4 ms·
>And yet my life is the same as everyone elses. Not knowing what is going on, living in a country with a high standard of living and personal safety, doesn't af
by minikites 7y ago
>And yet my life is the same as everyone elses. Not knowing what is going on, living in a country with a high standard of living and personal safety, doesn't affect me at all.
The fact that it doesn't affect you means you're in an incredibly privileged position in your country, your life is not the same as everyone else's.
- luckylion 7y agoHow would somebody less privileged be negatively affected by not knowing about the news? Mind you, it's not about being affected by what's in the news, of course you're affected when the government decides on a new policy ... but how does knowing about it on the same day or in the same hour mitigate that?
- minikites 7y agoHow does consuming the news on a delayed basis address the issue of being distressed by the news?
- luckylion 7y agoMost things aren't consumed on a delayed basis, because they turn out to be irrelevant. News is a fast-paced thing, like a soap opera. I've never seen anyone binge watch a year of soap opera, and it's similar for the news. Use a filter by reading a monthly or quarterly publication. You will get the information (that's still considered print-worthy after the next news cycle), but not the hectic, emotional manipulation and outrage.
- SolaceQuantum 7y ago" of course you're affected when the government decides on a new policy ... but how does knowing about it on the same day or in the same hour mitigate that?" It saves people a nasty surprise when the policies they relied upon fall out from under them, or to try and head off future issues by calling up their representatives. For example, I was able to call up my representative regarding changes in immigration policy. Because other people aren't paying attention and don't call their representatives, I actually have an outsized voice and influence on the matter!
- luckylion 7y agoPolicies don't disappear the very next day, though. It's not that somebody that relies on some policy will be left stranded at the bus stop because he didn't watch the news that day that the program has been canceled. RE becoming politically active: it's good to be informed, I totally agree. But that's not something you get from the news. I can't imagine you watching CNN and saying "whaaaaaat? I'm going to call my representative right now". You'll usually have that filtered by whatever organization/initiative you delegate that to. They will relay the important stuff to you and ask you to become active. That's very different from watching the news imho.
- SolaceQuantum 7y agoI actually do in fact read a few news sources to get a pulse on local happenings and call my representative upon situations like becoming a sanctuary city.
- celticmusic 7y agoI know, imagine if social security went away because hezbollah was killing people. Definitely need to pay attention in case that happens!