How do you feel these days when you read or watch the news?

brianlux

I'm #5.  I often feel my stomach tighten when I read the news.  I also find, lately, that reading AMT is unhealthy.  I'm trying to read both less often.  And if Trump is re-elected, I will probably give up reading the news altogether.  At least that's how I feel.  To my way of thinking, the world and the U.S. in particular are becoming a cesspool, so reading too much news has proven for me to be an unhealthy pastime.  More coffee, please.

brianlux

Mild anxiety. I'm greatly disturnbed by what is happening in the world and/or my country.

I also want to thank a particular member here (you know who you are) for encouraging me to be more aware of how all this is affecting my health.  Thank you, good man!

smagnus1

Concerned. I am concerned with what is happening in the world and/or my country.

I just feel like “we” are being more divided by nonsense. I’m looking more to break bread, have some beverages or share a smoke with folks just to enjoy their company vs bringing up policy garbage. My concern is getting to far isolated because of our differences pushing us further apart. 

brianlux

Mild anxiety. I'm greatly disturnbed by what is happening in the world and/or my country.

smagnus1 said:

I just feel like “we” are being more divided by nonsense. I’m looking more to break bread, have some beverages or share a smoke with folks just to enjoy their company vs bringing up policy garbage. My concern is getting to far isolated because of our differences pushing us further apart. 

I admire your healthy outlook.  Well said, thanks!

HughFreakingDillon

Oblivious. I only read or watch entertainment articles.

I try to stay away from it as much as I can. Most of it is fear mongering to keep people engaged. 

Just don’t look. 

brianlux

Mild anxiety. I'm greatly disturnbed by what is happening in the world and/or my country.

HughFreakingDillon said:

I try to stay away from it as much as I can. Most of it is fear mongering to keep people engaged. 

Just don’t look. 

It's in my nature to spend a lot of time keeping up with current events.  And then I go through this whole process of trying to sort the wheat from the chaff (and yeah, it's a ton of chaff).  And then I look at how people think and respond, and seems like there isn't much critical thinking going on out there. 

So yeah, maybe I've just been wasting too much of my time all these years.  I don't know anymore.

josevolution

Mild anxiety. I'm greatly disturnbed by what is happening in the world and/or my country.

I’m literally starting the process of seeing what i have to do to move back to Chile with my wife she’s all up for it! The hold up could be my two adult kids not sure if we can be that far away from them.

brianlux

Mild anxiety. I'm greatly disturnbed by what is happening in the world and/or my country.

josevolution said:

I’m literally starting the process of seeing what i have to do to move back to Chile with my wife she’s all up for it! The hold up could be my two adult kids not sure if we can be that far away from them.

If I were 20 years younger, I would strongly consider a move to another country.

Chile sounds cool.  And there's great music there.  I would go see this Chilean band!:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9uFGPnGiHI

curmudgeoness

Mild anxiety. I'm greatly disturnbed by what is happening in the world and/or my country.

I voted for "mild anxiety," but that's only because our personal lives are so overburdened right now that it's hard for me to find the energy or bandwidth to devote as much attention to politics as I feel I should in the current situation.

I'm an old-school conservative, meaning I like small government, fiscal responsibility, a tough stance on Russia, personal freedoms, and the Constitution. In other words, I'm a modern Democrat (?!?).

I'm the rare foreign policy voter; I worry about what will happen to the people in Ukraine, the Baltics, Moldova, Poland, and Taiwan if #45 is re-elected. And for the people who are angry with Biden about Gaza: Do you *really* think the Gazans will fare better if Biden/Dems lose in November? Seriously? We will be telling Bibi to do as he pleases, as long as our leader gets a choice piece of beachfront property for a new luxury hotel.

I worry about my rights and freedoms as a woman, even though I'm probably past the point where I need to worry about getting pregnant. I worry about how people of color, religious minorities, LGBTQ individuals, and the neurodivergent will fare in an authoritarian regime.

I worry about the lack of empathy I see every day. I worry about the people who see cruelty as a sign of strength. The bulk of my education was focused on early 20th-century central and eastern Europe. I'm haunted by an essay by Erich Kaestner, an author who chose to remain in Berlin during the war and the Nazi regime. 

Kaestner wrote a number of essays about those years, but one in particular was about how, at the time of the Reichstag fire, he had been out of the country on business. He went to the train station in Vienna, I think, to catch a train going back to Berlin. The inbound train arrived, and many of the disembarking passengers were Kaestner's friends from Berlin. They took the Reichstag fire as a signal to flee the country, and they urged Kaestner not to return to Berlin. He laughed at them and said they were overreacting, things aren't that bad!

Six weeks later, everything in Germany had changed; Kaestner was plagued with guilt: What if his friends had listened to him and returned to Berlin? Most of them would have been killed.

I think of that essay often. When is one being anxious; when is the threat real?

One of my kids is actively looking for work on the other side of the planet; the other one isn't, yet, but we will need a plan to get him out. Short term, I am de-camping to a blue state. We all expect there to be violence and unrest regardless of the outcome of the election. Perhaps, if enough of us chose to act like adults, we could tamp down that violence and outrage -- I'm not seeing enough of it yet.

The news: In the end, they're driven by a quest for page hits, views, audience. I keep hoping they will do better, too, and so often they don't.

brianlux

Mild anxiety. I'm greatly disturnbed by what is happening in the world and/or my country.

curmudgeoness said:

I voted for "mild anxiety," but that's only because our personal lives are so overburdened right now that it's hard for me to find the energy or bandwidth to devote as much attention to politics as I feel I should in the current situation.

I'm an old-school conservative, meaning I like small government, fiscal responsibility, a tough stance on Russia, personal freedoms, and the Constitution. In other words, I'm a modern Democrat (?!?).

I'm the rare foreign policy voter; I worry about what will happen to the people in Ukraine, the Baltics, Moldova, Poland, and Taiwan if #45 is re-elected. And for the people who are angry with Biden about Gaza: Do you *really* think the Gazans will fare better if Biden/Dems lose in November? Seriously? We will be telling Bibi to do as he pleases, as long as our leader gets a choice piece of beachfront property for a new luxury hotel.

I worry about my rights and freedoms as a woman, even though I'm probably past the point where I need to worry about getting pregnant. I worry about how people of color, religious minorities, LGBTQ individuals, and the neurodivergent will fare in an authoritarian regime.

I worry about the lack of empathy I see every day. I worry about the people who see cruelty as a sign of strength. The bulk of my education was focused on early 20th-century central and eastern Europe. I'm haunted by an essay by Erich Kaestner, an author who chose to remain in Berlin during the war and the Nazi regime. 

Kaestner wrote a number of essays about those years, but one in particular was about how, at the time of the Reichstag fire, he had been out of the country on business. He went to the train station in Vienna, I think, to catch a train going back to Berlin. The inbound train arrived, and many of the disembarking passengers were Kaestner's friends from Berlin. They took the Reichstag fire as a signal to flee the country, and they urged Kaestner not to return to Berlin. He laughed at them and said they were overreacting, things aren't that bad!

Six weeks later, everything in Germany had changed; Kaestner was plagued with guilt: What if his friends had listened to him and returned to Berlin? Most of them would have been killed.

I think of that essay often. When is one being anxious; when is the threat real?

One of my kids is actively looking for work on the other side of the planet; the other one isn't, yet, but we will need a plan to get him out. Short term, I am de-camping to a blue state. We all expect there to be violence and unrest regardless of the outcome of the election. Perhaps, if enough of us chose to act like adults, we could tamp down that violence and outrage -- I'm not seeing enough of it yet.

The news: In the end, they're driven by a quest for page hits, views, audience. I keep hoping they will do better, too, and so often they don't.

Great post, thanks, C!

Sorry to hear things are tough for you now.  I hope that improves.

"Conservative" and "conservation" cross paths in some ways.  Being "conservative" is good when it comes to conservation, just as "progressive" is not necessarily good if job killing, DIY killing AI is considered "progress".  Those terms are often not well defined.

Foreign policy is often overlooked in this mostly Narcissistic country.  Good point.

I doubt we will help Gaza, either way, but I would think they would fare better under Biden.  Probably not enough though.

Women's rights would be eroded horribly under a Trump.  Women would lose decades... DECADES!... of progress under Trump.  I can't believe any woman would support Trump.  But obviously we see it, even here!

Interesting info on Kaestner.  The analogy concerns me greatly.  If Trump wins, will I really be able to put all news aside?  Will my life be unaffected?  Maybe, but only because I live in California.  But wait!  El Dorado County is a pro-Trump California county.  Not good!

cblock4life

My reaction is T listed so I can’t vote.  

lindamarie73

josevolution said:

I’m literally starting the process of seeing what i have to do to move back to Chile with my wife she’s all up for it! The hold up could be my two adult kids not sure if we can be that far away from them.

Fantastic country, spent most of April in Concon scoping out a few more rental properties the family has there…. Fabulous surfing and food.  

Good luck

brianlux

Mild anxiety. I'm greatly disturnbed by what is happening in the world and/or my country.

This seems like a good place to put these words from Dan Rather's letter today.  And maybe this- as in AMT- would be a good place for us to try to put those words into practice.   What do you say we at least try?

What is more surprising — the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, or that it took so long to happen? We can’t continue to point fingers and hope there will be no consequences. Our language, magnified and sensationalized online, is fostering an atmosphere that permits — even encourages — violence, and it will echo long after the gunfire at a Pennsylvania political rally.

This New York Times headline, “An Assassination Attempt That Seems Likely to Tear America Further Apart,” got me thinking about how to keep that from happening. As someone who dearly loves this country, I would ask that we all make every effort to be our better selves in the days ahead. That begins with laying off social media. 

While we cannot change the events of the past 24 hours, we can control our actions going forward. Before political discourse spins completely out of control, I would ask all my fellow citizens to think before you type. We are now officially playing with fire — a fire that can quickly get out of control. 

Technology designed to make us smarter, quicker, and better informed is bringing out our worst instincts. Society is diminished because of these social media platforms and the mega-billionaires who own them. They amplify one of the worst human impulses: to speak (or type) before thinking. It is so easy to do.

In the coming days I ask that we all check ourselves. I have seen posts since the assassination attempt written by supporters of both candidates that are designed only to rile and gain more followers. Nothing seems to be out of bounds or off-limits. The more inflammatory, the better. No doubt many of you have seen these posts. I won’t repeat them here.  

The words of one person seem harmless enough, but with algorithms and amplifications, they can be seen in seconds, and believed by millions.

This week, Republicans will have the microphone and an enormous opportunity to change the dialogue. Their nominating convention begins tomorrow in Milwaukee. If the past is prologue, I am not holding my breath. I’d be thrilled to be proven wrong. Perhaps their nominee, who came within an inch or two of losing his life to an assassin’s bullet, will have an epiphany, seek the high road, and curb the rage and recrimination.  

I have been encouraged by some officials on both sides who are at least making an effort. House Speaker Mike Johnson said, “Obviously, we can’t go on like this as a society. We’ve got to turn the temperature down in this country.” A nice thought, but it’s just one day. We have months before the election, plenty of time to air our differences — without violence. 

In the short term, I’m asking everyone to please think before you act. Reasoned, well-considered opinion and criticism are always welcomed. Hate is not. We need to take a deep breath and remind ourselves of what’s truly important: our families and our country. Not on this list is further lining the pockets of those who encourage inflammatory speech.

This campaign, our world, the upcoming election, have already been inextricably altered because of this cowardly act. Please, let’s not make it worse. Think before you hit send.

-Dan Rather

cblock4life

brianlux said:

This seems like a good place to put these words from Dan Rather's letter today.  And maybe this- as in AMT- would be a good place for us to try to put those words into practice.   What do you say we at least try?

What is more surprising — the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, or that it took so long to happen? We can’t continue to point fingers and hope there will be no consequences. Our language, magnified and sensationalized online, is fostering an atmosphere that permits — even encourages — violence, and it will echo long after the gunfire at a Pennsylvania political rally.

This New York Times headline, “An Assassination Attempt That Seems Likely to Tear America Further Apart,” got me thinking about how to keep that from happening. As someone who dearly loves this country, I would ask that we all make every effort to be our better selves in the days ahead. That begins with laying off social media. 

While we cannot change the events of the past 24 hours, we can control our actions going forward. Before political discourse spins completely out of control, I would ask all my fellow citizens to think before you type. We are now officially playing with fire — a fire that can quickly get out of control. 

Technology designed to make us smarter, quicker, and better informed is bringing out our worst instincts. Society is diminished because of these social media platforms and the mega-billionaires who own them. They amplify one of the worst human impulses: to speak (or type) before thinking. It is so easy to do.

In the coming days I ask that we all check ourselves. I have seen posts since the assassination attempt written by supporters of both candidates that are designed only to rile and gain more followers. Nothing seems to be out of bounds or off-limits. The more inflammatory, the better. No doubt many of you have seen these posts. I won’t repeat them here.  

The words of one person seem harmless enough, but with algorithms and amplifications, they can be seen in seconds, and believed by millions.

This week, Republicans will have the microphone and an enormous opportunity to change the dialogue. Their nominating convention begins tomorrow in Milwaukee. If the past is prologue, I am not holding my breath. I’d be thrilled to be proven wrong. Perhaps their nominee, who came within an inch or two of losing his life to an assassin’s bullet, will have an epiphany, seek the high road, and curb the rage and recrimination.  

I have been encouraged by some officials on both sides who are at least making an effort. House Speaker Mike Johnson said, “Obviously, we can’t go on like this as a society. We’ve got to turn the temperature down in this country.” A nice thought, but it’s just one day. We have months before the election, plenty of time to air our differences — without violence. 

In the short term, I’m asking everyone to please think before you act. Reasoned, well-considered opinion and criticism are always welcomed. Hate is not. We need to take a deep breath and remind ourselves of what’s truly important: our families and our country. Not on this list is further lining the pockets of those who encourage inflammatory speech.

This campaign, our world, the upcoming election, have already been inextricably altered because of this cowardly act. Please, let’s not make it worse. Think before you hit send.

-Dan Rather

Sorry Brian because it’s no offense to you (one of my favs) but I’m calling bullshit on Dan Rather.  The SOTH is calling for a temperature cooling down, making an effort. What about all the kids who died in school shootings?  No temp control then.  No efforts made then.  But point the gun at trump and hey we’ve got ourselves some changes to make.  

cblock4life

Guess I didn’t really do what you asked.  Sorry.  I’m gonna try cause I respect you and besides you’re pretty cool.  

CM189191

cblock4life said:

brianlux said:

This seems like a good place to put these words from Dan Rather's letter today.  And maybe this- as in AMT- would be a good place for us to try to put those words into practice.   What do you say we at least try?

What is more surprising — the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, or that it took so long to happen? We can’t continue to point fingers and hope there will be no consequences. Our language, magnified and sensationalized online, is fostering an atmosphere that permits — even encourages — violence, and it will echo long after the gunfire at a Pennsylvania political rally.

This New York Times headline, “An Assassination Attempt That Seems Likely to Tear America Further Apart,” got me thinking about how to keep that from happening. As someone who dearly loves this country, I would ask that we all make every effort to be our better selves in the days ahead. That begins with laying off social media. 

While we cannot change the events of the past 24 hours, we can control our actions going forward. Before political discourse spins completely out of control, I would ask all my fellow citizens to think before you type. We are now officially playing with fire — a fire that can quickly get out of control. 

Technology designed to make us smarter, quicker, and better informed is bringing out our worst instincts. Society is diminished because of these social media platforms and the mega-billionaires who own them. They amplify one of the worst human impulses: to speak (or type) before thinking. It is so easy to do.

In the coming days I ask that we all check ourselves. I have seen posts since the assassination attempt written by supporters of both candidates that are designed only to rile and gain more followers. Nothing seems to be out of bounds or off-limits. The more inflammatory, the better. No doubt many of you have seen these posts. I won’t repeat them here.  

The words of one person seem harmless enough, but with algorithms and amplifications, they can be seen in seconds, and believed by millions.

This week, Republicans will have the microphone and an enormous opportunity to change the dialogue. Their nominating convention begins tomorrow in Milwaukee. If the past is prologue, I am not holding my breath. I’d be thrilled to be proven wrong. Perhaps their nominee, who came within an inch or two of losing his life to an assassin’s bullet, will have an epiphany, seek the high road, and curb the rage and recrimination.  

I have been encouraged by some officials on both sides who are at least making an effort. House Speaker Mike Johnson said, “Obviously, we can’t go on like this as a society. We’ve got to turn the temperature down in this country.” A nice thought, but it’s just one day. We have months before the election, plenty of time to air our differences — without violence. 

In the short term, I’m asking everyone to please think before you act. Reasoned, well-considered opinion and criticism are always welcomed. Hate is not. We need to take a deep breath and remind ourselves of what’s truly important: our families and our country. Not on this list is further lining the pockets of those who encourage inflammatory speech.

This campaign, our world, the upcoming election, have already been inextricably altered because of this cowardly act. Please, let’s not make it worse. Think before you hit send.

-Dan Rather

Sorry Brian because it’s no offense to you (one of my favs) but I’m calling bullshit on Dan Rather.  The SOTH is calling for a temperature cooling down, making an effort. What about all the kids who died in school shootings?  No temp control then.  No efforts made then.  But point the gun at trump and hey we’ve got ourselves some changes to make.  

"Everyone just needs to calm down!" 



🙄

PJ_Soul

Full blown anxiety. Put me in a straight jacket.

I had to stop watching TV news altogether, and avoiding most extended coverage of anything. All I do now is make sure I know the facts about the important stuff, and otherwise try to avoid it. It just got to be too much - it was doing nothing for me other than causing irritation and reminding me that I have no hope for society. No point in flogging myself with it anymore.

CM189191

cblock4life said:

brianlux said:

This seems like a good place to put these words from Dan Rather's letter today.  And maybe this- as in AMT- would be a good place for us to try to put those words into practice.   What do you say we at least try?

What is more surprising — the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, or that it took so long to happen? We can’t continue to point fingers and hope there will be no consequences. Our language, magnified and sensationalized online, is fostering an atmosphere that permits — even encourages — violence, and it will echo long after the gunfire at a Pennsylvania political rally.

This New York Times headline, “An Assassination Attempt That Seems Likely to Tear America Further Apart,” got me thinking about how to keep that from happening. As someone who dearly loves this country, I would ask that we all make every effort to be our better selves in the days ahead. That begins with laying off social media. 

While we cannot change the events of the past 24 hours, we can control our actions going forward. Before political discourse spins completely out of control, I would ask all my fellow citizens to think before you type. We are now officially playing with fire — a fire that can quickly get out of control. 

Technology designed to make us smarter, quicker, and better informed is bringing out our worst instincts. Society is diminished because of these social media platforms and the mega-billionaires who own them. They amplify one of the worst human impulses: to speak (or type) before thinking. It is so easy to do.

In the coming days I ask that we all check ourselves. I have seen posts since the assassination attempt written by supporters of both candidates that are designed only to rile and gain more followers. Nothing seems to be out of bounds or off-limits. The more inflammatory, the better. No doubt many of you have seen these posts. I won’t repeat them here.  

The words of one person seem harmless enough, but with algorithms and amplifications, they can be seen in seconds, and believed by millions.

This week, Republicans will have the microphone and an enormous opportunity to change the dialogue. Their nominating convention begins tomorrow in Milwaukee. If the past is prologue, I am not holding my breath. I’d be thrilled to be proven wrong. Perhaps their nominee, who came within an inch or two of losing his life to an assassin’s bullet, will have an epiphany, seek the high road, and curb the rage and recrimination.  

I have been encouraged by some officials on both sides who are at least making an effort. House Speaker Mike Johnson said, “Obviously, we can’t go on like this as a society. We’ve got to turn the temperature down in this country.” A nice thought, but it’s just one day. We have months before the election, plenty of time to air our differences — without violence. 

In the short term, I’m asking everyone to please think before you act. Reasoned, well-considered opinion and criticism are always welcomed. Hate is not. We need to take a deep breath and remind ourselves of what’s truly important: our families and our country. Not on this list is further lining the pockets of those who encourage inflammatory speech.

This campaign, our world, the upcoming election, have already been inextricably altered because of this cowardly act. Please, let’s not make it worse. Think before you hit send.

-Dan Rather

Sorry Brian because it’s no offense to you (one of my favs) but I’m calling bullshit on Dan Rather.  The SOTH is calling for a temperature cooling down, making an effort. What about all the kids who died in school shootings?  No temp control then.  No efforts made then.  But point the gun at trump and hey we’ve got ourselves some changes to make.  

Pretty sure this is why Dan Rather is suddenly asking everyone to simmer down now 

https://www.cnn.com/trump-supporters-blame-media/index.html

brianlux

Mild anxiety. I'm greatly disturnbed by what is happening in the world and/or my country.

cblock4life said:

Guess I didn’t really do what you asked.  Sorry.  I’m gonna try cause I respect you and besides you’re pretty cool.  

No worries, I appreciate your kind words, CB.  I posted Dan's words as much for my benefit as anyone else.  What I get from Dan's words are not so much that we should soft pedal our beliefs or not stand strong on our convictions.  Not at all.  But I also know that shaming people, yelling at people, berating others, etc., none of that changes anyone's mind or moves us forward.  I once told Trump fans here  to f-off in a way that was so egregiously inappropriate for these forums, that I gave myself a six month time-out and was lucky to not get perma-banned.  That gave me plenty of time to think about ways I can make a more positive difference while interacting with people here and on other social media.  And I still screw up badly enough now and then that I go and put on Neil Young's song "F&*^in' Up" just as a reminder.  I definitely have my flaws.

So yes, I think we need to stand firm on what we believe- more than ever, actually- but let's try to do so by using our heads and thinking about how we can best accomplish our goals.  And that doesn't mean we have to be syrupy sweet.  I think it's possible to be very tough, very firm, and yet not cross the line to letting our anger defeat our purpose.  We can practice being courteous and kind when it fits, and strong and firm as well.  

One of the best ideas I've ever learned was from reading John Lyden's book, Anger is an Energy.  I don't subscribe to all of Mr. Rotten's ideas, but that one struck a true chord.  He explained very clearly how anger can be channeled in ways that can build and be useful, rather than be a waste of time and merely destructive.  We can turn our anger into well worded thoughts based on truths rather than hunches, rumor, or baseless rants (sure see a lot of that lately), and present them in ways that are logical, that make sense, and that are difficult to argue against or disprove.

Another good book to consider is Sun Tzu's The Art of War, which outlines how to outsmart one's opponent without actually having to engage in physical battle, including verbal battles. 

All of this to say it will serve us well to be smart, and careful in our actions and words.  Too much of what we see on social media is a waste of energy and changes absolutely nothing. 

And I apologize if this comes across as lecturing or egocentric.  Like I said, I'm plenty flawed myself.

cblock4life

brianlux said:

cblock4life said:

Guess I didn’t really do what you asked.  Sorry.  I’m gonna try cause I respect you and besides you’re pretty cool.  

No worries, I appreciate your kind words, CB.  I posted Dan's words as much for my benefit as anyone else.  What I get from Dan's words are not so much that we should soft pedal our beliefs or not stand strong on our convictions.  Not at all.  But I also know that shaming people, yelling at people, berating others, etc., none of that changes anyone's mind or moves us forward.  I once told Trump fans here  to f-off in a way that was so egregiously inappropriate for these forums, that I gave myself a six month time-out and was lucky to not get perma-banned.  That gave me plenty of time to think about ways I can make a more positive difference while interacting with people here and on other social media.  And I still screw up badly enough now and then that I go and put on Neil Young's song "F&*^in' Up" just as a reminder.  I definitely have my flaws.

So yes, I think we need to stand firm on what we believe- more than ever, actually- but let's try to do so by using our heads and thinking about how we can best accomplish our goals.  And that doesn't mean we have to be syrupy sweet.  I think it's possible to be very tough, very firm, and yet not cross the line to letting our anger defeat our purpose.  We can practice being courteous and kind when it fits, and strong and firm as well.  

One of the best ideas I've ever learned was from reading John Lyden's book, Anger is an Energy.  I don't subscribe to all of Mr. Rotten's ideas, but that one struck a true chord.  He explained very clearly how anger can be channeled in ways that can build and be useful, rather than be a waste of time and merely destructive.  We can turn our anger into well worded thoughts based on truths rather than hunches, rumor, or baseless rants (sure see a lot of that lately), and present them in ways that are logical, that make sense, and that are difficult to argue against or disprove.

Another good book to consider is Sun Tzu's The Art of War, which outlines how to outsmart one's opponent without actually having to engage in physical battle, including verbal battles. 

All of this to say it will serve us well to be smart, and careful in our actions and words.  Too much of what we see on social media is a waste of energy and changes absolutely nothing. 

And I apologize if this comes across as lecturing or egocentric.  Like I said, I'm plenty flawed myself.

What you post are life lessons, not lectures.  And great book recommendations.  

curmudgeoness

Mild anxiety. I'm greatly disturnbed by what is happening in the world and/or my country.

In the vein of Dan Rather's essay: I hate to use the term "psy ops," because, to me at least, it reeks of conspiracy theories. But I think it's worth being mindful of the effect that misinformation and disinformation have on us. Remember that there are Russian troll farms that have the goal of stirring shit up online, driving conflict, accelerating polarization.

So don't engage with trolls. Take a deep breath before replying. Check sources before accepting something as true OR sharing it elsewhere. I'd add, remember that there is another human at the other end of your exchange, but I'm not sure that that's always true anymore. Nonetheless, maybe it would help to remind oneself that this isn't a game and to pause before typing a comment that would get one punched in the face in real life? Just a thought.

brianlux

Mild anxiety. I'm greatly disturnbed by what is happening in the world and/or my country.

curmudgeoness said:

In the vein of Dan Rather's essay: I hate to use the term "psy ops," because, to me at least, it reeks of conspiracy theories. But I think it's worth being mindful of the effect that misinformation and disinformation have on us. Remember that there are Russian troll farms that have the goal of stirring shit up online, driving conflict, accelerating polarization.

So don't engage with trolls. Take a deep breath before replying. Check sources before accepting something as true OR sharing it elsewhere. I'd add, remember that there is another human at the other end of your exchange, but I'm not sure that that's always true anymore. Nonetheless, maybe it would help to remind oneself that this isn't a game and to pause before typing a comment that would get one punched in the face in real life? Just a thought.

What you said that I put in bold is pure gold, both points! Some trolls are easy to ignore, but some are very savvy and quite good at drawing people in, so yeah, a great reminder.  And excellent point about checking sources!

curmudgeoness

Mild anxiety. I'm greatly disturnbed by what is happening in the world and/or my country.

An essay on yesterday's events that is well worth reading, in my opinion. I have great respect for David Frum's thoughtfulness, intellect, and clear writing. He takes great care, I think, in addressing a delicate subject:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/07/donald-trump-democracy-dictator/679006/ 

HughFreakingDillon

Oblivious. I only read or watch entertainment articles.

PJ_Soul said:

I had to stop watching TV news altogether, and avoiding most extended coverage of anything. All I do now is make sure I know the facts about the important stuff, and otherwise try to avoid it. It just got to be too much - it was doing nothing for me other than causing irritation and reminding me that I have no hope for society. No point in flogging myself with it anymore.

You and I are on the same page, Allie. Modern news is a monetized car crash; they can’t afford to let you look away. It’s not worth it. The world isn’t as bad as they make it out to be when it comes to politics. Pay attention where it matters: human rights, climate change, etc. 99% of it is just Jerry Springer with a flashier byline. 

lastexitlondon

As far as news I think we are fed certain stuff and not other , it forms views in people. So where you look matters. 
I don't have social media. I haven't for 10 years now because it can in no way be trusted for anything including news. And in the UK we have BBC as the main TV news . I've come to notice it just feeds certain things . 
News is nearly all negative