akuma587 said:
I watch no sports whatsoever. I enjoy it slightly when I do watch sports, but I would rather be listening to music, watching a movie, reading a book, or just about anything else. I hate wasting time on something when I could be doing something I enjoy more. Maybe once a year I will go to a sporting event, but the people I am friends with generally aren't that interested in sports, or at least have something else to talk about. But in Texas, EVERYONE likes sports, unfortunately. Hell, I know a lot of girls who like sports way more than I do. I am not the athletic type, but I am in very good shape. So its not like I am adverse to physical activity at all, since I exercise at least three times a week. But sports today are the modern day form of gladiator battles. Entertainment for the dull and uneducated masses. Now I don't hold it against someone if they like sports and they are also intelligent, but generally speaking people who are really into sports are not that bright. And as you mentioned, the whole mob mentality makes it even less appealing. Its not like sports affect your day at all either, unless you have a pathetic excuse of an existence. Will it matter next year if the Packers win the Super Bowl? Compare that to will it matter next year if Barack Obama or John McCain wins the election. Something like politics materially impacts your day. It affects your freedoms, your pocket book, the people around you, your safety, and even your mental state. I know I get extremely frustrated when I feel like my country is failing to live up to its potential, or when government officials make a mockery of the Constitution and the American people. Politics is like sports for smart people. Although the mob mentality thing seeps into politics as well, unfortunately. But people should care about politics, although many people substitute "caring" about a cause for "having a rationally informed basis for caring" about a cause. |
I agree with you on everything you said. There are some people I know who watch sports in order to bond with others, but most people who watch alot of sports aren't that smart. My Dad always says that football is modern day roman gladiators. He watches sports to escape his life, but I don't see the point. If I read a book, I often learn something. Video games don't provide very much knoledge, but in games you are at least in control of what you are doing while you are entertainted/escape reality for a bit. Games that are skill based like Tetris or Geometry Wars or games that let you express yourself like Little Big Planet are most appealing to me- so much so that I may buy a PS3 for Little Big Planet (and Blu Ray and Valkeryia Chronicles)
The founding fathers originally set up the consitiution to be immune from mob mentality, but unfortunatly over time their safegaurds have eroded. The electroal college origanlly gave the illusion of everyone having a say while the educated elites really picked the president. Today we are much closer to the masses picking the president due to the delegates being pawns of their respective parties rather than independant thinkers. There is still some regulation- the party picks the candidate (though the founding fathers were actaully opposed to politicial parties also) and many uneducated people willing opt out of voting. I dislike organizations like Acorn or Laws like the Motor Voter Act, not becuase I am against freedom, but becuase people who really want to vote should have the will/intelligence to register themselves. Having every idiot vote isn't a good thing.
