Why do we do this?

I have wondered this as well. It is so silly to do so. I personally wonder if people due this due to their own internal struggles or due to childhood issue.

I don't understand why you would feel troubled by the political forums. You are young. You didn't ask me but I will give you my 2 cents (which means my thoughts) on the matter anyway. Politics.... Is fraught. Because it is built on the past. To understand it, requires understanding history. weather you participate or not I would encourage you to read the political forums. Because one day, the decisions that get made will be made by you. You have the opportunity to study and learn about the current choices being made in that forum from the current people making them. You can watch and question history in real time. This is something perhaps no other generation has had the ability to do to the same extent and in the same way. One day, to not end up like the current USA, you will have to make the best decisions you can. Understanding how choices were arrived at in the past or in this current moment before it even becomes history can be amazingly useful to that end.

The internet was in it's infancy when I was a little older than you. I never got to ask why people make the choices they made and created the world that they created that I had to live in and later make choices about. This fact is a huge piece of what makes your generation special and more able to create a better world than all of the generations that came before you. What a shame to feel stressed rather than curious. Perhaps now isn't the right time to have opinions, that is of course for you to decide though. Perhaps it is the time to participate through inquiry seeking understanding of the choices and views presently about. Then follow them through to their gradual philosophical conclusions and consider how you feel about them. Do you agree? To what extent? Why? The thing to keep in mind.... Is that even adults are just muddling through life same as children. The only differences are we can think around corners about consequences, and we pay taxes, and we have explored with curiosity already. But there is no end to where curiosity can take any of us. So there is always more exploration to do. Still having done some, we have noticed some patterns. The only other difference is that as adults, having had that, we are responsible for the decisions we make. But responsible to who? The answer to that question I have always felt is to greater society, but also to the future who we are presently building a world for based on the choices we make right now. So, honestly youth input on these issues and questions seem to me to be highly pertinent and their engagement seems something that would do us all good.

A woman named Abi Andrews, wrote a book. It is a favorite of mine. Some people love it others hate it. It maybe isn't something that is quite age appropriate yet. But in a few years it will be. It is on the issue of feminism, where feminism meets environmentalism. It is called The Word For Woman Is Wilderness. It discusses some major pieces of the history of science how we know what we know about the world and the universe, it tests boundaries both internal and external, and at times moral, spiritual, and what it is to be a woman in the world we live in. It explores environmentalism and feminism, and a wide array of view points on where we are now in the world we have built for ourselves. You are still a bit young for this but I gave you the title anyway. I am hoping you write it down, and put it in a time capsule, along with a personal letter to yourself about how you view life and the world and yourself as you are today, that you can then bury in your back yard and dig up when you are about 17 or 18. Because I think that will be amazingly interesting for you, and because this book may hold some serious value to you when you are ready for it. In some respects, the book is highly political. But as you get older, you will understand so much is decided by politics. So many limitations we set. So many freedoms we give...... Understanding who is deciding these things today and the decisions they are making and what they base those choices on is critical to learning to make such decisions yourself one day. And one day, there will be no one but you and others in your age bracket left to make them.

Thank you very much @Wildflower-Farm!! 🙂 I liked reading what you wrote and i think you are right about it being important too. BUTTT i do read political forums here on PPG and also we have to follow news in my country ANDDD we discuss it in society class. We have that every week and we discuss things about society like politics and things that are super important in the society and often we discuss statements that the teacher made or you have to give presentations about topics or write papers. But on forums it is different than if you walk in a classroom bc a teacher can say how you must talk and to keep being polite even if you dont agree. But on forums i feel stressy and tensed bc if you say something stupid or wrong people can also write very hard. Because with politics it is often different how people write. And i like it more like if people disagree that is not a problem but that everybody is respectful about it.

Maybe I can ask you and also Stitchyyy @elizabethtay836 and @Mare24 do you also have society classes in America? I wanted to ask that in the past too. And @-Kiki-: did you like society classes (in Dutch maatschappijleer so you know even if i translated it wrongly)!! 😛 Many statements i put in the True or False Forum come from our society class but also from online or what i think myself. 😛 😛

We do NOT have society classes here. We have history classes. And towards the end of highschool years modern history classes. It can get a bit controversial at that point in our education. Because no nation is perfect. No nation's modern decisions and choices are perfect. I like to think many nations truly do try to do what is right and best for the majority. But there is always a minority that feels something different. Truth is a rather subjective thing and is different for different people or groups of people. And to make these issues more complicated is the tragic reality that facts and truth are not necessarily the same thing.

A fun truth for you. Only 24% of US highschool biology classes cover the Scientific Theory Of Evolution. Why? Because doing so turns the class into a giant debate rather than an education in how the body functions, and how it developed. Probably loosely 50% don't believe in Evolution. They think God did it. So suddenly Evolution becomes highly controversial. So, it is kept out of school as the USA historically anyway, has erred on the side of letting people make up their own minds over presenting what is and isn't truth on issues that raise controversy. For this same reason, prayer was taken out of classrooms. Though it may now be sadly finding it's way back in. Nothing wrong with prayer or with faith. But to a lot a period of time to it during the school day and to FORCE people to engage with it is in my view just as controversial as teaching the facts of biology is for some. Historically controversy is something we all had to figure out and make our own minds up about on our own. So no, no society classes.

Thank you very much @Wildflower-Farm!! 🙂 I liked reading what you wrote and i think you are right about it being important too. BUTTT i do read political forums here on PPG and also we have to follow news in my country ANDDD we discuss it in society class. We have that every week and we discuss things about society like politics and things that are super important in the society and often we discuss statements that the teacher made or you have to give presentations about topics or write papers. But on forums it is different than if you walk in a classroom bc a teacher can say how you must talk and to keep being polite even if you dont agree. But on forums i feel stressy and tensed bc if you say something stupid or wrong people can also write very hard. Because with politics it is often different how people write. And i like it more like if people disagree that is not a problem but that everybody is respectful about it.

Maybe I can ask you and also Stitchyyy @elizabethtay836 and @Mare24 do you also have society classes in America? I wanted to ask that in the past too. And @-Kiki-: did you like society classes (in Dutch maatschappijleer so you know even if i translated it wrongly)!! 😛 Many statements i put in the True or False Forum come from our society class but also from online or what i think myself. 😛 😛

No, I didn't like it. We only learned from books and were forced to learn about Confuscius etc (gedachtegoeden enz), which I wasn't interested in. My teacher couldn't get the class still, so we ended up learning little...

Do you like your society classes @Yue_? 😊

Thank you very much @Wildflower-Farm and @-Kiki-!! 🤗🤗🥰🥰 I think what @Wildflower-Farm described is different in our schools bc for example evolution is normally explained and even if people believe it differently bc for example for religion reasons than that is ok BUTTT you must at least know what evolution means and answer it in exams. So you can believe what you want but must know what it means. And we dont have prayer in our classroom but if somebody has religions things than that is allowed or the school tries to respect it no matter the faith type. And society classes in our school are smt different than history classes. Bc we also have normal history classes. 🙂 But it is in our school different than what @-Kiki- had in her school even if we are in the same country!!! 😛 😛

So we have it super interactive and we have to give presentations or write essays and almost every class we discuss things. ANDDD you have to watch the news bc not all topics you know before. The topics can be super different like any kind of society problem but more todays society (like housing, age that you can vote, violence, discrimination and so many different other things). We also have theories but they are more general but every class we also have a topic from the news or that is important in society now.

Sorry i hope i explain it clearly and not very confusing!! 😛 😛

Thank you very much @Wildflower-Farm and @-Kiki-!! 🤗🤗🥰🥰 I think what @Wildflower-Farm described is different in our schools bc for example evolution is normally explained and even if people believe it differently bc for example for religion reasons than that is ok BUTTT you must at least know what evolution means and answer it in exams. So you can believe what you want but must know what it means. And we dont have prayer in our classroom but if somebody has religions things than that is allowed or the school tries to respect it no matter the faith type. And society classes in our school are smt different than history classes. Bc we also have normal history classes. 🙂 But it is in our school different than what @-Kiki- had in her school even if we are in the same country!!! 😛 😛

So we have it super interactive and we have to give presentations or write essays and almost every class we discuss things. ANDDD you have to watch the news bc not all topics you know before. The topics can be super different like any kind of society problem but more todays society (like housing, age that you can vote, violence, discrimination and so many different other things). We also have theories but they are more general but every class we also have a topic from the news or that is important in society now.

Sorry i hope i explain it clearly and not very confusing!! 😛 😛

You totally did explain it beautifully. But I am going to do something we call "playing Devil's Advocate." Or think of me as a moment as the devil's criminal defense attorney when I bring up this point.

In the USA, we CHOOSE what we engage with as far as news goes. It is NOT required. We are NOT forced to function in awareness of the goings on of society. Nor are we forced to even be aware. This is a CHOICE. As is where we get our information from... Or it used to be. Some idiots took being uninformed and acting in ignorance perhaps too far and gave us the 34 time felon Mango Mussolini, now freedom seems to be going the way of the Dodo ( this expression means a thing is going extinct like the bird species the Dodo.) In the past, so long as we violate no laws, which exist to protect both our freedom and everyone else's, we get to do and engage with whatever we want. You are free to be an uninformed savage if you wish to be.Unfortunately uninformed savages also have voting rights which is why we are becoming more and more a dictatorship every day.... One day we too at this rate anyway, may be forced to watch media and write papers and discuss it and live by it. The question is, is it really in our best interests to have that forced on us? Different societies answer that question differently. Is there a middle ground? Absolutely! But where is it and where does education become indoctrination on these issues? Again different cultures see it differently. So do different individuals. Is ignorance a cage as much as indoctrination is? Is education freedom if it crosses into indoctrination? Where do we draw the lines on these matters? Should society be putting this into schools? Or should they simply be allowing students access to media and letting them watch it and engage on their own time? Does this kind of education help shape our views on morality and ethics and what is acceptable within our communities and what isn't? Of course it does. Is it safe to let governments any of them make that call?

Ok, devil's advocate over. I just sometimes like to present another side of an issue and ask questions that often get ignored that more people and governments should I think anyway take under advisement to at least ask.

Hii @Wildflower-Farm!! 🙋‍♀️ Sorry i forgot to answer you but i found out this afternoon that i only did in my head but not with writing!!! 🙄🙄 Ok so in our school i like subjects like history a lot bc it is my favourite topic like i also told @diogenes_cask!! 😛 BUTTT our society class is super different. Bc we do talk about things that are NOWWW really important in society and it can be anything like for example racism, housing, age that you can vote, drugs problems and violence. And we also talk for example multicultural society if i translate EXACTLY from Dutch to English and i hope that it is correct. But with a lot of the topics that we discuss OR that you for example write a paper about or give a presentation it is not only RIGHT or WRONG the answers that you give. But more that you discuss it and learn the different things that can be important. And it is important if you say something that you can explain it clearly and in a discussion that you can give good arguments why you believe something. So our teacher does not say you have to give like a certain answer but he looks more why you think something. And in exams you can also be asked about reasons for a statement or against it. Or why for example something is a problem in the society. I like it except the presentations. 😬🙄

Hii @Wildflower-Farm!! 🙋‍♀️ Sorry i forgot to answer you but i found out this afternoon that i only did in my head but not with writing!!! 🙄🙄 Ok so in our school i like subjects like history a lot bc it is my favourite topic like i also told @diogenes_cask!! 😛 BUTTT our society class is super different. Bc we do talk about things that are NOWWW really important in society and it can be anything like for example racism, housing, age that you can vote, drugs problems and violence. And we also talk for example multicultural society if i translate EXACTLY from Dutch to English and i hope that it is correct. But with a lot of the topics that we discuss OR that you for example write a paper about or give a presentation it is not only RIGHT or WRONG the answers that you give. But more that you discuss it and learn the different things that can be important. And it is important if you say something that you can explain it clearly and in a discussion that you can give good arguments why you believe something. So our teacher does not say you have to give like a certain answer but he looks more why you think something. And in exams you can also be asked about reasons for a statement or against it. Or why for example something is a problem in the society. I like it except the presentations. 😬🙄

That's not really true. You can clearly see the teacher's point of view in debates and that makes it harder for people to speak up when they have a different opinion about the topic. 🙄🙄 Also, they do kinda try to change your view into the mainstream media's view. Plus, there's limited sources you're allowed to use, even tho other opinionated sources are reliable as well in some cases.

That's not really true. You can clearly see the teacher's point of view in debates and that makes it harder for people to speak up when they have a different opinion about the topic. 🙄🙄 Also, they do kinda try to change your view into the mainstream media's view. Plus, there's limited sources you're allowed to use, even tho other opinionated sources are reliable as well in some cases.

Thank you for replying @-Kiki-!! 😊😊 It is true in our class also what you say about the sources bc for example we cant use blogs on internet or youtube videos. Bc he says that you must always make a difference between an opinion and the proof and if you want to proof your opinion you cant just only use another opinion for it. ANDDDD he says that for example vlogs or forums are often with a lot of things that are not real information. So you need for example from the news site or a magazine and the studybook but normally that is only for the theories. We do get a lot of space to say what we think. Bc for example if we discuss a statement he will tell his opinion the last. BUTTTT we already know for example things that he believes but in our class guys the most they just shout what they think. But i also say what i think but MUCHHHH more carefully. But with exams it is mainly the book and things we discuss in the class. Sorry if i explain it confusingly but with this topic it is more difficult to write everything in English ANDDDD explain it clearly enough.

Thank you for replying @-Kiki-!! 😊😊 It is true in our class also what you say about the sources bc for example we cant use blogs on internet or youtube videos. Bc he says that you must always make a difference between an opinion and the proof and if you want to proof your opinion you cant just only use another opinion for it. ANDDDD he says that for example vlogs or forums are often with a lot of things that are not real information. So you need for example from the news site or a magazine and the studybook but normally that is only for the theories. We do get a lot of space to say what we think. Bc for example if we discuss a statement he will tell his opinion the last. BUTTTT we already know for example things that he believes but in our class guys the most they just shout what they think. But i also say what i think but MUCHHHH more carefully. But with exams it is mainly the book and things we discuss in the class. Sorry if i explain it confusingly but with this topic it is more difficult to write everything in English ANDDDD explain it clearly enough.

No, you explained it fine. I had such guys in my class as well. They're just shouting anything that comes to mind and is provoking. They only want to be cool by doing it. You never actually know whether they do REALLY think about the topic that way, because sometimes it's clearly just provoking...

No, you explained it fine. I had such guys in my class as well. They're just shouting anything that comes to mind and is provoking. They only want to be cool by doing it. You never actually know whether they do REALLY think about the topic that way, because sometimes it's clearly just provoking...

I think you are right. And sometimes i also think that they say things without really thinking about it and they just repeat what someone says like for example Geert Wilders and they just repeat it. But if there is a discussion they cant explain it really. And if they believe some things that is ok and that is not a problem. But i think it is weird if they only copy it and dont think about it at all. But they smt just do that to get a grade and hope that it is enough.