Do you know adults who have no interest in whats happening in the world?

NIMAN · 25-02-2018 06:50PM #1

I'm wondering how many of them are out there, who live in their own wee bubble and just float along not knowing whats going on around them?

I ask because I have a mate, a man in his 40s with a big family, and he has zero interest in current affairs, politics, news etc. Never reads about these topics, watches news programmes or documentaries.

One big example was the time of Ryanair and their rostering problem. Its was wall to wall coverage on Irish and UK news (and I'm sure big around large parts of Europe too) and right bang in the middle of the mess he was due to fly to the UK with Ryanair in a few weeks time. When I met him I asked if he had checked if his was one of the cancelled flights?

He replied "Why, why would it be cancelled"
Me : cos of the whole mess Ryanair is in with their pilots.
Him : What mess, never heard anything about it
Me: Its been on the news for the last fortnight.
Him: Naw, never heard about it.

Now to avoid that kind of news takes serious effort.

And often when we chat and I'd say "well thats a right mess at Stormont now, what with it all collapsing and all", he'd ask "why, what happened". Totally oblivious of anything political. Zero interest (perhaps a lot of people have no interest in politics?).

Could be anything. I know if I met him now and tried to have a discussion about gun control in the US or the latest shooting, he'd not have a clue that it ever happened.

So, do we all know someone like this?

Rubberchikken · 25-02-2018 06:56PM

Me. Few things happening out there interest me. Probably because they're done to death. Take this possible weather for example. It'll be discussed longer than it'll occur.

whiskeyman · 25-02-2018 06:59PM

Lots.
The way I look at it - we all have our own worries, why compound them with knowing others?
Fine if it directly impacts you though.
Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Are Am Eye · 25-02-2018 07:00PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGjuPJskNRE

Bill Hicks CNN

Oldtree · 25-02-2018 07:00PM

Americans.....

MilesMorales1 · 25-02-2018 07:02PM

I'd prefer not to know really. It's ****ing depressing and anxiety provoking, this constant 24 hour news cycle of gloom and doom. Prefer to know nothing.

Fann Linn · 25-02-2018 07:03PM

Rubberchikken wrote: »

Me. Few things happening out there interest me. Probably because they're done to death. Take this possible weather for example. It'll be discussed longer than it'll occur.

Same here. I used to buy paper on a daily basis and 2 or 3 on a Sunday. Now I don't give a toss and get my news from boards, politics, the journal and Midwest FM for the deaths!

Pretzill · 25-02-2018 07:03PM

I know what's going on I just refuse to announce an opinion on most things. There are too many people voicing opinions these days, too many channels on which to do it. And too many people with a skewed world view.

OldMrBrennan83 · 25-02-2018 07:05PM

This post has been deleted.

dxhound2005 · 25-02-2018 07:05PM

As someone once said "Isn't it amazing how there is always exactly the right amount of news to fill up the paper". One day in the 1930's the BBC newsreader announced that there was no news that day, and they played some music instead.

The Backwards Man · 25-02-2018 07:05PM

I know a few like that alright, but I don't think it's lack of interest, there's three categories;

1) The cute hoors, let on they know nothing to find out what everyone else knows.

2) The lazy hoors, don't want to know anything in case they might have to use that information for any reason in the future

3) The stupid hoors, self-explanatory.

mikemac2 · 25-02-2018 07:06PM

NIMAN wrote: »

He replied "Why, why would it be cancelled"
Me : cos of the whole mess Ryanair is in with their pilots.
Him : What mess, never heard anything about it
Me: Its been on the news for the last fortnight.
Him: Naw, never heard about it.

Now to avoid that kind of news takes serious effort.

Less than 2% of flights were affected. He’s right not to be stressing

Bonzo Delaney · 25-02-2018 07:09PM

mikemac2 wrote: »

Less than 2% of flights were affected. He’s right not to be stressing

Is that you Mr o Leary

freshpopcorn · 25-02-2018 07:24PM

Most people I know skims through the news and they might read the articles that relate or a big news story other than that they don't really bother.
They'd know their was a mass shooting in the US and they'd know trump made a few statements but that would be about it.

Kuva · 25-02-2018 07:29PM

NIMAN wrote: »

He replied "Why, why would it be cancelled"
Me : cos of the whole mess Ryanair is in with their pilots.
Him : What mess, never heard anything about it
Me: Its been on the news for the last fortnight.
Him: Naw, never heard about it.

Lies, unfortunately that was impossible to avoid.

um7y1h83ge06nx · 25-02-2018 07:29PM

I like current affairs, politics and news but have found Irish media to be very one dimensional in recent years. They all scrambled to the water charges issues and now to homelessness. Like under 6's playing a field sport, they all stampede after the ball en masse.

I listen to Morning Ireland every weekday morning but switch over now if the topic turns to homelessness. The BBC news app is great for international affairs, love the in depth articles. The Irish and Sunday Times are decent enough papers too.

dxhound2005 · 25-02-2018 07:30PM

freshpopcorn wrote: »

Most people I know skims through the news and they might read the articles that relate or a big news story other than that they don't really bother.
They'd know their was a mass shooting in the US and they'd know trump made a few statements but that would be about it.

News organisations will be going out of business wholesale, if the people you know are anyway representative of the majority.

david75 · 25-02-2018 07:33PM

A great many. Most of my gay mates (the majority of my mates) are almost living in a different parallel universe and have zero interest in news or politics or anything like it. To such a degree I was worried about the marriage equality referendum passing, cos I was worried my mates were representative of the whole. Thankfully I was totally wrong and each and every one of them voted.
Can’t really blame them for tuning out though. It would get to you the constant barrage of sh!t and endless bad news.

MilesMorales1 · 25-02-2018 07:34PM

Imagine if Brexit had never been a thing, even in concept. The news here and in the UK would have needed something else to prattle on about for more than 2 years, every single ****ing day.

freshpopcorn · 25-02-2018 07:38PM

dxhound2005 wrote: »

News organisations will be going out of business wholesale, if the people you know are anyway representative of the majority.

It's not that they don't follow the news they don't hang on it's every word.
Some of these people are in their fifties/sixties and it's how they've always followed the news. So, I wouldn't be to worried.

mfceiling · 25-02-2018 07:43PM

The brother.

41 years of age and hasn't a clue what's going on. As long he has a few joints and a few ciders he's happy out.
Never reads a paper, watches emmerdale on the tele, a few car shows and nothing else and listens to cd's when he's driving so he never hears a news bulletin.
It genuinely astonishes me how little current affairs he's aware of.

NIMAN · 25-02-2018 07:44PM

btw, to add, my mate knew nothing about the Marriage Referendum or anything about the Repeal the 8th either. Doesn't care one iota.

I do think there are some things worth getting interested in. Even if only to make an informed decision when it comes to voting (but I'd hazard a guess he won't bother voting either).

NIMAN · 25-02-2018 07:47PM

I think there's a happy medium.

I think most adults in Ireland should know a bit about things like water charges, homelessness, budgets, taxes, Brexit, Ryanair strikes etc.

But I would agree that a lot of the rolling news now has crap on it that even I know is filler. A train crashed in Liberia and killed 3 people. A man was swallowed by a sinkhole in Ohio....yeah these are "do we really need to know that" stories.

david75 · 25-02-2018 07:48PM

That’s the scary thing. Massive amounts of people don’t even bother to vote. On anything. That suits the established parties in this country. Depressing.

SCOOP 64 · 25-02-2018 07:53PM

My wife, would never watch news, never reads newspapers, shes only interested what's happening in the real world she gets this by watching ,Eastenders , Coronation street ,Fair city, Home and way.....

jobbridge4life · 25-02-2018 07:57PM

Plenty. Too many probably.

I do wonder what their world is like.

I don't normally really care about it, except when they decide one day that they know who and want to vote for and that everyone else has been 'taken in'. I don't play rugby, I don't watch rugby... I'm not about to rant publicly about my ideas on how we can win the FIFA World Cup.

Pac1Man · 25-02-2018 08:03PM

I'm one of those. I don't watch the news so I have zero idea of what's going on. If it's ridiculously important like a major catastrophy either my family will tell me or I'll see the headline somewhere.

I only fill my free time with stuff I'm interested in.

Dr_serious2 · 25-02-2018 08:04PM

Pretzill wrote: »

I know what's going on I just refuse to announce an opinion on most things. There are too many people voicing opinions these days, too many channels on which to do it. And too many people with a skewed world view.

That sounds suspiciously like an opinion

OldMrBrennan83 · 25-02-2018 08:04PM

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corner of hells · 25-02-2018 08:04PM

Her sister and brother in law , both go through life in a daze with no knowledge of current affairs either national or international .

They have sent their son into school on polling day and wondered he was back home ten minutes later as well as never voted in either elections or a referendum.

Both have been scammed more than once by con artists at their door handing over cash to chancers offering landscaping etc. resulting in a Garda relative having to have a serious conversation with them.

RhubarbCrumble · 25-02-2018 08:06PM

My friend's girlfriend is like this. I've met her quite a few times and find it absolutely impossible to hold a conversation with her because she has no idea whatsoever about what's going on in the world.
She literally has three topics of conversation:

1) Her father who died last year

2) Her dog

3) Reality TV.

She can rattle on about people from Big Brother etc and it's like they're personal friends, but mention Leo Varadkar for example and she'd probably think he was a Bollywood actor.

Before meeting this one, my friend was going out with a girl for about ten years. She was stunning looking and very intelligent. She broke up with him and it clearly destroyed him if her replacement is anything to go by.

Do you know adults who have no interest in whats happening in the world?

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