses me off is when i scroll down to the comments section. some are all right but then theres just a barrage of ignorant, scalding hate.
blaming the liberals for taking over the system and how its all those hippies that our corrupting the system and are failing the youth of today.

i take exception to that.
i am liberal. and damn proud of it. i'm also an intellectual, a student of Classics, and proud of that too (one person was saying that it was the non-classical based way of learning that was causing this decline)

and there is no one here in this school teaching me to be anti-patriotic and anti-american. the only people that make me cringe to be an american are people like those who posted such hateful things.

i am proud of what our country stands for, even if i don't like its policies, or the current administration. I am not afraid or ashamed to admit that I'm an american. And I care enough to want to make some sort of change.

i took their test, and from what i remembered from hs i didn't do too badly... 80%. and that was with second guessing myself some and missing points for that.

and while i'm not up to date with trade agreements and economics, that doesn't mean i don't know my history

and because i'm a liberal doesnt mean i hate america or conservatives.
some of my best friends are conservatives
and i respect them and their stance, though i don't always agree..

and THAT is what America is to me. not some "the president is always right and oh we have to love him or you're anti-patriotic"
fuck that
I am patriotic because i will stand up for what I believe is best for this country and its people. and its not blindly adhering to whatever party in power says. its knowing our history and our people and knowing the whole story.


/end rant

ignorance really must be my pet peeve.

eitehr that or either that or just getting brushed off instantaneously just because "im just a kid", so obviously i don't matter and my opinions aren't valid becasue obviously i'm an easily swayed college kid who will just take as truth wholesale whatever any professor says and can't make decisions for myself


ugh..
sorry, i know i get worked up over this sort of thing and it really shouldn't bother me, but it does.

because some of us DO care, and we do what we can, when we can, but you try balancing a political career and still make honor roll!
sheesh!
;p