Head in the Sand

People are ignorant about different things. And that's perfectly fine. Nobody can know EVERYTHING there is to know in/about the world. And often times, people outright choose to remain ignorant about certain topics, such as current events or politics, maybe even celebrity gossip. Maybe it's just apathy. That is certainly their right, their choice. Nobody can force someone to keep abreast of something they're not interested in.

But where I draw the line is outright FLAUNTING this... willful ignorance. How is that sort of thing anything to be proud of!? I mean, hell, it's bad enough when you choose to bury your head in the sand about relatively important issues in the world, but it's downright shameful to act so high and mighty about it.

I read so many examples of this on STFU, Parents-- often times, it's parents who pooh-pooh the latest breaking news in favor of more important things, obviously: their kids. Stuff like "Oh, I didn't know Osama bin Laden was killed today, I was too busy watching babby take her first steps!". Really? You couldn't have just said "Babby took her first steps today", you had to include the fact that you not only missed the top news story of the day, but you were PROUD of it?

I mean, it's one thing to steer clear of things like trashy gossip. But even then, there is a polite way to express your abstinence from such things. If I said to you "Hey, did you hear about the latest Kim Kardashian escapade?" and you responded with "No, I don't give a FLYING FUCK about the Kardashians"-- I'm sorry, but that's downright RUDE. Let alone if the question was about something a little more edifying, like a statement the President made. It doesn't matter that you have totally valid reasons for not caring about the Kardashians or the President or the election or the stock market or gay marriage rights, you don't have to make such a big deal about this apathy. Just politely say "No, I don't follow X" and move on.

Is that so hard!? Why must apathy be worn as a badge of pride these days??