Who cares if you aren't upto speed on current affairs? Does it really affect you? Why would you want to know/see/talk about bad things anyway?
Live your life, be free, make your own destiny, know your own mind, don't allow yourself to be deceived, and guard your mind against the negatives in the world.
That was a ramble
I can understand exactly where you're coming from. Ignorance can indeed be bliss, especially when the media seems to enjoy putting the frighteners on us at every available opportunity. However, and it's a big however, democracy is not a spectator sport. There are those who rely on people avoiding the news and politics generally to shove through laws and other infringements on liberties which would render your "Live your life, be free, make your own destiny" aspiration an impossibility.
We must all be on guard, however dispiriting an exercise it may be. One day, we shall be rid of those who wish to depress, frighten or imprison us. But we need vigilance now. 
Yes, well be free to a certain point I mean! We live in a free country (allegedly) yet I can't walk down the street naked? Why not? Consider this - why should we obey any laws made by man, who only happen to be here on this earth right now?
I wasn't necessarily talking about ignorance, just not being consumed by it all. From that post you may have interpreted that I am very cynical. Well this view also leads me to the belief that, unlike you it appears, I don't believe we live in a democracy. Far from it.
Having said that, why is a democracy any good? Who says that's how we should live? It's only the best system (allegedly) we have found upto now.
We are rid of the people who wish to depress, frighten and imprison us. Labour got voted out at the last election!!! Hahahahaha I couldn't resist! Sorry! Although from reading some of your posts I think you would disagree with me there?
You make some very fair points, Geoff, but what I'm trying to say is that if we truly, as a people, believe we no longer live in a democracy (a view to which I'm not unsympathetic), then it is high time we made the political classes our servants, not our masters. We voted out Labour and got the Coalition. Different name, same old lack of democracy. Wait for the next election...it won't be long. 
With freedom that we enjoy in our particular democracy, there exists a "social contract" between us as individuals and the society, political or otherwise, that lives around us all.
As John Locke stated, we have a natural God given right to our freedom, as long as it hurts no-one. We also, by living in our communities, accept that some of our pure freedoms are given up in terms of accommodating others around us, like recognising that certain actions by us could take away the freedoms of others, so we acknowledge the authority control and vital protection, of local government, security forces, national regulation, the Government's remit to govern, etc. In other words we cannot live in isolation.
All of us have the right to opt out of the social contract, perhaps becoming Anarchists, but then we should accept the consequences of losing the protection of the state, forfeiting all benefits, and consider strongly going to live away from democratic human beings to survive somewhere with like minded people.
Of course Plato had a solution to what has been suggested above in other posts. A grading system of society, with all people classed as being either Bronze, Silver, or Gold, dependant on their natural abilities that would be developed by "King Philosophers". The Bronze people would be the workers who can earn unlimited riches and live the lifestyle their hard work has rewarded them. The Silver strata would be the Auxiliaries; the Police, Military, Administrators, and General supporting agencies that would maintain the state, but would have no personal wealth, instead enjoying the reward of their vital role. There then would be the Gold people who are so naturally gifted, and subsequently trained, that they are the "King Philosophers" who guide the nation and input to ensure a just and fair society, but they have no personal wealth and live in austerity.
That would answer quiet a few questions for todays society, but also raise some serious counter arguments!!
