In an increasingly complex world, many people under the age of 21 can’t, won’t or simply do not think for themselves. This statement, while probably offending most of you, is, sadly, true. Adults, too, are far from innocent bystanders. They raise us in a society saturated with opinions and ideas forced upon us in school, on television, at work and especially in the home. Traditionally, children simply listened to their parents, unquestioningly believing whatever they said. It was a matter of “respect” in the unwritten rules of an old-fashioned home. Enter the ’60s — a time where questioning authority was not only allowed, but expected. The period of “rebellion” in America began, and the generation gap widened. What happened, however, was that these adults have forgotten the period of rebellion and have become exactly what they rebelled against. They traded in their rebellion for stock options, BMWs and running shoes. They are now the forces inflicting their ideas upon today’s teenagers. Today, students are still bombarded with other people’s opinions, except they are now often presented not in the way of opinion, but false facts. Last week, Arthur Stone came to FHS to speak to American Government students on the dangers of tobacco, false advertising and anti-tobacco legislation. He presented the students with posters, graphics and statistics showing the effects of smoking on the American public. Sounds good, doesn’t it? It looked good on the surface, but it ended up being far from educational. The speaker did not cite where his statistics came from, frequently contradicted himself and misled the students. For example, he stated that advertising was the major reason that most minors begin to smoke, and then tried to convince this group of intellegent 17- and 18-year-olds that candy cigarettes are another major reason for teen smoking. Yet, a moderately small number of students noticed. Why? Because these seniors in high school don’t think for themselves. They, like many Americans, are the victims of unsupported opinion and unattributed information that is rarely questioned. Why aren’t people questioning the statistics not only of tobacco companies, but of Congressmen, of newspapers, of their teachers? Why do we allow ourselves to be brainwashed into opinions due to apathy? Because nobody taught Americans how to think critically. A small percentage of Americans actually bother to think through facts, ideas, statistics and even the “educated” or “expert” opinions of others. They think that other people are more qualified to think, so they allow those people to think for everyone. Students don’t question the facts on the news or the reasons for what administrators say is the way that we must behave. We have to start not only questioning, but thinking for ourselves. Imagine a world where one man thinks for everyone. Same thoughts, same opinions … same mindless, brainwashed mentality. Doesn’t sound very diverse, does it? Welcome to a world of blind obedience. Welcome to a world that we are approaching more daily. Learn to think for yourself. After all, who is more qualified to make up your mind for you than you? |
