Like many
others I watched Felix Baumgartner make his leap of faith in science
yesterday.
From the
edge of space he plummeted towards earth with the world watching.
Or most
of the world.
Most
because I noticed on the social networking site facebook that hidden
in among all the very many comments about the jump, there was an
alarming amount of people asking who he was, and what had just
happened.
Even
although those ignorant of what had happened were in the vast
minority, there was enough of them for me to ask myself how they
couldn't know.
People
could be forgiven for not remembering his name, for failing to be
able to rattle off the facts and figures, and more.
Even
forgetting it was yesterday is fine.
No one
really expects the guy next to them on the train, or the woman
sitting in front of them on the bus, to be able to talk about how the
suit Felix wore was designed, but I did find myself wondering how
anyone in the western world who has the internet at the fingertips,
frequent news reports on their televisions, and a plethora of
newspapers and magazines at their disposal, could be unaware of what
had happened in its totality.
Apart
from the media informing them how could they have went through the
week prior to it without even hearing a friend, colleague, or member
of their family mention it?
To not
know what was happening must have taken some effort.
There's a
huge difference in not being interested in what this man was going to
do, and not knowing he was going to do it is my point.
How does
someone manage to get from day to day with this inability or
unwillingness, to process what is going on around them?
Is it
possible that they just lack enough intelligence to read, or hear,
about it and keep it in their noggins, or are they so narcissistic
that what colour they are going to dye their hair, or the complex
consideration required to decide if they need to top up their tan,
squeezes everything else out?
What's the worst of the two?
Obviously
if someone has just grasped onto consciousness after being in a coma
for a few weeks then we can let their ignorance of the event slide.
Likewise
those who have far more pressing issues to concentrate on.
It's a
fact that for some their lives are currently on hold as they deal
with serious issues of their own, or that of a family member.
If that
is the case then it's a bonafide reason, and not an excuse for them
being unaware of what's going on in the world around them, but what
about those who did post on facebook.
The
people asking what was happening after the fact, with their 'whose
this Felix guy' and 'what's everyone taking about' comments?
Are these
people the same ones who can tell you who is joining the cast of
Hollyoaks an hour after it's announced and insist that The Only Way
Is Essex is reality a television show, but can't tell us who the
current prime minister is?
I think
they might be.
I suppose
the thing that bothers me about this is that the total lack of
awareness from some begs the question what else are they ignorant
of.
If they
can fail to pick up on a the media circus surrounding the jump then how many other more newsworthy stories are failing to register with them?
I wonder
if they know that we are in the midst of a recession, that this
government are tearing apart the NHS, the welfare state, and anything
else that they can think of?
It's a
scary thought.
Then
again maybe they have the right attitude and I should just
concentrate on remembering the schedules for the television soap
operas and keep the real world outside.
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