I'm Going to Submit This to the Pow Wow
Letter to the Editor:

Public Service Announcement - Don’t Let Pop Culture Kill Common Sense

Imagine, if you would, that you’re in a class here at Portage High School. The topic of the September 11th tragedies comes up. The teacher, who is telling of how media covered September 11th, continuously refers to it as "September 11, 2001." From the back of the classroom, six words are spoken that completely renders you speechless. "I thought 9/11 was in 2000."

Now, if you please, imagine that you are in one of the various world geography classes provided by PHS. The class is given the assignment to color the continents on a map of the globe. The fellow student next to you proceeds to get his/her book out to refer to as he/she figures out which continents are which. When asked where "Africa" is on the map, he/she points to "Australia." This student doesn’t realize that Mexico is part of North America. He/she also is unaware of where the equator is, nor the south or north poles.

How would you react to the preceding situations? Would the reaction be one of anger? One of confusion? One of astonishment? Maybe, one of pure and utter disgust?

It seems like this is something that is happening more and more with people today. Important things like the correct year that the September 11th tragedies occurred or the correct placement of continents on the globe seem to take second priority to things that pop culture shoves down our throats. One may not know what happened today on a world basis, but they’ll be able to talk about last night’s episode of "One Tree Hill" or "The O.C." with perfect knowledge on the subject. Things that should be common knowledge are pushed aside for things that are, in reality, less important.

The challenge is now being set. You are being called out. Set down "Seventeen" and pick up "Newsweek." Turn off "The O.C." and turn on CNN. Take Ryan Cabrera and Destiny’s Child out of your CD players. Instead, fill that space with Sage Francis or Living Colour. If you’re desperate, pick up an atlas. At least learn where the continents are. Please, learn where the continents are.

Thank you for reading.

Sincerely,



Andrew Culp