to be so irritated by people who make no attempt to engage with the world around them

[GrowSomeCress]

It's probably unreasonable of me to find it quite so irritating, but I can't stand it when people don't know/care who the PM is, who the ruling party is, what's generally going on in the news, or know really really basic geographical facts.

I watched a TV programme once where a reporter went around some members of the public showing pictures of well known figures (think Clegg, Cameron, Miliband) and the amount of them who didn't have a clue was worrying, even when they were told the name.

I couldn't tell you what clegg or milliband look like.

The number of people who genuinely don't know, nor care, who the PM is, must be minuscule enough for this not to be a real problem...

It's not really a real problem... but I do think ignorance at a wider level on the whole is quite harmful.

I agree. I find ignorance and people's heads being full of inconsequential nonsense very annoying indeed. I make allowances for lack of education and poor upbringing, of course I do, but I just can't rub along with people who show no interest in the wider world.

I expect that makes me a snob and I am ok with that.

Yabvu what difference does it make if someone doesn't know these things, you don't gain anything from knowing this stuff... if someone doesn't know the name of the pm it will make no difference to anything. Most of the time nowadays I prefer to change channel if the news come on, too much stress!

See what I mean ?

Hmm. I live in Belgium but look at the BBC website everyday. I think I have a fair clue what is going on in UK, but ask me for a summary of what is happening in Belgium......

My DH is one of those people that knows very little about current affairs and politics. He knows enough to know who the ruling party is, who the PM, chancellor and leader of the opposition are, but I'd guess he knows fairly little beyond that. I'd think very little of anyone who could be irritated with him because of his lack of interest in politics, because he's a lovely, generous, wonderful person who gives a huge amount of time to others and is extremely knowledgeable about many other things, including things that make a massive difference to people less fortunate than himself.

Being interested in politics is not a measure of people's intelligence or of their value to society.

I doubt I'd recognise a picture of a politician or celebrity shoved in front of me. Still know their policies.

I find it more baffling and depressing than I do annoying.

I get that not everyone is interested in politics, and that people might have demands on their time that stop them keeping up with current affairs - but - I still don't quite get how people can not know anything about who the PM / ruling party is, or major news stories.

Yanbu. I too find it baffling, but some people are just very insular and uninterested in the world around them.

But (this is not a direct response to any particular post) current affairs are our affairs, as parents / educators / people who live in the world. Children have questions about history and the present, how things work. How can you answer these questions, potentially if your head is stuck in the sand? ( Obviously gossip mags are not on my list of what we should be reading - that's completely different, fluffy nonsense)

If your PM was a BNP leader it would affect you, your kids education and the safety or not, of the people around you. I would be terrified if that happened.

The government is important to know about because they make big decisions which change our daily lives. If we opt out of reading about it completely, fail to vote on stuff due to apathy then it can only backfire as far as I can see.

YANBU. And I DO judge people who say " I am just trying to raise my own kids, and have no time to find out what's happening in the world I live in"
Who is running things, their background, their underlying ideology, and what they might do next impacts on all of us.
People in this country are so insular, and downright passive so much of the time, and will happily abdicate any sense of responsibility about every decision made in their name because they want to live in their own little bubble.
Meanwhile they know the names and backstories of the entire cast of Corrie, and what

Why is it ignorant? You only know whats being "fed" to you and a little bit of knowledge/duff information is a bad thing. I don't really give a toss what the prime minister says. The news in my mind is damn depressing so why would I watch it? I catch up by taping Loose Women and get all the info I need.

ClippedPhoenix you honestly, genuinely don't think it's ignorant not to know who the PM is or what might be going on in the country?

Well I'd have to say that not knowing who the prime minister is is a bit mad really but as for what's going on in the country, do you really know?

Calling anyone "ignorant" is rather horrible though.

Stupidity annoys me. The Easter thread was a case in point. I still don't believe anyone is stupid enough to ask questions like "are Catholics Christian?", or "Is Easter and English thing" to paraphrase one or two.

We are all playing on the internet, we all have access to google, we are all capable of finding out salient bits of information.

I worked with a Portuguese bloke back in the late 80's (not a particularly nice chap as it happens) who was of the opinion that the British were the thickest, most uncultured race he'd ever had the misfortune to work with. He could not understand our lack of education in most things given we have free libraries, (mainly) free museums and BBC documentaries (I guess he liked the BBC). In some ways he had a point.

ClippedPhoenix it's true even if it is horrible, I'm not going to beat around the bush

Why are those questions stupid though Holly? Anyone calling someone ignorant or stupid seem to me to be up their own backsides and think they are "better" than others.

Always remember one thing, we all come in the same way and we all go out the same way, no-one is any better than anyone else when it comes to things like this.

DreamingBohemian:
Blair also pushed the UK into the Iraq war, despite more than one million people marching through London on 15th Feb 2003, despite Army Majors and Colonels signing objections to the the war etc etc.

We have no say in what goes on, what wars are fought.
We are given disinformation.

People aren't interested because it is depressing to realise that most of the politicians are not there because they care, they are there for their own benefit.
Wouldn't it be fantastic if they were men and women with integrity?

No OP, its "your" true not mine.

I'm quite happy to call ignorant people ignorant, and if that means I'm up my own backside so be it

A bit of understanding doesn't mean knowing the ins and outs, whys and wherefores of every single action taken by the government ever - it means some BASIC KNOWLEDGE, i.e. who's the PM, the opposition, what are the main changes taking place atm

And so if someone chooses not to want to know they are ignorant? Blimey OP you must have a very large hypothetical backside.

They just seem basic common knowledge really. I'm not adverse to asking stupid questions if google cant give me an answer. Bu I rarely open myself up to ridicule.

It does surprise me, the amount of people who don't watch the news or surf a reputable online site, knowing that a large proportion of us do live online. Yet they know the ins and outs of Jordans lovers and boob jobs or this weeks plot in the Vic/Rovers/Woolpack.

Politics to me is very dull, it's mostly all blokes (and rather sheltered poncy public school ones, who haven't got a clue about real life) together doing this one-upmanship with a smattering of women trying to do the same. Absolutely ridiculous.