Obsession with trivia overshadows true learning

  David Rigsby Rigsby is a second-year
political science student who does know jack. You can reach him at
[email protected]. Click
Here for more articles by David Rigsby

Here in the United States, we pride ourselves on our
intellectual achievements. What’s not to be proud of? From
the light bulb, to landing on the moon, to the Internet, American
inventions and intellects have had a large role in defining what it
means to be an advanced world power. But as time marches forward,
the prognosis of this nation’s intellectual innovations looks
troubling.

Over the past few decades an interesting phenomenon has been
occurring, involving the sensationalist approach to portraying
knowledge. The level of respect for education is quickly falling at
the same time that knowledge is being trivialized on prime-time
television and other means of mass communication. It’s almost
as if knowledge sold out in order to win a popularity contest. A
strange relationship has developed between education and trivia as
a result.

Most critical ideas come to me while watching television. I
realize that this might be a little on the pathetic side, but
let’s not delve into that issue.

Last week I was procrastinating on some reading by watching an
episode of “Jeopardy!” I don’t consider myself an
avid fan who catches every episode, but I will take time out of my
channel-surfing to devote a half hour to this thought-provoking
show.

I bring up this particular instance because, for the first time,
I noticed that watching brought out an odd behavior in me.

As the game progressed, I became frustrated when contestants
were unable to respond to questions that I considered easy. In
addition, I was annoyed (and on some deep, dark level, a bit
ashamed) when I could not come up with an answer to a question that
I thought I should have known. I didn’t have a nervous
breakdown or anything, but I did find myself talking rather loudly
to the television. It reminded me of the Game Show Network
commercial where a dozen people are saying “Sputnik”
over and over again.

Later that evening, I was still beating myself up over the
failure to respond to some of the “easy” questions
asked during “Double Jeopardy!” It was then that I
began to wonder why I was making such a big deal out of something
so stupid, so trivial. Not knowing those answers did not make me
any less intelligent than I was before watching the show, and there
wasn’t anyone watching it with me to whom I was trying to
prove anything, so why did it bother me so much?

  Illustration by JARRETT QUON/Daily Bruin Perhaps the
answer to my personal dilemma was that I felt my intellectual level
was somehow forced down a notch by not remembering a few facts that
I learned in the eighth grade. Gaining a solid education has always
been one of my goals, and by missing a few answers to some trivia
questions, that goal might have been threatened on some unconscious
level.

One of the characteristics of a “good” education is
the ability to appear knowledgeable about a variety of subjects
within a few seconds. In terms of trivia, that means knowing
everything from what the capital of Wisconsin is (Madison) to what
movie won the Oscar for best picture in 1988 (“Rain
Man”). The relationship between trivia and education is not
an equal one. Trivia is like a side-show for an intellectual
three-ring-circus.

The more I thought about this issue, the more I came to
recognize that the society we live in is obsessed with trivia,
maybe more than I am. Being able to answer obscure questions in a
limited amount of time is considered not only a skill, but a talent
as well. The dictionary defines “trivial” as something
“of small value or importance,” which is exactly what
trivia is at its core. It’s easy to forget that trivia
has no real bearing on a person’s life unless that person
happens to be a contestant on a game show.

Trivia has permeated all forms of mass media, not just with
television shows like “Jeopardy!” and the slightly less
intellectual “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” Concert
tickets are given away over the radio for supplying the correct
answer to a random trivia question. The Internet is also
becoming increasingly dominated by online quizzes that test
one’s knowledge in entertainment, sports, literature,
history, you-name-it.

In my house, it was a rite of passage when you were old enough
to play Trivial Pursuit without having to be on a
“team” with a parent. Who hasn’t experienced the
thrill of actually knowing the answer to a pie-piece-winning
question? Americans have supported trivia board games that
span a vast range of genres, from Disney to the 1980s to “The
Simpsons.”

I agree that there is a general correlation between how
successful a person is at trivia and how intelligent he or she is.
At first glance, it seems that the celebration of trivia is a
celebration of intellect and education. This is not the
case. The relationship between society’s fascination
with trivia and its support of education is not balanced.

Why is it that Americans are willing to pay for a copy of People
Magazine with the newest “Millionaire” winner on the
cover, and yet they are not willing to pay more taxes to renovate
and build schools? Classrooms are overcrowded, facilities are
inadequate, test scores are below standards and college tuition
continues to rise (at most universities, anyway). The educational
system suffers, while trivia buffs are raised on pedestals and
revered. 

We have such respect not only for the contestants on game shows,
but for ourselves when we know the answer to a given trivia
question. It makes us feel, in some way or another, a little
better about ourselves. Yet the same level of respect is not
reserved for the teachers who are the foundation of the educational
system.

As I write this article and think back to my frustration during
that episode of “Jeopardy!,” it occurs to me that I
can’t even remember what the questions and answers
were. As with all trivia, the specific questions and answers
don’t matter. It is one of the only subjects in life where
the content has no relevance. What matters when engaging in trivia
is whether you get the answer correct or not.

I’m not arguing that trivia is going to lead to the
downfall of society and that it should not be practiced. I feel
just the opposite. There is an element of fun in searching your
mind for a piece of information that you might never have thought
about otherwise. It makes the information seem as if it is of
some use, or fulfills a purpose.

I feel, however, that there should be an awareness surrounding
trivia that promotes all forms of knowledge. The paradoxical
relationship between education and trivia needs to be re-examined.
The public should focus its attention on the educational systems,
or there might not be future contestants sitting in the hot
seat.

And that’s my final answer.