Quote:
Originally Posted by Russic
I don't often share this opinion because it's unpopular and flammable in certain circles, but I've removed my attention from the news almost entirely, and it's almost all upside.
Voting is not the Manhattan Project... do some candidate research for 10 minutes and you're probably going to settle on the person you otherwise would have had you bathed in cortisol for the previous 4 years.
If we acknowledge that the human brain focuses on the negative, and we acknowledge that the news media uses this to its advantage, we can begin to question is what we're seeing is "the news" or just a greatest hits collection of awful things that happened during the day.
I have friends that live in the news cycle and they playfully (or earnestly) judge me for this stance. At the same time.... ehhh... they don't seem to be enjoying any of this. They're cranky and pessimistic, they have no hobbies, and they seem to spend a lot of their kids lives worrying about their kids instead of doing literally anything else. They say things like "if you're not furious you're not paying attention", yet they seem to curiously not pay attention to anything that truly matters or that they have control over.
|
The news cycle toxic reach has gone so far that even the Weather Network promotes and sensationalizes negative weather related stories for clicks. I've actually taken it a level further and reducing my investment in pro sports which is big for me as Flames and Raiders fanhood for me dates back to when I was about 10 years old and it's been a constant in my life. No longer living and dying with the wins for the Raiders and Flames has helped my mood as much as avoiding all the news outlets. I still watch the games and want my teams to win but I don't engage in the game threads and when they lose I'm over it right away and don't go to sleep bummed out. Just chipping away at the negatives in your life leaves a void to be filled by more positive things. Last year was easily the worst year of my life but now in 2026 I'm living by myself for the first time in over 30 years and I'm trying my best to make the most of this new chapter in my life.