To not have the faintest idea what all this Obama stuff is about??

[whoingodsnameami]

Can you tell I dont watch the news?

Georgimama - My post was directed at op, not at anyone opposing her view, quite right that people are giving their opinions, thats what she has asked for.

Plenty of uneducated (term used loosely) people get a vote and their vote is just as important as yours, whether that be an educated vote or not. Otherwise it wouldnt be a democracy, it would be a ditatorship.

well, she was actually asking if she was being unreasonable, right?
and some people think it is a little unreasonable to have no knowledge of or apparent interest in events that are of global importance
whilst apparently maintaining a modicum of interest in whether or not jordan is a lesbian

crazy, eh?

If true (which I doubt) this would be such a shame for the DC. Children need help to make sense of the world around them - imagine them asking their mum who Obama is and being told "I have no idea".

I honestly hope you are a troll.

I honestly dont actively avoid the news, its just something I dont do, and if I had reaslised the importance of it I would not have posted, I really really just did'nt know. and just because there are several threads about something does'nt necessary mean its important, often there are several threads on one subject on things that raelly are not important, for example, mooncups in thier time.

Sorry, I truly did'nt mean to offend anyone with my lack of knowledge, I woke this morning thinking I was a fairly decent person who cares about people ect etc, I will go to bed tonight thinking I am a stupid ignorant person who does'nt give a toss...............thankyou.

I dont think hes particularly attractive and hes a politician so what he says is irrelevant really....lets see what he actually does

I get the historical significance of him being black - America isnt exactly known for its cultural tolerance.

i think the op is for real
i think its very easy to be out of touch with current affairs
i have hardly read or watched the news for the last month, have had too much else to think about lately. its not to say i dont care, or am thick for not being up to date, im just more concerned with whats going on in my life than i am in the rest of the word at the minute

that said..i do know (a little) about obama, but fat bald boy george and lesbian sessions between jordan and kerry are of little interest to me at the best of times

Well I wouldn't say you are stupid at all, but being ignorant of what's going on in the world around you even on a basic level is rather sad. The world is a fascinating place and to be totally removed from it is a big shame.

If you find some of the news sites too intense then maybe have a look at Newsround on CBBC? As it's aimed at children it's really easy to follow and will include all the relevant news items.

Fair enough, argue your opposing view and suggest she watches the news but the OP has been called ignorant, weird, a troll and a liar so far on this thread. Just because she doesn't know who Obama is, doesn't mean she is any of these things.

If she isn't interested in political leaders it doesn't mean she is a disgrace to democracy. It's total snobbery to belittle her interests and say that an interest in politics, current affairs etc is more valid. It smacks of superiority and mocking.

And there's the post saying we are snobs! Knew it was coming.

If she genuinely doesn't know something as fundamental as who the President of the USA is then she is ignorant. That is ignorance.

I for one find it so hard to believe that could be the case that I think she might be a piss take. Which also makes her a liar, if she is taking the piss.

If she is not taking the piss then again, not knowing who the President of the USA is, is weird.

It is not snobbery to say that being more interested in whether Jordan is a lesbian than in who governs the world in which you live is a bad thing. I refuse to accept that.

I agree she shouldn't be called names.
But to not know something that has been almost impossible to avoid is terrible. My school children know just from seeing newspaper, overhearing radio headlines etc.

It really is pretty appalling.

If my DS or his friends didn't know at age 15 with heads full of girls and bands and shite I'd be shocked. But an adult...?

Actaully I'm not surprised by the OP's post. I can't believe loads of you are!
Depressingly, I think the OP's post echoes the state much of our society is in.
These days, many people - often young people - appear to me to be really self-absorbed. They are solely interested in celebrities, shopping, texting, going out and how they look - and not much else, and it has often crossed my mind that they don't know or give a shit about what is going on in the world around them.
And before someone gets on their high horse and all shitty, no of course I don't mean ALL young people.

OP, you owe it to yourself, your children, to be an interesting rounded person. Fine to drop out for a spell for personal reasons, but if you don't get back, your world will start to shrink, and you will lose brain cells, and small things become big and you frankly become quite vulnerable.

Knowledge is empowering. You don't think it is relevant. But it is. And you never know when it will come in useful.

Well said, blueshoes.

so true
You could be introduced to him at a party and end up saying "and what do you do" and it would be pretty embaressing.

Gateau, I was just thinking about what you said about young people. The limited contact a relatively crusty person like me would have is with the succession of teenage aupairs that live under my roof.

How I long to have a meaty conversation with them about their country and their perspectives between the social and economic situation in their country v. UK - I mean, these topics come up on mn all the time - but sadly, I can only skim the surface. (Their English is relatively good).

It is largely about celebrities, shopping, cafe and music. I suppose that is how it is at that age

I'm also not suprised at the OP, i put something about Obama and being excited on my facebook status and 14 people said either "why do you care? He's not our president" or "what the hell are you talking about?".

I think its just a reflection of todays society sadly, people would rather watch X-Factor or BB than watch history in the making. Worrying and sad.

I am struggling to write something supportive to the op as I can see how social isolation could cause you to switch off from the world outside and not really consider anything beyond what is infront of your face. But make a commitment to change that - it will do nothing but good for you and your dc/s. Imo it is positively neglectful of our children if we do not educate them about the world - and this election is one of the most significant events of our lifetime. Set bbc news as your homepage as someone suggested.

at OP

Are you a Martian?

"I suppose that is how it is at that age"

I don't agree with this totally. Yes, teenagers are into all of what you describe -but there seems to be so much materialism around now. At least when I was young (blimey, I sound ancient and fusty!!)I had other interests other than shopping - and celebrities really didn't feature in any scale similiar to today. And I did know to a certain extent what was going on around me. People are OBSESSED with them; and they're so bloody, well, nothing..

Obsessedd with THEM meaning celebrities.
Yes, people WOULD rather talk about BB and X-Factor. I am shocked to hear radio presenters talking about stuff like this. FFS! What hope have we??!

Oh well OP look on the bright side, as least you cant be accused of being a DM reader, which is often an 'insult' used on here!

WOW, the nominations then election campaigning went on for like YEARS! May I suggest a quick look at the news, just scanning the internet once a week? Maybe watching Have I got news for you or Mock the week? I don't often sit and watch the news but blimy you must live under a rock, no?

I am a bit that I am a teacher and no one seems to discuss this at work. We did have a debate about squash vs diet coke at break!

This might help

www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/01/20/fun-and-weird-barack-obama-facts-you-maybe-didn-t-know- 115875-21056021/