news and my heart

[Hopalong]

I'm having trouble catching up with cultural change. I think there's no way not to, it's the nature of reality. Adapt or succumb. But this morning I've struggled with it, feeling extremely tearful and vulnerable, after reading news.

Just the usual parade of bad tidings and horrid personalities. Then, one story: health care staff (medical corpspeople, female) in a Naval hospital filmed themselves holding up a newborn African-American baby, forcing the baby to dance to rap music and then a proud photo giving the finger directly at the baby's head, with a caption: "This is how I feel about these little Satans."

For some reason among all the other usual cruelties, this laughing young woman mocking (and endangering, as the baby's neck wasn't supported) and hating this beautiful, vulnerable, innocent newborn child...just slayed me.

Hoping posting it here will help me get out of bed and go to work.

Sorry for the story but sorry-not-sorry for telling it, thanks for listening. I was just shocked out of my reluctance-to-feel-the-news that I usually read it with.

 

Hops

[Twoapenny]

That made the news over here as well, Hops.  The thing that I find even more disturbing that the actual act itself (which is heinous enough in itself) is the confidence these people have to post it online.  I tend to avoid the news as it's just so depressing but I flick through the headlines online from time to time and that was amongst them.  It leads me then to wonder what goes on that you don't see or hear and that feels even more scary xx

[sKePTiKal]

Watching or reading the news lately has become extremely detrimental to any sane, normal person's mental wellness, IMO.

It's been over a year since I watched tv news. The last 6 months or so, I've clearly observed a new phenomenon in online news (regardless of POV or source); Holly backs me up on this - from her many (more progressive and even radical) sources too. That is, that 90% of the articles aren't really "news" anymore - instead, they're "outrage pieces". Op-Eds full of disgust, venom, or trying to bait the reader into feeling these things.

To my understanding of things, this is mind-control... or propaganda. Take your pick; I'm not wedded to the word used itself. And that kind of picayune issue is ITSELF now fodder for a quick, throwaway article. SIGH. There are usually 10x the number of "outrage op-eds" to each actual piece of "news" - or actual updates to events.

Things like "breaking news" is over-used, when they really mean there's an update. WAY too much use, constituting abuse even - of anonymous sources. If no one is going to go on record - maybe it's not really a story?? Does anyone even get taught this in journalism school anymore? Yes, anonymous sources can sometimes break into really important stories. But again - overuse, abuse of this "method" of finding something to write about is endemic.

So I've resigned myself to scanning headlines. And ONLY clicking articles that appear to have something to say about events that can really impact my life directly/indirectly. I get fooled. Lots of clickbait out there. I just don't read it.

Life is a lot better without all that dreck in it. And if they don't get the hits or the ratings - maybe they'll figure out that people just aren't INTERESTED in that kind of "journalism". And I don't need to expose myself to every example of how horrible humans can be to each other - to consider myself "informed" and "educated".

From a propaganda standpoint, dear Hops... the people pushing this type of story and thousands of others like it...  those people WANT to horrify us, hurt our heart, inspire feelings of hopelessness and futility and nihilism. Just like trying to tap-dance in a relationship with an N - the only way to stay sane is not play; don't expose yourself to the madness.

Unfortunately, I'm seeing this kind article in way too many formerly respectable media sources. If that continues - I may end up not patronizing them at all anymore. Not for one or two really valuable pieces of information a week or a month - and tons of dreck, that they discuss ad nauseum.

I continue to look for sources of thought-provoking writing of current events.

[Hopalong]

Yeah.

It was an excruciatingly vivid example of our culture's new level of sociopathy and callousness, and it really hit me.

Media is a complicit click-baiting machine sometimes, and the noble fourth estate that's all that stands between us and irretrievable corruption other times. I'll hang in there with the major legacy media because overall, they have earned my respect over a lifetime. Warts and all, I admire serious journalists. And there are still more of them than flacks.

But that story hurt. Perhaps to a purpose, because cruelty out of racism aimed straight at a newborn ought to wake some folks who don't want to be woken.

Hops

[lighter]

I can't watch the news either.  I see updates on my phone, and scan the headlines.  If it's about something big, I'll open it.  Otherwise, I don't.

((((Hops))))  My heart wants to cradle and support that baby's head too.

Lighter