"Ignorence is Bliss."

Well, it is. This seemingly simple quote says a lot about the way we feel and think when informed of something new. Many times, we would rather not hear news that is complicated to understand. We would rather remain ignorant then to understand what is going on. I have not really understood this phrase until our media literacy class. We watch so many documentries, about topics I have never dug into, and it really opens your eyes. Most the time, I wish I had never seen it in the first place.

The first example was the documentary we watched on vaccines called "The Greater Good." It's a movie questioning all the vaccines we give our children and if they are really necessary. It talks about the horror stories of people effected. It was kind of scary and really made me think.

Another example was "Food inc." Its a look at where our food actually comes from. What are we actually consuming. Now I had heard of this movie before class and I purposely did not watch it because I didn't want to know. I would rather just happily eat my food, assuming its natural, then actually know what it's made of. I watched it anyways. While I still eat food, it was eye opening and really interesting. However, it made me rethink what I ate.

Finally, we just recently watched a cartoon about the "American Dream" and our economy being in debt. It was very informative but made me feel scared, helpless, and small.

While part of me wishes I had never watched these videos, the other part of me is thankful. I'm now informed and no longer ignorant. While I would remain in bliss had I not seen these, I would have still just been a sheep, controlled by all these things without even knowing it. So while being ignorant is nice, being educated gives you power... power that you can't use.