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What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 12:00 pm
by Theworm788
I'm trying to decide between The Economist and the Wall Street Journal. I'd skim the headlines every day; just 10m a day and in a few years I'll probably know most of what an average person knows. I think I need to do this because I am woefully ignorant of the world around me. Suggestions?
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 12:01 pm
by CanadianWolf
The Bible ? New York Times & The Wall Street Journal. MSNBC, CNBC, CNN & Fox cable news stations also do the job.
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 12:02 pm
by drmguy
Twitter and follow news organizations
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 12:20 pm
by Mr. Pancakes
CanadianWolf wrote:The Bible ? New York Times & The Wall Street Journal. MSNBC, CNBC, CNN & Fox cable news stations also do the job.
I'm not sure if you are trolling or not, but I'll answer anyway. I use drudge a lot for the news. I know it's conservative so I try to check out more liberal news websites to get both ends of the spectrum. Most of the cable news is the exact same thing being said by different people.
edit: the trolling comment is directed towards the OP.
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 12:25 pm
by Theworm788
I'm not trolling; I just, as a stereotypical American, know nothing about the world. It has gotten worse since I've started law school because I don't have friends or watch TV anymore.
I prefer written media to TV because I'll be able to read it in between classes.
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 12:28 pm
by Mr. Pancakes
Theworm788 wrote:I'm not trolling; I just, as a stereotypical American, know nothing about the world. It has gotten worse since I've started law school because I don't have friends or watch TV anymore.
I prefer written media to TV because I'll be able to read it in between classes.
It depends on what you are into. I use
http://www.drudgereport.com , but that may not be your thing. it's a little conservative leaning, but it aggregates a bunch of articles onto one site for easier access.
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 12:28 pm
by Anciano
The Economist is excellent for what you want.
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 12:30 pm
by Mr. Pancakes
OldMan2015 wrote:The Economist is excellent for what you want.
I agree with this. pretty good magazine.
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 12:30 pm
by Ford Prefect
If you already don't have any friends, it's probably time to start catching up on all that Dungeons and Dragons you've been missing out on.
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 12:34 pm
by rinkrat19
For a quick overview that is easy to read, The Week magazine gathers the major stories and commentary from other news outlets and publications.
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 12:39 pm
by Theworm788
Part of the reason that I'm questioning whether to do this is because I really don't care about the rest of the world, even a little. I can probably name fewer than 20 countries other than America (I'm the kind of person who insists on calling American America, even though I know other countries insist on calling us the United States).
It's just about trying to fool other people into thinking I'm less ignorant than I actually am...but I'm not sure if it's worth all the effort. I'm also considering just accepting my ignorance and turning it into a strength.
'MERICA.
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 12:45 pm
by smelltheglove
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 2:56 pm
by Hot Pocket
Mr. Pancakes wrote:OldMan2015 wrote:The Economist is excellent for what you want.
I agree with this. pretty good magazine.
Magazines: Economist, Foreign Affairs, The Atlantic, and anything Michael Lewis puts into Vanity Fair.
Newspapers: Financial Times, WSJ, and Krugman's article in the Times to know what retards might think.
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 3:02 pm
by Hot Pocket
for the record, skimming the headlines of the economist is sort of not conducive to what you want since it's sort of strangely organized (especially the website).
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 3:11 pm
by TTH
Hustler
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 4:58 pm
by sundance95
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 5:27 pm
by 3|ink
op wrote:What Should I read to seem educated?
No
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:37 pm
by KMasterFunk
Ford Prefect wrote:If you already don't have any friends, it's probably time to start catching up on all that Dungeons and Dragons you've been missing out on.
If he doesn't have any friends, who will he play D&D with?
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 9:00 pm
by Gettingstarted1928
OldMan2015 wrote:The Economist is excellent for what you want.
.
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 9:02 pm
by molazapuku
I think Ford meant World of Warcraft...thats what I do. it's easy for the uninitiated to get confused.

Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 9:22 pm
by Renzo
Mr. Pancakes wrote:OldMan2015 wrote:The Economist is excellent for what you want.
I agree with this. pretty good magazine.
Yep. I get the WSJ, NYT, and the Economist. But if you made me choose one, it'd be the Economist. You'll get more thorough, careful analysis on a range of global issues that you just won't see anyplace else.
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 9:27 pm
by BeenDidThat
Skim the AP News Wire & Reuters.
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 2:01 pm
by beachbum
Honestly, I've found that liking pages on Facebook goes a long way in keeping me up-to-date, and it's convenient to have everything filtered through a site that I visit a lot anyway. CNN, The Economist, WSJ, NY Times, CNN Money, Forbes, etc. all have pages that are worth following.
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 2:24 pm
by Yvonnella
OP, since your stated goal is not to become better informed but merely to convey an image of intelligence, the only source material you really need is a dictionary. Learn three or four large, unusual words each week and litter your conversations with them. In a short time, people will believe that you are well-read and smarter than you are. Mission accomplished. This is less time-consuming than reading long, weighty articles on world events and permits more time to focus on the funny papers.
Re: What should I read to seem educated?
Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 4:34 pm
by Renzo
Oh, I forgot to mention: as an added bonus, if you subscribe to the Economist, you can download an audio edition of a word-for word reading of each week's issue. Great way to get some high-quality news while you're driving of folding laundry.