Geography

Beginning in elementary school, we were taught about countries around the world. On the wall was a map of the U.S.A. and there was a revolving globe with countries with names we were to memorize.

Like the presidents, we were told the different states and even the capitols of our country but forgot most of them. Figured out North Dakota was on top of South Dakota and North Carolina was on top of South Carolina but wondered about New York, New Jersey and New Hampshire wondering where Old York, Old Jersey and Old Hampshire were? There is a West Virginia but where is the East Virginia? Unless the next state over was visited it didn’t matter. Where is Utah and what is the capitol?

Flying over and looking out the window there was never that dotted line between Alabama and Georgia.

Growing up after the WWII there was always news about England and Japan but no one knew where Korea was and hadn’t heard of Vietnam yet. The Middle East was Arabs on flying carpets, camels and belly dancers. The Far East was strange little people in straw hats. The Dark Continent was where the slaves came from. The commies were on the other side of the Iron Curtain.

Newspapers and network news only reported and presented by white Anglos forgetting places like Yemen or Azerbaijan or Kyrgyzstan. With faster communications, news that happened but no one heard about started popping up at the 6 o’clock news. Social media brought in worldwide homemade journalist with opinions, bias propaganda and viral videos. Even puppies to be adopted made the evening hour between weather and sports.

With the flood of information now to try and decide does it make you wiser or just fill up your inbox? Every presentation has to appear like a Super Bowl halftime show or repetition to persuade rather than provide the facts.

Dumping television has given me comfort of visual distraction but the small screen is still addictive. The radio is stuck on NPR with it’s barrage of news and opinions from respectful sources in US and UK.

Simpler times did not worry about LGBTQ, or opioids or terrorist or climate change or traffic congestion or plastic trash or overpopulation or trade wars or nuclear waste or education cost or monetary inequality or migration or deregulation or health insurance or congressional bureaucracy or vaping or dark matter or Kardashians or nepotism or religious sexual abuse or angry tweets or dirty bare feet or wiping your seat.

Salt Lake City is the capitol of Utah. Who knew?