Anyone else sick of the news?

[gustavofring]

I personally am sick of watching the news telling me how bad the economy is, that the EU is in a crisis, how much debt there is, that there are wars and civil unrest everywhere.

It's not that I don't care, but most of these things are matters that man has inflicted upon himself, and I think these are matters beyond my control, so why would I pollute my life with stuff that is only as important as you make it in your mind. I think the news is also one of the causes for my anxiety, by being constantly getting bombarded with things that make me nervous, and stuff that presses you into taking a certain stance on things.

I think in a way the news has become a selffulfilling prophecy machine and is really just demoralizing and distracting people from focussing on making their own lifes better.

 

[coyote]

the news is just like any other television programming - designed to keep viewers in their seats so that they'll watch the commercial advertising that pays for it to be on in the first place

so, of course, it tends to emphasize high drama

and then there's the question of whether the things they choose to report - or the point of view they take - are, in fact, determined by the political agendas of said advertisers or the owners of the media company responsible for their broadcast

just because "they" are telling you what is important doesn't necessarily mean that it really is

i dropped an anvil on my television a few years ago - and miraculously, the whole world has become a much brighter place

 

[gustavofring]

the news is just like any other television programming - designed to keep viewers in their seats so that they'll watch the commercial advertising that pays for it to be on in the first place

so, of course, it tends to emphasize high drama

and then there's the question of whether the things they choose to report - or the point of view they take - are, in fact, determined by the political agendas of said advertisers or the owners of the media company responsible for their broadcast

just because "they" are telling you what is important doesn't necessarily mean that it really is

i dropped an anvil on my television a few years ago - and miraculously, the whole world has become a much brighter place

Same goes for the internet. I find myself always checking news sites, and reading all sorts of comments, but damn myself for it.

Like, for example a child gets murdered or something, yeah very messed up, but then you get all the predictable discussions from people and their fake sympathy, and how it could have been prevented, and how it you should be more careful of your neighbours etc. Stuff that has been going on since the dawn of time, and will always happen somewhere, but is emphasized so that it puts a lot of fear and stress into society's minds and people just HAVE to talk about it. I just don't get it.

Or the eternal political Left/right bickering and pointing fingers at each other who's to blame for everything. God that makes me sick.

I should probably quit reading news altogether, but since it's such a big social conversation topic, you have to keep up. I ought to let go of that urge.

 

[SeniorRedrings]

Isn't it ironic that most of the news isn't news to us.

 

[stevelee24]

i stopped watching news or reading newspapers, online news ect a few months ago and its really improved my mood. the news in general is lies anyway all propaganda to fuel an agenda. cut it out of your life you will never look back

 

[razzle dazzle rose]

I don't watch the news, but I do read the news online. It certainty doesn't give me an emotional boost, and it may contribute to my overall anxiety, but I do think it is important to be aware of what is going on in the world. I have stopped reading about the economy though. The news is not consistent and it gives me all sorts of panic to read that it is only going to get worse.

 

[Rembrandt Broam]

I don't watch TV news much any more, as they only seem to revel in how dramatic they can make things sound. The job of new reporting is to report the facts, however they prefer instead to speculate on the most extreme scenarios they can possibly come up with, and generally indulge in scaremongering.

 

[Pyrophosphate]

There is also good news out there. I like good news, you just have to really dig to find any. For example:

The Gulf of Mexico is pretty much as clean as it was before the whole oil spill thing... though it wasn't really very clean to begin with. Still, you couldn't take tweezers and a magnifying glass to the Gulf right now and tell that there was an oil spill just last year.

Also, global warming appears to have stopped (at least for the time being). Temperatures haven't gone up or down significantly in 13 years, despite the still increasing CO2 emissions. Nowadays any real climatologist is looking for and at least considering alternative theories to explain the warming. (Thus, anyone absolutely refusing to acknowledge that the warming might not have had anything to do with humans is just fear mongering)

So there's some good news.

 

[mikebird]

Someone decides what's in the headines - whatever they like. I don't know who has the power - politicians, or the media. It's all someone's marketing.

I swear anything not in the headlines is old, from months, years ago, sitting on the backburner, waiting to fill the gaps, when there's nothing new to report.

It's repeats that do my noodle - however long or short, when i see anything i saw once before... I can remember that. Don't need reminding, thanks.

Did you know there's unrest in Gaza? Wooo!

 

[coyote]

Did you know there's unrest in Gaza? Wooo!

you don't say!

 

[twiggle]

i dropped an anvil on my television a few years ago - and miraculously, the whole world has become a much brighter place

Not a bad idea at all.
Adverts are another pet hate of mine and another reason as to why smashing my t.v would be a good idea. They're all just unrealistic, often sexed up, portrayals of society and products that operate under the idea that people are thick and will believe every word of the advertisement.
I'm not sure I'd ever want to avoid the news completely, it's good to be up to date with current affairs - I'd just be very selective over the source.

 

[Sartana]

I more or less stopped watching TV a few years back because of the stupidity, scare-mongering and racism. Between the news and the network produced documentaries about how the 'foreigner' is going to try kill you next I started refusing to watch anything not of my choosing.

Then you have all the news of banks being bailed out whilst those who are unable to get jobs because of the economy are are being labelled scum by Cameron and the boys. Then there's the political spin on any sort of protest being painted by the news as 'uncontrollable riots' to turn the older generation against students etc. I have no time for it at all. Idiot box.

I'm not an angry person, but as you can tell by the tone of this post just thinking of the news gets me riled up.

 

[stevelee24]

I don't watch the news, but I do read the news online. It certainty doesn't give me an emotional boost, and it may contribute to my overall anxiety, but I do think it is important to be aware of what is going on in the world. I have stopped reading about the economy though. The news is not consistent and it gives me all sorts of panic to read that it is only going to get worse.

i used to think that but then i asked myself why do i need to know all the bad things going on in the world why carry that weight on my shoulders when i have not caused it nor can do anything about it. ignorance is bliss i focus on my own life and problems now rather than wasting time and energy including other peoples.

 

[stevelee24]

If its not the news rotting your brain with lies its programs like X factor or big brother feeding you the dream you can be famous to just look at these bunch of talentless freaks they got on tv so can you.

kids these days think being famous is a career choice

 

[Joh]

dont watch News Channels !

 

[twiggle]

If its not the news rotting your brain with lies its programs like X factor or big brother feeding you the dream you can be famous to just look at these bunch of talentless freaks they got on tv so can you.

kids these days think being famous is a career choice

X Factor is my guilty pleasure :: Though deep down I believe its fixed.

Big Brother and the rest of those type of shows though... eurgh. I used to be a fan when reality tv was a fresh new thing, about a decade ago. Now, it's all so false. I caught a bit of the BB final the other night as I was at my brother's and he watches it. He was telling me that apparently the guy who won was a self-confessed BB fanatic - had seen all the previous series and knew how to play the game.
British t.v is terrible at the moment. Flicking through Freeview the other night I found this programme where couples have sex counselling. It shows them doing the deed after all their lessons.
Then there's Tool Academy, aka "My boyfriend is an absolute idiot to me but instead of dumping him I'm going to take him on national television"
Everybody in these programmes looks the same, acts the same, and are doing it to find cheap fortune.
It's sad.
I've started to stick to documentary channels now.
I've never been a fan of the fantasy genre, so I avoid reality t.v.

 

[coyote]

i used to think that but then i asked myself why do i need to know all the bad things going on in the world why carry that weight on my shoulders when i have not caused it nor can do anything about it. ignorance is bliss i focus on my own life and problems now rather than wasting time and energy including other peoples.

yep - plus if there were something really important to know, you'll find out soon enough through word of mouth

another reason to find real people to interact with

 

[coyote]

Adverts are another pet hate of mine and another reason as to why smashing my t.v would be a good idea. They're all just unrealistic, often sexed up, portrayals of society and products that operate under the idea that people are thick and will believe every word of the advertisement.

plus, their whole tactic is to imply that you aren't complete unless you own their product

15-20 minutes of every hour you watch television is devoted exclusively to telling you that you're not good enough - over and over, again

no wonder everyone's self-esteem is so bad

 

[Rembrandt Broam]

Not a bad idea at all.
Adverts are another pet hate of mine and another reason as to why smashing my t.v would be a good idea. They're all just unrealistic, often sexed up, portrayals of society and products that operate under the idea that people are thick and will believe every word of the advertisement.

And this is precisely why I now download all the TV shows I watch, or get the entire season on DVD. The only show I watch over the air as it's broadcast is Doctor Who. TV ads are just repetitive and annoying, but what I really object to is how many they show when you go to watch a movie. Didn't I already pay enough for the ticket, without having to sit through adverts too?

 

[twiggle]

plus, their whole tactic is to imply that you aren't complete unless you own their product

15-20 minutes of every hour you watch television is devoted exclusively to telling you that you're not good enough - over and over, again

no wonder everyone's self-esteem is so bad

Yep, yep, yep ::
Buy this beauty product, that one too!
It's all ridiculous.
I'd like to see an average looking person using those products on the advert, not some perfect looking model.

And this is precisely why I now download all the TV shows I watch, or get the entire season on DVD. The only show I watch over the air as it's broadcast is Doctor Who. TV ads are just repetitive and annoying, but what I really object to is how many they show when you go to watch a movie. Didn't I already pay enough for the ticket, without having to sit through adverts too?

Anything for them to make an extra buck