Man who Cut Himself off from News and Outside World after Trump Election Win Divides Opinion 


 

The news of Donald Trump winning the election was the final straw for Erik Hagerman, who decided to retreat into a pig farm in Ohio to live a life of a hermit - and cut himself off totally from the news.

Hagerman, 53, a former Nike ｅxecutive, was shaken badly over President Trump’s victory - so badly that he swore off news about anything happening in America after November 8 2016. 

This means reading or consuming nothing at all from the outside world except the weather and sports games on mute - ignorance that has people divided.

But it was surprisingly easy to do for the former ｅxecutive, who three years ago left the corporate world and moved to a secluded pig farm where he lives alone.

Requesting respect for what he calls the Blockade, Hagerman has had to ask his friends and family to purposely keep him out-of-the-loop. Some, multiple times - as they didn’t take his news ban seriously at first.

Now, more than a year into his complete news cut-off, Hagerman knows nothing, as he told The New York Times. And people have mixed opinions.

For some, the idea of shutting oneself off completely from the outside world sounds like a dream come true. 

But for others, Hagerman’s conscious decision to ignore what is happening in the world around him is offensive and selfish.

 As implementing such a ban would require a significant amount of stability in America, and a complete lack of worries about how news could affect you, many people are criticising Hagerman’s response to Donald Trump’s election.

For writer Jamil Smith, Hagerman’s “willful ignorance” is not the answer.

Smith tweeted: “Erik Hagerman is doing exactly the wrong thing. I’m all for mental health breaks, especially with this @Potus - but willful ignorance helps no one.”

“I’m not offended when people choose not to read my newspaper. I’ve also learned to accept that people read the paper for different reasons some only for comics, some for the classifieds. That is totally fine,” he tweeted.

“But it does rattle me that someone CHOOSES to ignore the news. On purpose. Solely because the world around them is too harsh or the election results too unfavourable,” Buchanan wrote.

Either way, the tweets and articles criticising Hagerman likely won’t bother him - as he will never see them.

Article Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/man-cut-off-news-world-trump-election-win-erik-hagerman-ohio-public-opinion-a8253706.html
Image Source: https://familyinequality.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/nopapernonews1.jpg?w=500&h=285

VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Last straw (idiom) ~  the final act or insult the act that finally calls for a response
2. Swear off (idiom) ~ to make a decision to stop doing, using, or being involved with something harmful, such as drugs or alcohol, or something that is not good or helpful
3. Secluded (adj.) ~ (of a place) not seen or visited by many people sheltered and private
4. On purpose (phrasal verb) ~ intentionally
5. Harsh (adj.) ~ cruel or severe
6. Willful ignorance (n.) ~ the practice or act of intentional and blatant avoidance, disregard or disagreement with facts, empirical evidence and well-founded arguements because they oppose or contradict your own existing personal beliefs

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. Is it important for you to be informed of the news and current events every day? Why?
2. According to the article, why did Erik Hagerman decide to live in a secluded? What is your opinion on this action?
3. Do you think that it's possible for a person to live like a hermit for a long span of time? Discuss your answer.