{"id":11920,"date":"2022-06-02T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-02T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bone-in-the-throat.com\/Blog\/?p=11920"},"modified":"2022-06-01T13:54:48","modified_gmt":"2022-06-01T20:54:48","slug":"lately-reading-or-watching-the-news-feels-like-doom-scrolling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bone-in-the-throat.com\/Blog\/2022\/06\/02\/lately-reading-or-watching-the-news-feels-like-doom-scrolling\/","title":{"rendered":"Lately reading or watching the news feels like doom scrolling."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Doomscrolling<\/strong> or doomsurfing<\/strong> is the act of spending an excessive amount of screen time devoted to the absorption of negative news.<\/em> – From Wikipedia<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Apple News application is configured to show me Science, Technology, and items related to mens health. I\u2019ve blocked CNN<\/em>, Breitbart<\/em>, Mother Jones<\/em>, MSNBC<\/em>, Vanity Fair<\/em>, The Rolling Stone<\/em>, and a plethora of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, blocking these publications leaves a white square in my News feed telling me that I\u2019ve blocked the publication and asking me if I\u2019d like to read the article anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uh\u2026 Nope!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I\u2019d really like, is for the little white boxes to disappear too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The actual publications that I read for news are more local publications from places that I\u2019m interested in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think of it like reading the local news papers from various cities around the nation. The Idaho Statesman<\/em>, The San Diego Times<\/em>, The Lexington Herald<\/em>, there are some Texas papers I\u2019ll skim as well. (Before you ask, I can\u2019t stomach the Los Angeles Times<\/em>!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I find that these publication are often a bit more hometown and they\u2019re balanced between human interest stories, local events, and national news. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s nice to read about a community rallying behind their high school football team. Or that the local school baseball teams are having a car wash to raise money for a local charity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I read one article about car washes, being coordinated so that for a period of six weekends, a patron could have their car washed by one of six local school teams and the proceeds would help a community center that had a fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s that kind of thing that makes the \u201cBad\u201d news palatable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It used to be that, only the most egregious faux pas of the D.C. elites would make it to these local papers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The papers being local meant that the journalists writing for them, were interested in presenting the hard facts and then after the meat of the story perhaps they\u2019d opine about how this, or that, might affect the local community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I like that kind of reporting. The journalists know which side of their toast is buttered and aren\u2019t necessarily attempting to grandstand to \u201cHit the big time\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re locals, they\u2019re interested in their town or state and their reporting reflects that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The papers I mentioned weren\u2019t generally bashing or praising former President Trump, nor have they been bashing or praising current President Biden. They are just reporting the facts. What did the President say, how might the policy affect their particular community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I guess you\u2019d call it \u201cold school\u201d journalism. Report the story, keep your bias to yourself, if you feel the need to express your opinion then do it on the Op Ed pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lately though, it\u2019s like all the news is just plain bad. Everywhere, (at least in all the papers I read or scan,) there\u2019s almost nothing but bad news. Be it national events like Ukraine, gas prices, or baby formula. Or local reporting of shutdowns of businesses, construction sites, or oil drilling operations, the news is bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These local entities are still reporting how the various events are affecting the local community and they\u2019re doing it in personal, first person interviews. Then they move on to the next story. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Stock Photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Father of 4 who lost his job because the business he worked at closed, and who said it didn\u2019t really matter because he couldn\u2019t afford the gas to get there anyway. There was a ray of light. He was interviewed in the process of roto-tilling what used to be his backyard and teaching his children to plant vegetables. His wife still had her job, he was staying home watching the kids, instead of paying for daycare. He\u2019d decided that a productive family activity was to plant a vegetable garden. He was going to learn the art of canning later in the summer and fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mother who drove 100 miles one way to stock up on baby formula. She brought light into the story because she shared what she had gotten with other mothers in town who were unable to find formula. She\u2019d then started a formula bank at her church where she and other moms pooled their resources. She thanked the men in the community who were helping by buying a can of formula if they saw one during their daily commutes and dropping it by the church. She commented that many of the men helping out didn\u2019t have children themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The causes were the bad news, the balance was the journalist speaking with people in the community asking how they were adapting, then reporting that, as part of the human interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet even with the rays of light, the overall news is just bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the one hand, I\u2019d like to look away and just ignore it all. On the other hand I get curious about what\u2019s happening outside my little mountain town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I open the News app, and alternately have my heart broken, or become enraged. Sometimes both at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I simply can\u2019t reconcile that our leaders seem so out of touch, even when they must have the best information flooding into their ivory towers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can they apparently ignore the plight of so many who are struggling? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why are the elites talking about \u201cTaking Action<\/em>\u201d on issues that don\u2019t directly address the issues that are first and foremost in people\u2019s minds? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You know, minor things like;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting food on the table
Getting to and from work
Feeding the children and babies
Paying the mortgage<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right now, the vast majority of average folks don\u2019t give a rats ass about trans-rights, gun control, racism, green energy, CRT, the latest Tic-Tok trend, Hollywood, or even COVID. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notice, I said the majority\u2026 There will always be the few that are so narrowly focused on their cause, that they\u2019ll refuse to see the bigger picture.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Average folks are focused on basic needs. Broadly speaking\u2026 A functioning economy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That requires jobs, the ability to get to aforementioned job, and affordable basic staples in the store. Anything beyond that is un-necessary and complete bullshit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elites will no doubt be appalled to discover that all their grandiose \u201cactions<\/em>\u201d, \u201cplans<\/em>\u201d, or whatever don\u2019t mean squat to folks just trying to get by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve got to stop looking at the news. It just makes me sad, and pisses me off!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Doomscrolling or doomsurfing is the act of spending an excessive amount of screen time devoted to the absorption of negative news. – From Wikipedia My Apple News application is configured to show me Science, Technology, and items related to mens health. I\u2019ve blocked CNN, Breitbart, Mother Jones, MSNBC, Vanity Fair, The Rolling Stone, and a … <\/p>\n

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