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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

"Oh I never watch the news"

408 replies

oklumberjack · 01/09/2016 09:29

Ok, I feeling really judgemental about this I'll admit, but here goes.

I went out for dinner this week with some school mum's from the primary my dd has just left. These women are acquaintances of mine. Nice women, friendly but I don't consider them my closest friends.

Over the course of lunch, we were discussing our summer etc. I mentioned the Olympics and something about Theresa May. They all looked blankly at me. All 5 of them said they hadn't seen any Olympics and had no idea how we'd done. 3 of them had not even heard of Theresa May. The conversation then got on to how they never watch the news, or read a newspaper or even access it online. As soon as news comes on they turn over. I was shocked. I kept very quiet that I'm a Radio 4 and 5live listener, avid Daily Politics watcher and rather enjoyed watching the cycling,rowing and diving at the Olympics on the BBC.

However they could tell me all about Love Island, Big Brother and TOWIE which is where the conversation went next. I felt really out of place. They seemed to think that being interested in the news made you some kind of snob.

Ok, so we're out of step in what we like. We probably won't hang out much in the future, however please tell me I'm not really unusual in checking in with the news at least twice a day!

OP posts:
AliTheMinx · 03/09/2016 08:34

Completely agree. Some of the people I work with are the same... I find it incredulous. I always like to stay abreast of current affairs, and the level of general ignorance amongst a proportion of my colleagues is astounding! One had never even heard of the term 'Brexit' in the run up to the referendum!!! She watches every single reality/trash TV programmes going and has an encyclopedic knowledge of every single character.... Baffling!! X

limitedperiodonly · 03/09/2016 09:00

I have come across several women in their twenties recently who don't vote because they aren't interested! I am very shocked by this

This is not a new phenomenon.

3luckystars · 03/09/2016 09:17

I don't watch, listen or read news.
to me it's all bad, it just upsets me and there is nothing i can do about it. I know people must think I am an idiot sometimes, but I am happy with life. Ignorance is bliss?

3luckystars · 03/09/2016 09:24

I also think a lot of what is on the news is edited and skewed a certain way, so I just don't trust most of it. Did you ever see the film "wag the dog" it reminds me of that.
I feel the news is like those celebrity magazines, there are grains of truth to stories but it's mostly crap. I definitely feel wore after reading it.

Reindeerlily · 03/09/2016 09:27

I don't watch the news. I don't read newspapers either.
And I've never watched towie, love island or big brother.
Ooooo where do I fit in then?!

allegretto · 03/09/2016 09:39

3lucky - if it wasn't edited it would just be a 24 hour webcam feed! All sources have some bias - that's why it's better to get info from a variety of sources and critically evaluate it. To just say "it's biased" and not bother at all is a bit defeatist. Do you vote? If so, how do you choose who to vote for if you have no idea what is going on?

Adnerb95 · 03/09/2016 09:40

YADNBU - lets just hope these people didn't vote in the recent you-know -what! And won't vote in future unless they have actually informed themselves of what is going on in the world 🙏

LunaLoveg00d · 03/09/2016 09:41

I don't think anyone is arguing that you can't watch both the news (or at least keep up with current affairs) and other types of TV shows. We've all got our guilty pleasures of crap TV and sometimes there's nothing better than leaving your brain at the door and watching something which requires zero effort.

The problem the OP is talking about is people who don't have the balance - they can tell you all about what Kim Kardashian or Katie Price are up to, but not who the PM is or what Brexit is.

Modern culture has made being a bit thick, uneducated and ignorant something to aspire to. Jade Goody made millions out of it and until she fell ill was only known as the girl from Big Brother who thought "east Angular" was abroad. Kim Kardashian, Katie Price, the cast of TOWIE and the rest of the reality shows are not known for being clever, they are famous for.... well, for being famous. They have no talents or particular skills. Millions of teenage girls want to be just like the celebs they see on telly, they don't want to be like Jessica Ennis-Hill or a ace lawyer like Amal Clooney, or an actress like Helen Mirren. They want to be "famous" and being informed and having an opinion won't help with that.

It's all very depressing. We do not shield the kids from the news, my 13 year old starts every day by reading the news websites and even the 7 year old knows about major events.

NNChangeAgain · 03/09/2016 09:46

YADNBU - lets just hope these people didn't vote in the recent you-know -what! And won't vote in future unless they have actually informed themselves of what is going on in the world

That's a slippery slope away from suffrage though, isn't it?

At a time when compulsory voting is being enforced in some democracies, in contrast, deciding who is 'well informed enough' to vote, reflects the early 1900's.

MrsJoeyMaynard · 03/09/2016 09:58

I'd guess that most people who are willfully ignorant to the extent that they couldn't even make an educated guess as to who the prime minister might be, aren't likely to care enough about elections to make the effort to vote.

AdoraBell · 03/09/2016 10:05

MIL and SIL don't watch the news or read a newspaper. Apparently they don't need to because FIL does that.

Adnerb95 · 03/09/2016 10:12

NN - im actually in favour of compulsory voting - but it scares me that people who show no interest in current affairs would be in a position of deciding all our futures. Surely a vote comes with the responsibility of taking time and trouble to inform yourself!?

Adnerb95 · 03/09/2016 10:13

Hope you are right MrsJoey

mollie123 · 03/09/2016 10:14

really concerned now that people get their news and opinions from Twitter and Facebook (which as we all know are founts of unintelligent, biased half-truths most of the time - although the same could be said of newspapers and internet fora)
I do believe social media and the people who use it and believe the garbage in there are the reason for so many ignorant people about.

Orda1 · 03/09/2016 10:17

Just FYI, the rerendum & PM change was covered on BB.

mollie123 · 03/09/2016 10:17

Just to add - I am sure if you asked teenagers questions about current affairs and the world - the folly of even thinking of giving some 16 and 17 year olds the vote would be shown - (not ageist at all as some teenagers are bright and well-clued up)

limitedperiodonly · 03/09/2016 11:11

I'm against compulsory voting. I believe not voting is a valid choice. I've done it myself sometimes and I'd rather people who had no interest in the process stayed away.

Fans of compulsory voting always trot out spoiling your ballot paper or a 'none of the above' box, often with the guilt tripper 'people have died for the right to vote'. I know that but I am content with my decision and I don't want to risk confusing confused people even more by presenting them with options.

Doman · 03/09/2016 11:21

I'm flummoxed how people can be so ill-informed. How can you not know who the PM is? Ridiculous. It sounds like you need new friends :)

CoverYourEarsTeam · 03/09/2016 12:51

Re compulsory voting, I'm a bit torn. I live in Australia, where it is compulsory. But I was born overseas, where it is not. Personally, I would always vote, because I consider it a privilege - my word, we are lucky; whole governments can change and no one dies, no matter how unhappy you might be about the outcome. Lucky.
I equally consider it my duty to vote - democracy, women, etc etc. which means I also think part of democracy is your right not to vote. Do I agree with that choice? Nope. But a person's right to make it? Of course.
That said, I believe firmly in the privilege I have, and the resulting need to educate myself, at least at some level, so my choices are smart ones. Watch the occasional news bulletin or read a newspaper every no and then. Ho hard can it be?

CoverYourEarsTeam · 03/09/2016 12:53

Every *now
*how hard

Whoops.
And sigh

CoverYourEarsTeam · 03/09/2016 12:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

3luckystars · 03/09/2016 12:57

Allegretto, that's a good point.
To answer your question, yes I do know a bit about what's going on regarding politics as my family are very involved in it funnily enough. My MIL loves a good debate and I absolutely vote, always! I just don't like hearing and reading all this upsetting stuff that I can do nothing about. Stories seem to stick in my mind for years.

I actually had to watch the news this week because there was a work related tragedy and I didn't enjoy it at all. Do you all enjoy watching the news? Or is it like running, that most people just force themselves because its the right thing to do.
Maybe I should reconsider if that's the case.

I am also a bit sad that people might think I am stupid for not watching the news, I don't think I am, I just know my limits with the sad stories.

I wouldn't judge anyone by what they watch, you just don't know what people are going through so I think people should do whatever makes them happy and there is room for everyone.

Crispsheets · 03/09/2016 13:16

The news doesn't affect me....in the sense I don't dwell on it or get irrationally upset.

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 03/09/2016 13:17

"Modern culture has made being a bit thick, uneducated and ignorant something to aspire to."

I don't think it's just modern culture. 25 years ago, I was working with a bunch of girls just out of university (I'd left a few years previously) and the girls were very "ooo I don't understand politics, me, it's just so booooring and it doesn't really affect me anyway, does it?"
Depressing as fuck, it was.
One of them used to talk with an affected lisp as well, just to show how girly she was until she got pissed when it turned into quite a strident regional accent instead - it was definitely seen as "unfeminine" to be interested in, or motivated by, politics and current affairs. In fact, any evidence of erudition was despised, as I discovered when we were talking about some not-very-highbrow words and a couple of us were derisorily accused of "making words up", just because the others didn't know them.

puglife15 · 03/09/2016 13:25

I don't watch the news and have stopped listening to R4 since going on mat leave. I have to say it's quite freeing.

I still get a fair amount of news through FB or occasional glance at a newspaper website. I'm very interested in politics and current affairs, and social justice.

But I don't need a daily (or more frequent) update, at all.