Although, I believe that if people want to get involved and think that they can make a difference the world would be such a greater place. However, this is not the case for everyone. Many people, with so many different perspectives, see the world in various different aspects. I think many people keep themselves safe by heading their heads in the sand. Especially, in regards to horrible things happening around the world. Of course people are less inclined to show empathy towards people they do not know, deep down in their minds something like Valentino's situation might never hyappen to them. But is it okay, to not know about it? Afterall, we all share the same world and what effects them very well may end up affected us in some way.Valentino might have been able to desensitize himself in regards to the horrible life threatening situations in Sudan, but found it difficult to cope with adapting to new life in America. Like that of his expectations of Ethiopia he realized that “this is not that place” and that America contained hardships that he did not prepare for. Like people in America, he looked outside the mind to desensitize himself. I keep thinking that some people in the world purposely avoid serious topic such as these because they don't want to know about it. Like that saying, "ignorance is bliss." Because of how much the public sphere is fragmented I think some people would rather focus much of their attention on happier issues, or things that keep them sperated from the horrors of other countries. However, the question remains… does senseless death, like that in sudan, continue because we are desensitized to it? And if this fact is so, as a society, are our minds trained to only feel empathy or sorrow towards those we know personally? In an effort to answer this question, Valentino tells his story for us to know the Sudanese people personally and get people to care about a truth that exists throughout the world. Valentino speaks to the TV Boy just as Eggers speaks to us. We, as a society have become that TV boy who is “unaware that there is a bound and gagged man on the floor.” (47)
I really like the “ignorance is bliss” approach. It’s interesting in the sense that people might not be apathetic, they must don’t want to hear of it because it is such as culture shock. I’m amazed when I see photos of African children who are nothing but skin and bones precisely because I do not see that regularly. I do care and agree that it’s a serious issue. However, I’m unsure if this discomfort is because I’m not used to it, feel guilty about my own comfort in the United States. Anyway, I like the idea of how story telling forces us to empathize with these issues. I think that the personal story telling is what made this such a great book because we have no choice but turn our heads and look at something which we find uncomfortable. It’s very didactic in its approach to storytelling also. It stresses the importance of looking at other cultures open-mindedly, which makes more people care.
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