I have a bit of a pet peeve. Well I have a few, but this is one of my big ones. I think that I have blogged about this before. I remember when the election was on here. I made sure that I read about all of the parties, so I knew what they all stood for, and so I could make an educated decision on who I would like to run this country. I took into consideration the things that I would like to see happen, and what direction I would like to see this country go in. I thought about it and realised the importance of the decision. I think everyone should have political beliefs, and a standing on such matters. They should at least care about the future, and what is happening in the world around them. Many of my friends didn't even vote. They were baffled at why I did, and made comments about how my say didn't count, how it didn't have an impact in the bigger picture and how they didn't know enough about politics to make any real decisions. So they just didn't bother. Imagine if we all had that attitude? Just what kind of world do we live in? Are we going to end up with a generation that just doesn't care? If we think the world we live in now is bad, imagine what it will be like then.

In a recent survey 57% of US citizens could identify who Harry Potter was, whilst only 50% could say who Britains Prime Minister was. The Poll also identified that three-quarters of Americans could name two of snow whites dwarfs, but only less than a quarter could identify two Supreme Court justices. Now this isn't a downer on Americans, this is about how much more effectively popular culture manages to communicate information than the government, educational institutions and the media. Now there are many reasons for this. I don't think there are many people on this earth who don't know who Harry Potter is, and rightly so! He is a wonderful creation, and one that everyone should enjoy. However there are important issues that people are missing, and they are missing them because there is a failure to communicate with people, and a failure to create a 'buzz'. How an earth are we going to change this world, if we can't even manage to get people interested?

Popular culture is called that for a reason. There are certain things that just everyone will know. Unless you have lived on another planet for a while, then you might be out of the picture a little bit, but there are certain things you can say to people and they just know instantly. These will be things we like, we enjoy, we have an interest in. Of course we are going to know about them. However I think that people need to start pulling their finger out, and start targeting the younger generations, and getting them interested in politics, and such. They need to know. My generation, I fear could be a lost cause. I think that these things need to be introduced into schools. That children should be taught about the world we live in. Politics, and what they mean. What they mean for our future, and the future of our children. We need to create passion and interest, and a longing to change this world. We need to have politicians, and political parties well known. At the moment, the only way you get to learn about them is if you do it yourself. If you take the time out and do your research, and realistically how many people are going to do that?

The likes of Harry Potter are rammed down our throats. You can't turn the tv on, surf the net, read a magazine without seeing something about it. So no wonder so many people know who he is. We need the same things with the important things. We need people to realise the importance of such things, and take them seriously, and feel like they can make a difference. People who feel they don't have enough information to vote, won't. They won't take an interest, they won't bother. They need a gentle push in the right direction, or a good kick up the arse. I think it will be a positive change. But lets not forget about the lovely Harry Potter!