How does one become a well-informed individual?

Jump to Last Post 1-15 of 15 discussions (51 posts)
  1. Julia Chang profile image59
    Julia Changposted 12 years ago

    It perplexes me that despite the advent of the Internet and the quickness with which information can travel nowadays, so many young people are still so woefully ignorant of the issues that affect our society. Mainly, the ignorance of politics and the workings of our government is what I'm concerned about but there are so many other issues that the younger generations seem to no longer care about. What does this say for our future?

    1. John Holden profile image60
      John Holdenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It isn't just the young people who are badly informed though.
      You only have to look at the parents.

      1. TMMason profile image59
        TMMasonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        I just wanted to thank you for reading my hub, John. I posted your coment, it is your opnion, and I will not infringe upon your Right to voice it. But thank you.

    2. dutchman1951 profile image59
      dutchman1951posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      to answer the question, read, research and study.

      1. OutWest profile image58
        OutWestposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        First a person has to have an interest

    3. profile image0
      jerrylposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Julia,  You have to dig a lot deeper than the workings of our government.

      In this day and age, (MONEY DRIVES EVERYTHING)!  It is obvious that our elected officials are bought and paid for.  Our monetary system is controlled by the federal reserve, (WHICH IS NEVER AUDITED),  with the help of most of the corporate bigwigs.  It is nothing more than a glorified ponzi scheme.
       
      Our media is a joke.  It is also controlled.  Just look at which conglomerates own each network.  The same talking heads are constantly blurting out their assigned propaganda, and are paid well to do it.  When do you ever hear any meaningful debate about our monetary system? 

      My suggestion to you, is to study the following:
      What is money?
      Who controls money?
      How is it created?
      How does money get into circulation?
      Where does the money to pay interest on loans come from?

      How does this relate to the following:
      Constant rise in the cost of living.
      Constantly rising taxes.
      Continually raising the debt ceiling.
      Downsizing and outsourcing.
      Companies moving to foreign soil.
      Wars and the military industrial complex.
      They don't teach all of this in schools, you have to educate yourself and your children.

      To give you a head start, I suggest the following link for study.

      http://moneyaswealth.blogspot.com

      I hope this helps answer your questions.

      1. cindi h profile image61
        cindi hposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        AN EXCELLENT READ ON OUR MONEY SYSTEM IS 'THE CREATURE FROM JEKYLL ISLAND'   I AM CURRENTLY READING IT AND OMG IS IT MADDENING.

        1. TMMason profile image59
          TMMasonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Yes it is, Ciindy, all Americans should read that book.

        2. profile image0
          jerrylposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          cindi,  While I agree that Jekyll Island is a great book, it lacks in getting down to the details of how our federal reserve fractional banking debt monetary system is perpetrating legalized fraud on the people. It is great in revealing the history of how the federal reserve came into being, but limited beyond that.

          1. profile image0
            jerrylposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            cindi, As an aside, I recommend looking up Grandfather economic report by Michael Hodges.  I think you will find it interesting.

            Another is the national debt clock.

    4. profile image0
      BRIAN SLATERposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Children of today in my opinion aren't ignorant about politics or the workings of Govmt; they can see for themselves that they are a bunch of lying hypocrites only out for themselves. Give them credit where it's due. They are smarter than us and choose to not to play there stupid games.

      1. profile image0
        jerrylposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        Brian,  You don't seem to understand.  Whether children understand the system or not, is irrelevant.  This system we have forces indebtedness on the majority of the people and cannot change until legislation is passed to change the system.  They cannot choose not to play the stupid games.  Whether you believe it or not, we are under the control of the powers that be.  The golden rule.  (he who has the money, rules).
        Further.  It is the fault of the adult voting age population, for not forcing our elected officials to do what's in the best interest of all, not just a few!

        1. profile image0
          BRIAN SLATERposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          I understand perfectly well what the OP was asking and have answered in an honest way, if you don't like my answer or it doesn't fit with what you were expecting -tough.

          1. profile image0
            jerrylposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Brian, I sense hostility.  I respect your right to your opinion.  Now I ask you to explain exactly how children can accomplish not getting involved in
            "there stupid games"?  We all live under the same system.  If you explain this, maybe the rest of the people that have gone through bankruptcies and foreclosures, or have been downsized or outsourced, can get out of the stupid games also. You may be able to help the homeless with you answer.
            Thanks for your explanation in advance.

      2. cindi h profile image61
        cindi hposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        Brian I have to respectfully disagree. One of the stupid games employed by the system is to get and keep people in debt. I choose not to obtain any credit cards and pay cash for anything I need. However, the system is set up in such a way that there are certain things I CAN NOT have or do without a credit card. Ex: can't rent a car, can't book a hotel room, can't rent a video etc... I have also been directed, by some retail outlets, to visit their websites because a specific item is only available on line. Well how do I do that with cash??  The marketing strategies used by all business' seems to target the young and naive. They want them to believe that they NEED their product. One such company's ad actually asked " Don't you want to be the envy of all your friends?"  My son and daughter both started receiving credit card offers when they were 14.  My point is that, while I try to remove myself from this 'game'  I lose out on certain enjoyments of 'life'.

        1. profile image0
          jerrylposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Cindi,  Great post.  Some friends of mine sent letters to the treasury and the federal reserve, asking how money is created and how it gets into circulation? 
          The answer they received from Russell Munk, asst general counsel for the U,S. treasury was:  "The actual creation of money, (always) involves the extension of credit from private commercial banks".
          This means that the M1 money supply, (the money that people, businesses and government use to pay their everyday bills), is created through loans.
          When government borrows, it is in the form of treasury bills, notes or bonds on the peoples credit.

          Next, they asked:  If all money is created through loans, where does the money to pay the interest on the borrowed money come from?
          The answer they received from Russell Munk was, "The money to pay the
          interest on borrowed money comes from the same source as all other money."  In other words, it has to be borrowed also!  That means that I am paying the interest on my loan, by capturing through commerce, the debt principle of soneone elses loan, that has been spent into circulation.

          Nowhere in this process of money creation is any money created to pay the interest on any of the borrowing!  This means our national debt cannot be paid off.  It also means that if we quit borrowing, the system begins to collapse.  That is why congress keeps raising the national debt ceiling.
          If you have money in your pocket, checking, savings or in any investment, that money couldn't exist, unless someone else, in this system, has an equal amount of debt, either individually or collectively.
          Our children are at the mercy of our politicians and their unwillingness to confront the federal reserve, by turning a blind eye to the fraud that is going on.
          My friends and I have been active here in Minnesota, trying to pass legislation, aimed at changing our monetary system to one that creates money without having to borrow at interest.  However, when we do get our bill before committee, the bankers lobby shows up to say that it just won't work. When asked why it won't work, they just repeat the same thing, and the bought and paid for legislators table our bill and it goes nowhere.
          I know you understand the sinister side of the system.  I suggest you study  the link I left in my first post in this thread.  I know you will find it informative, I did.
          By the way, you can look up our proposed legislation.  It is Minnesota senate file #65.  It is designed to use our crumbling infrastructure as the vehicle to create debt free money.  It would also solve the unemployment and welfare problems, through massive job creations, while updating and maintaining our transportation infrastructure.

          1. cindi h profile image61
            cindi hposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            jerryl  please won't you consider running for president??  You have my vote:)  Thank you for further explaining this process, the more I learn the angrier I get. How can I help your efforts?

            1. profile image0
              jerrylposted 12 years agoin reply to this

              cindi,  Thanks for the compliment, but I am a little long in the tooth to take on a job like that. I just turned 71. My friends and I do not give up on our efforts to make the change in our system.  We do not get paid for our work, we do it for our children and grandchildren.  It's their future that is going to suffer the most.
              What scares me most, is the realization that at some point in the not too distant future, at the rate of growth of our indebtedness, just servicing the interest on total debt, will soon exceed total gross consumer income.
              At that point, man will have to choose.  Pay his taxes or feed his family.
              We both know what that choice would be.  When this happens, the government will not be able to honor it's myriad of contracts it has with big and small businesses.  This will cause massive layoffs and a crash in the stock market. What's invested in the stock market?  IRA'S, 401k'S and pension plans.  The change must come soon.
              The crash of 1929 was caused by the bankers purposely contracting the money supply.  It can happen that way again.  I am sure you have heard about how hard it is to borrow money lately.  If they crash the system, they will buy up assets for pennies on the dollar. Then they will probably try to start the same ponzi scheme up again. 
              I try to explain the money creation process to at least one person per day.  I find that most people are not as receptive as you. It seems that they cannot accept the fact that we have been deceived and ripped off by the bankers, our entire lives.
              I would say that over 98% of the people have no clue to the workings of our current monetary system.
              The way to be most helpful, is to educate as many people as possible and to get them to contact their congressmen, telling them that change is needed, or their vote will not be coming their way.
              I would also suggest that their congressmen be directed to our proposal here in Minnesota. I truly hope you explore the links I gave on this thread and pass them on to others, encouraging them to do the same, including passing the links on to their congressmen.
              Another thing you will experience when talking to people, is their belief that we should go back to a gold standard.  This would never work.  First, there is not enough gold in this world to handle the needs of the world economy.  Gold never did back our dollars.  Gold and silver in the ground are worth nothing, until man uses his productivity in conjunction with those natural resources, to bring it out of the ground and give it value.  Man's productivity is what truly backed our dollars, and gold and silver were only symbols of that productivity.  Isn't the value of gold measured in fed res notes?
              I hope this didn't depress you too much, but I felt you wanted to learn more.  I hope I cleared things up in your efforts to learn what's going on.
              Have a great weekend
              Jerry

              1. cindi h profile image61
                cindi hposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                Jerry  I am depressed:(  But that is even more of a reason I feel I should somehow get 'involved'. I think a lot of people don't want to face the reality of the situation because it is very scary and there seems to be no immediate solution. People want immediate solutions, an easy way out. They have given up the fight because it seems there are too many adversaries. But for my children, I will never stop fighting. I've been sharing what I learn with my children and ,God Bless 'em, they appreciate the severity of the situation. My mission is to make everyone I know aware of the true nature of the beast. Some people have been very receptive, others think I'm a 'Conspiracy theorist'.  Well this is the biggest conspiracy and it is no theory.

                I will read your links and get back to you as soon as I have.
                You too have a wonderful day my friend

                1. profile image0
                  jerrylposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  cindi,  An example of how the system rips us off.

                  Let us say that you want to buy a house, and need a $200,000 loan.
                  You go to the bank and apply.  They say that you are a good risk, and agree to loan you the money.  You then sign a mortgage or loan agreement which will place a demand on a good share of your productivity and earnings for the next 30 years.
                  The deal is sealed.  The bank, creates the $200,000 out of thin air, on your promise to pay it back.  There are no physical dollars, just numbers on a computer.
                   
                  Now, for doing approximately 2 weeks of premortgage paperwork, and mailing out monthly statements for 30 years, the banker will collect approximately $400,000 in interest on that $200,000 loan/mortgage.
                   
                  Remember, no money was created to pay that interest. That means other people had to borrow and spend that much into circulation, making it available for you to capture through commerce, so you could pay the interest on your loan.
                  Now, lets think about who or what actually created that loan principle in the first place.  Was the money actually created by the banker, or was it the borrower who actually created the money by their promise to pay?

                  Can you imagine the scope of all indebtedness when all home purchases and vehicle purchases are taken into consideration?  This does not even begin to consider what credit card debt adds to the whole picture.
                  Interest on debt grows 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

                  I remember a time when a person could save enough money to buy a piece of land, put in a basement, with plumbing and electricity, and live in it until they could save enough to pay for framing up the rest of the house.  Now, there have been so many laws passed to restrict this sort of thing, it forces people to borrow if they want a house of their own.
                  I also remember a time when you could buy a car from the dealer and make payments to the dealership without getting a loan from a bank.  Those days are gone.
                  Fractional banking allows bankers to loan out 10 times what they have in reserve.  This is why people lose their money when a system collapses.

                  Most people think that the banker loans out other peoples money.  This is impossible.  How would people be able to access their checking or savings if that were the case?  The bank cannot loan out your money and still have it there for you to access.
                  Our solution for this massive ponzi scheme, is to get back to earning our money and spending it into circulation, rather than having to borrow it.
                  Earned money spent into circulation, has no debt attached to it, and lives on indefinately.  Borrowed money has to be paid back and erased off of the books, and carried an interest debt load over and above the amount of the debt principle created.
                  If all loans were paid off, we would not have a single cent left in circulation, coin, currency or electronic transfer, but we would still have unpayable debt.  This is what people have to learn.
                  Jerry

                  1. cindi h profile image61
                    cindi hposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                    Jerry thanks for the reinforcement. I was just visiting the link you provided earlier, love the cartoon! It's a lot to comprehend and because the system is so illogical, it is that much harder to fully understand. I have always had a problem understanding stupidity. Much like Mr. Spock--it is simply illogical:)

                2. profile image0
                  jerrylposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  cindi,  Get yourself a stack of monopoly money.  This can be purchased at some game stores, separate from the game.  They have replacement packets.

                  Play a game with the people you want to educate.  You be the banker and they, the first customer. 
                  Tell them that you are starting out a system like our current system, from scratch.

                  The want to borrow $100. You the banker, agree to loan them the $100, at 10% interest.  You give that first customer 10 - $10 dollar bills. then explain to them that only $100 was created in the loan, but because of the interest, a total debt of $110 exists, showing them that it would be impossible to meet their obligation to the bank because not enough money exists.
                  Then explain that if someone else borrowed money and spent it into circulation, the money would exist for them to capture to pay their interest.

                  Then the second borrower would have an even greater problem, because he/she would have even less available in circulation, because when the first borrower paid back his loan plus the interest, the debt principle of the first loan was erased from the books and no longer existed. Taking 10% of the second borrowers debt principle to pay the interest on the first loan.
                  Now the second borrower, has to find a way to recapture the money lost to the first borrower, (10%), plus the 10% interest on his loan also.
                  multiply this process by billions of loans, and you can see the problems.
                  The cost of interest, has to go into the cost of doing business and the cost of living.
                  When government borrows, you pay that debt, or just service the interest on that debt, in higher taxes. 
                  When businesses borrow, you pay their loan and interest on their loan back through higher prices for their products and/or services.
                  When you cost of living goes up, you have to ask for a raise in wages.
                  You boss then has to raise the price of his product or service, in order to give you that raise.
                  The government also buys from your boss, and has to pay higher prices, and must raise your taxes again, forcing you to ask your boss for another raise, etc., etc., etc..
                  Now think about running a business.  As the scenario I explained above keeps recurring, a company trying to compete on an international level, has to look for more and more ways to cut costs in order to remain competitive.
                  First they cut quality.  Next they cut down on hours and try to force more productivity out of the same time.  Next they go for wage and/or benefit cuts. If that doesn't work, they go for downsizing and/or outsourcing.  Finally, they move out of the country, displacing their own customers, to a lower paying job, yet still trying to have that displaced person as a target market.  Ironic huh?

                  1. cindi h profile image61
                    cindi hposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                    The real irony lies in the fact that my creditors will not accept money I don't have to pay back the money they didn't really have to lend me in the first place!!!

    5. Dennis AuBuchon profile image64
      Dennis AuBuchonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Julia.

      Getting informed is easier today but getting informed with the true information is sometimes difficult.  There are many sources of news events some on the Internet and others on radio/television and in newspapers.  The amount of information on any one topic is more than one individual can absorb.  Sources of information need to be verified for their completeness and accuracy not to mention reliability.

      In accessing information to be informed on specific issues we must look at enough information to determine our position on any given issue.  The information we analyze should involve both sides of an issue not just one.  This is one way we can become better informed providing the information for either side has been substantiated as complete and accurate.

    6. Wesman Todd Shaw profile image81
      Wesman Todd Shawposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Education in America is indoctrination into globalist systems.  You have to know what questions to ask before you can ask them.  Critical thinking is not taught in systems where indoctrination is the goal.

    7. CARIBQUEEN profile image63
      CARIBQUEENposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The quest for knowledge is done by continuous reading and questioning.  There are educators who are well-informed and can teach those who are less informed. Knowledge is power and should be sought diligently.

  2. knolyourself profile image61
    knolyourselfposted 12 years ago

    Not their fault that all they get is propaganda. Unless critical thinking is taught in the education system, it all ends
    in fascism.

    1. Julia Chang profile image59
      Julia Changposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      So what to do? I definitely do not want my kids being fed useless stuff once they enter the school system.

      It can't just be the fault of the education systerm only though. I think parents are also responsible for what their kids should learn.

      1. Ms Dee profile image86
        Ms Deeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        This can still reflect that it is the fault of the education system because it has gone to pot over *decades*.  Just look at the text books for what was taught before about 1920, or even in the late 1800s. That is a clear indication of how far our education system has fallen.

        1. profile image51
          33rdn8thposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          What is the significance of 1920?  Just asking.  Look, we have to be honest with ourselves about the education system.  It has always been a propaganda machine.  That is how we get unthuths that have been woven into the fabric of American society.  Think about Jesus Christ,  Christopher Columbus discovering America, Thanksgiving, The Civil War and many other historical events have been re-written as lies that we accept as truth.  It is not a new thing.  Heck, even look as recent as the Iraq war, and you can see how the history of the events that lead up to the war are being re-written. 

          What is new (well picked up steam over the past 2-3 decades) is the heavy emphasis on standardized testing.  This is now how schools are judged, and students are taught.  They have to do well on the test, so teachers only teach the test.  The externality is that students are not trained to think critically, and thus less educated.  Ask most high school freshman to name the continents and oceans, and you will be suprised by how many won't come up wtith the correct answer.

      2. Lisa HW profile image62
        Lisa HWposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        I think if you're a person who is interested in stuff, and curious about stuff, and believes in learning and growing all through life; and if you're a person who helps teach your children to also have good, solid, common sense and have a mind of their own - they just grow up that way too.  They may not (probably won't be) interested in most the same stuff you are, but they'll approach whatever it is they're interested in with the same enthusiasm and interest that parents approach their own interests. 

        Other than that, life and aging kick in.  A teen won't be interested in learning about some things that someone just starting a family will be, and young parents may not be as concerned about "the state of college tuition" when they're kids are babies.  Middle-aged people may not be interested in "senior issues" until they get there.  Still, between being someone who is interested in thing, and reaching ages when different interests kick in - that's kind of pretty much it, I think.  Kids may go through a time when they're teens (and they think their parents are "out of touch") when they tend to listen to all kinds of other people, in their aims to figure things out on their own.  That stage passes, though, and they grow up being people who can/do think for themselves (and even, on some things, see that their parents hadn't always been all that wrong after all).

        Of course, in fairness to people (especially kids/teens) who don't have much interest in things going on in the world, people who are struggling to survive, depressed, using drugs or alcohol, living in domestic upheaval, etc. etc. aren't going to be interested in much of anything.  That may actually be more what we see, sometimes, than simple lack of interest or curiosity.   hmm

      3. cindi h profile image61
        cindi hposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        I don't have much faith in our public school system so I make sure my kids are taught the vital lessons of life.  It seems all their schools want to teach about history and government are about the civil war and past history. That's fine to a point but they have been studying and learning about 'ancient history' since the 4th grade. When I discovered their ignorance about current political policies and world events, we,  as a family, started researching and learning on our own. I think there are too many parents who rely on others to teach their children. I have always taken an active role in what they are being taught and then fill in the blanks.

      4. profile image0
        klarawieckposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        Sorry Julia, but I'm only the music teacher. hmm

  3. TMMason profile image59
    TMMasonposted 12 years ago

    By constantly researching, reading, and learning, by keeping an open mind to what you may not know, or that what you know may be wrong. Never stop asking questions and listening to the answers.

  4. Mark Ewbie profile image82
    Mark Ewbieposted 12 years ago

    I would say the best way is to read all my hubs and vote them up to show how much you have learnt.  Then follow me and comment as much as you can.

    Only then will you receive the topmost accolade for learned wotsits.

    Sorry.  I'm bored and hacked off - bad combination.

  5. earnestshub profile image83
    earnestshubposted 12 years ago

    I know a lot of young folk, mainly through my son's Lacrosse club. I see a well educated and smart bunch of nice kids. My little ones go to a great school too.

    It must be a lot different where you live to here. smile

  6. Mandrake_1975 profile image87
    Mandrake_1975posted 12 years ago

    How could anyone expect a government-run education system to actually teach the truth to young children about how the government "really" operates and how public servants should and should not act?

    That's like asking the owner of the casino to teach all his customers how a casino makes it money and what the best way is to gamble!  Their going to tell you that your best bet is to keep pulling the lever and wishing on a star because that is really all there is to it, eventhough they know better.

    The only way to counter the public indoctrination school system is to unschool your kids every time they get home and tell them the straight truth about all the lies and half-truths they just heard.

    Every parent should create a reading list for their children and make the books on that list required reading at home.  Between that and talking to your kids and teaching them your own wisdom, there really is no hope for the future generations.

  7. Greg Sage profile image40
    Greg Sageposted 12 years ago

    Being "well informed" is rocky terrain, though.  It is next to impossible to find any media outlet that doesn't have a clearly defined bias on certain issues if not all.  Nearly everyone simply settles into their information cocoon of choice, be it the NY Times, or Fox News.

    These days, the pretension of objectivity is even dropped in many cases.  By the time one gets down to Huffington vs. Drudge, it's hard to argue that one is being "well informed."

    Vigilance and more than a few grains of salt are required to navigate with hip-boots through the fertilizer.

  8. profile image0
    mib56789posted 12 years ago

    You have to develop creative and critical thinking skills.  It helps if you're a good reader and/or good listener.  Open-mindedness is very helpful.  But really ... you have do your best to avoid filling up your brain with a bunch of crap!!  Cause it's a lot of stuff out there and a lot of people out there that ain't doing nothing but TALKING TRASH!!!

  9. Bard of Ely profile image80
    Bard of Elyposted 12 years ago

    I think it has to do with what people are interested in. If people have wide ranging interests they will seek out information from many sources. If people have only a few interests or just accept life as it comes along you cannot expect them to be "well-informed" about much apart from knowing about their own lives and personal likes and dislikes.

  10. Joy56 profile image68
    Joy56posted 12 years ago

    just read my hubs..... joking i dont know how do you become a well informed individual,

  11. Joy56 profile image68
    Joy56posted 12 years ago

    we are all in the same boat, are we all sinking, or is god going to send Noah along/.

  12. Kathleen Cochran profile image80
    Kathleen Cochranposted 12 years ago

    I'm a baby boomer, and it amazes me how many of my contemporaries almost brag that they don't watch the news or read newspapers.  They have no shortage of opinions though, so it begs the question: where do you get the information that formulates those incessant opinions?

    As a career journalist, I'd advise anyone of any generation, to be a wide-ranged consumer of information, never gleaning all your intel from just one or two sources.  I've never bought into the conspiracy theories about the media, having never seen any hard evidence of it firsthand after more than a decade in the industry. (Instances have certainly been documented beyond my limited experience.) But the fact remains, there is only so much airtime.  There are only so many column inches.  The real bias lies in what editors chose to cover and what they leave on the cutting room floor or never send a crew out to cover.  The very process of elimination that is the heart of daily or hourly production meetings is where the real prejudice lies.  And there is no way to remove that human factor from the process.  A linited number of people decide what the news is every day.  That's not going to change.

    Which is why the Internet is such a great tool for informing the public, but buyer beware.  Forums and blogs are not news organizations.  No one is editing for fact-checking.  No one is certainly writing retractions or corrections.  You can access myriad news organizations and public records via the Net.  Pick a couple that are perceived to be liberal, a few that are perceived to be conservative, and a couple who have the reputation for being "Just the facts, m'am."  (If you're not a Boomer, you might not get that reference!)  Educate yourself to the difference between news reporting and commentary - then read some of both. 

    Simply put: if you only have one source of information on a regular basis, YOU are as biased as the organizations you are criticising.  Be a smart consumer of news: then let's hear those opinions.  You'll have something to say that is worth hearing.

  13. Mikeydoes profile image44
    Mikeydoesposted 12 years ago

    Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see.

    Always be skeptical about what you hear and even when something is pretty much fact always realize that there may be something else to it. Do research and get to the bottom of both sides. If there are 2 sides to the story then that means half or all of those people are wrong or lying.

    This happens in the scientific community on a daily basis, and real science is rarely performed on many things we consider fact.

    I have had 24 years of experience on this earth. What I have to say can certainly help out younger and even older people. It is the same way for anyone on this planet. You can certainly learn something from everyone, even if they are wrong.

  14. FloraBreenRobison profile image61
    FloraBreenRobisonposted 12 years ago

    Read a variety of sources from a variety of media with a grain of salt. Pay particular attention to sources which are critically acclaimed by a variety of other sources through a solid reputation for journalism-not easy to find these days, but they are there if you look for them.Do this on a regular basis.  And don't just skim things.  Think deeply about them and what issues mean to you.  It means too that you have to listen to both sides of an issue even if you have strong feelings about it.

    1. Kathleen Cochran profile image80
      Kathleen Cochranposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You do have to listen to both or all sides of an issue and that is harder to do today than it ever has been before because we have no protection like the past Fairness Doctrine that required public airways to give equal time to all parties involved.  Today a news organization can only tell one side and it is up to the viewers/readers/whatever to hold their feet to the fire to tell more than one side.  It puts the responsibility on us to demand we get the coverage we deserve.

  15. rebekahELLE profile image86
    rebekahELLEposted 12 years ago

    When you refer to young people, are you talking about young adults, teenagers..?

    The internet is full of so much false information, it wouldn't be my primary source if I was raising young children/teenagers. When anyone can write an article now about anything, it becomes questionable what is true or factual information.

    I think it comes back to the family unit. What do famlies talk about in their homes? What value do parents put on certain issues?
    Politically, it doesn't seem issues are the focal point any longer, it's more party ideology, which doesn't really help young people learn how to critically think.
    Young people need to be taught how to think (not what to think), question, evaluate and form their own opinions. We still have access to libraries where there is a wealth of information and current periodicals or subscribe to a few and have them around the house. My parents did this, and I did also, and the topics of interest would catch my/their attention.

 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)