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This story might be helpful to those tearing their hair out about the news lately:
I grew up believing that following the news makes you a better citizen. Eight years after having quit, that idea now seems ridiculous—that consuming a particularly unimaginative information product on a daily basis somehow makes you thoughtful and informed in a way that benefits society.
But I still encounter people who balk at the possibility of a smart, engaged adult quitting the daily news.
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A few things you might notice, if you take a break:1) You feel better
A common symptom of quitting the news is an improvement in mood. News junkies will say it's because you've stuck your head in the sand.
But that assumes the news is the equivalent of having your head out in the fresh, clear air. They don't realize that what you can glean about the world from the news isn't even close to a representative sample of what is happening in the world.
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2) You were never actually accomplishing anything by watching the newsIf you ask someone what they accomplish by watching the news, you'll hear vague notions like, "It's our civic duty to stay informed!" or "I need to know what's going on in the world," or "We can't just ignore these issues," none of which answer the question.
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A month after you've quit the news, it's hard to name anything useful that's been lost. It becomes clear that those years of news-watching amounted to virtually nothing in terms of improvement to your quality of life, lasting knowledge, or your ability to help others. And that's to say nothing of the opportunity cost. Imagine if you spent that time learning a language, or reading books and essays about some of the issues they mention on the news.
Read on for the rest of the list.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday December 14 2016, @03:21PM
I agree we're on the verge of Civil War 2.0. But the sides in that coming war are not the sides you think they are. Your grasp of political reality are frozen in Cold War amber, unable and unwilling to adjust to what the world is today. "Left vs. Right," "Liberal vs. Conservative," "Communist vs. Fascist," etc, etc. They are terribly hackneyed, threadbare labels that don't fit anymore.
The real divisions are the ones that Occupy Wall Street framed as "1% vs. 99%." In the Drudge universe, they were all the countless comments rooting for Trump at the expense of the elites in the Republican party and in the country. Many of them borrowed Occupy's language to frame the conflict. The people who drove this election see themselves as part of the 99% and they come from both sides of the discursive divide you're obsessed with, and which you perpetuate. That's why your divisive labels have been emptied of meaning and truly impede progress in America as a society (that's "progress" as measured by greater opportunity, economic prosperity, and rising standard of living).
In terms of what "moderation" means, it means giving every man his due and listening to what he has to say rather than sticking his fingers in his ears and shouting nah nah nah nah nah, interspersed with slogans supplied by puppetmasters perched in seats of power. It does not mean that moderates believe in nothing or are wishy-washy.
If you really want to understand anything about the events unfolding around us, then you will cease repeating mindless slurs against others and listen to what they're saying and consider it honestly. I mean, I'm pretty sure you have no interest in doing anything but insulting as many people as you can, as harshly as you can, but if you wanted to understand the world better that's what you would do.
Washington DC delenda est.