Many American citizens have become increasingly unaware of world events because of the media’s filtered news stories. This filtering has blinded the American population to other cultures and important events worldwide.

Upon a conversation with a Spanish foreign exchange student, it was made apparent that Spanish is not the language spoke in Catalonia, a province in Spain and home to Barcelona. It was also clarified that Catalonia is currently undertaking a province-wide act of civil disobedience in order to achieve independence from their home country. Many Americans are painfully unaware of this cultural and political issue despite Spain, particularly Barcelona, being a popular tourist destination.