My Definition of a Well-Informed 21st Century Citizen - 18 Weeks Later

My definition of a well-informed 21^st century citizen is a person who knows both sides of any argument, and can use critical thinking to decide what side they agree with. This includes many aspects of what we dealt with in class and how to gain the knowledge needed to have an educated stance on any topic or issue.

One must also be able to tell truth from the exaggerated truth or biased truth to better determine their position on that matter. An example from class that can support this point is with Newstainment. Although this source can be credible with its facts, they follow this fact by giving their own opinion or taking it out of context. This can lead to skewed information which could impact an uninformed 21^st century citizen. Another thing this citizen would need to be aware of is the power of each branch. More times than not, people blame the president of this country for many situations even though there are certain things he does not have an influence on. The president must go through Congress before putting most things in effect as well. If you blame the president for something he has no control of, this could influence your decision negatively. And finally, an additional thing for a well-informed 21^st century citizen to know is that everything in this world is not cut and dry. This too includes politics. It is much harder to agree on any issue when you know the facts. If an issue only had positive aspects to it, it wouldn’t be considered an issue. That’s why one must look at both pros and cons of any topic and make their decision on whether the pros outweigh the cons.

If a citizen is able to do the previous things, they will be considered a well-informed 21^st century citizen with my definition and will make knowledgeable and thought-out choices.

"An informed citizenry is the only true repository of the public will." Thomas Jefferson