Ignorance should no longer be bliss

If you ever get bored at night, turn on Jay Leno and observe his "Jay-Walking" -- a segment at the beginning of shows where he surveys average Joes and Janes and asks them about general facts that you would hope anyone who passed U.S. history could pull from some memory bank.\nSurprisingly enough, Leno seems to find uneducated people without looking. A surprising number of duds have no idea who Dick Cheney is, don't really understand what impact Osama Bin Laden has had (one even ventured that he is a 7-11 quickie mart owner) and can't find the state in which they live on a U.S. map.\nAs disgusting as young America's new obsession with Ozzy Osbourne's family, Americans seem to know a lot about nothing or nothing about a lot -- whatever the case may be. And college campuses are worse, if not better. Numerous studies have found that even Ivy League students have a hard time naming the Secretary of State (currently Colin Powell) or listing the states bordering the one they call home.\nWhile it may not matter for any career purposes that students know their state's governor or where exactly Asia is on the globe, more and more employers are turning to basic current events and what should be common knowledge facts for weeding out potential employees.\nOne employer from New Jersey interviewed a student from the University of Maryland for a summer internship. The 4.0 student had internship experience but failed a multiple-choice test with questions like: "What country do Palestinians live in?" and "What century is it?" In fact, several employers have found that students are more likely to know who Britney Spears is than Pope John Paul II -- certainly a sad state for American academia.\nWhile this might seem off base, many students couldn't tell you about the Enron scandal or why there is now increased security at airports. Don't believe the surveys? Just ask a few friends some simple questions about basic history or current events. Somewhere along the line statistically, you will come up with a few blank stares and faces of embarrassment.\nWe as students should be embarrassed. It is both blaringly ignorant and sad that upon college graduation, many students will never have read anything more than the sports or entertainment sections of a newspaper. Many will have never watched CNN or any news shows -- and even fewer will have ever tapped into a quality newspaper like The New York Times.\nI am afraid that at times, I lapse into this world of the uninformed. It is so easy to think that life beyond MTV isn't applicable. But MTV isn't all that matters. Only upon entrance into the real world, where employment opportunities, the economy, and many current events impact anyone's (and often everyone's) lifestyle, will young Americans learn the importance of knowledge.\nCollege students and American society in general should have to take tests like those offered by some employers. Not knowing where you live on a map is more than just ignorant -- it's unacceptable.\nFewer universities are requiring core classes that teach basic facts. This trend must stop. Universities and students need to hit the books and go back to the basics -- because in this world, ignorance should no longer be bliss.