patrick.net

Exactly. Plus, what passes for "news" is mostly propaganda and sales tactics for corporations and corporate ideology.

Take CNN for example. They have lost their shit about how deplorable Trump is in the wake of the Charlottesville violence. They claim he missed his opportunity. Yet NOT ONE OF THEM will take the opportunity to try to unite America. Instead they sow even more division and hate. It is deplorable.

Unplug America. It is your only hope.

And a good quote by Thoreau:

And I am sure that I never read any memorable news in a newspaper. If we read of one man robbed, or murdered, or killed by accident, or one house burned, or one vessel wrecked, or one steamboat blown up, or one cow run over on the Western Railroad, or one mad dog killed, or one lot of grasshoppers in the winter, - we need never read of another. One is enough. If you are acquainted with the principle, what do you care for a myriad instances and applications?

PeopleUnited says

Take CNN for example. They have lost their shit about how deplorable Trump is in the wake of the Charlottesville violence. They claim he missed his opportunity. Yet NOT ONE OF THEM will take the opportunity to try to unite America. Instead they sow even more division and hate. It is deplorable.

Yes, this is why I don't watch CNN anymore, ever. Most of the lamestream media is just like that, not trustworthy, addicted to inciting more hate rather than cooling things down.

There is a huge opportunity for some reasonable centrist to speak the right words, stick to principles and empathy, and get the attention of millions. I don't know exactly what those words are though. It's like composing a hit song. You don't know it until it takes off.

Patrick says

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/apr/12/news-is-bad-rolf-dobelli

News is bad for your health. It leads to fear and aggression, and hinders your creativity and ability to think deeply. The solution? Stop consuming it altogether

Ironic news article is ironic. Oh way, that's hypocrisy, not irony.

My bad. It's from the Guardian. That's not news.

www.youtube.com/embed/CwnMM2hfCc4

From the linked article:

"News makes us passive. News stories are overwhelmingly about things you cannot influence. The daily repetition of news about things we can't act upon makes us passive. It grinds us down until we adopt a worldview that is pessimistic, desensitised, sarcastic and fatalistic. The scientific term is "learned helplessness". It's a bit of a stretch, but I would not be surprised if news consumption, at least partially contributes to the widespread disease of depression."

That might explain why depression and obesity are both diseases of affluence, i.e. they afflict people in societies that have an overabundance of food and "news". It might also explain why depression tends not to respond to the infinitely subsidized treatments that are prescribed for it. Consider an allergy: the best response is to avoid the allergen.

Time to ban links to news articles on p.net.

jazz_music says

Do you feel especially negative about The Guardian?

No, but it was the perfect setup.

Iraq has WMD, don't read anything else,just believe it idiot Republicans.

jazz_music says

This is essentially the loss of a real public service in favor of greater profitability and the back-door profitability of propagandizing the public in exchange for the support of massive centralized wealth and the agenda of accelerating the process of centralizing the wealth into only the hands that currently hold the majority of it. --a very corrupt situation compared to what we once enjoyed as a freer society in to 1960's.

Truly a great comment @jazz_music !

Patrick says

News is bad for you and giving up reading it will make you happier

I was thinking about this post and wondered, "What would the world be like with no news?" I guess we would talk about local things, possibly be more creative, talk about hobbies, engage in more personal conversations.

It seems that news has become a tool for feeding hate and divisive debates. Now news is not all bad, and there is news we could benefit from, positive news, like Goran's story, news about health issues, news about corruption, news about local issues, like a decision to remove a monument. If everyone just watched local news, who would show up to monument protests? Locals, and they're the only ones who matter.

I know a guy who tried to not look at too much news for the reason in the quote. Not the first time I've heard this. But it's really clicking for me. I'm swearing off news until they make is beneficial again. Thanks for the post Patrick!

jazz_music says

Unhinged on the Alt Right are making up lies too such as about BLM and antifa as if those anarchistic little groups had some kind of command structure that is capable of mounting some overarching conspiracy to make some changes.

You mean the main stream media building up an enemy like the Nazis and KKK as if those little groups had some kind of command structure that is capable of mounting some overarching conspiracy to make some changes.

No news is good news.

rando says

You mean the main stream media building up an enemy like the Nazis and KKK as if those little groups had some kind of command structure that is capable of mounting some overarching conspiracy to make some changes.

This. I think it was the NBC Today show on in the background yesterday morning. I look at the screen and they're fucking interviewing a white supremacist on national TV. There will always be KKK, Nazi sympathizers, etc. You can protest, rally and tear down whatever you want (which by the way gives these ass holes even more press). But the media is just nuts. They sit there and blather in a serious tone how bad these people are, Trump needs to condemn them every waking breath. Then it's like, "in our next segment we will give this white supremacist air time and a platform to spread his nonsense. But we'll be combative with him to show we're serious about how seriously bad these people are, while putting him on in millions of American's living rooms."

The reference I've always heard from media type is, don't show the guy running onto the football field during a playoff game (not all news media, but it seems common enough for me to have noticed). If you glamorize it and every news outlet shows video of this guy running on the field it will just create more of theses dumb asses that think they'll get their 15 minutes of fame. Unfortunately running onto a football field is pretty trivial. Interviewing a Nazi or KKK member on your main channel, morning news program it just outright lunacy. It's pretty clear that those in the media have straight up been lobotomized and are going full retard at this point. It's rather scary that anyone listens to pretty much ANY news outlet at this point, especially on the TV end.

At some point, I will have to revoke my citizenship and move back to Kashyyyk if this gets much more crazy.

WookieMan says

If you glamorize it and every news outlet shows video of this guy running on the field it will just create more of theses dumb asses that think they'll get their 15 minutes of fame. Unfortunately running onto a football field is pretty trivial. Interviewing a Nazi or KKK member on your main channel, morning news program it just outright lunacy. It's pretty clear that those in the media have straight up been lobotomized and are going full retard at this point.

Yes, exactly. You could have 10,000 perfectly reasonable demonstrators, and one wacko Nazi in the crowd, and who are they going to interview?

It's not necessarily full retard. It seems more like an explicit policy to slander anyone who questions the PC Koran by always insisting that the worst guy in the crowd represents the whole crowd.

rando says

It's not necessarily full retard. It seems more like an explicit policy to slander anyone who questions the PC Koran by always insisting that the worst guy in the crowd represents the whole crowd.

I get what you're saying. But at what point does someone like a Matt Lauer on NBC, take a step back and say to himself, "I just fucking interviewed a Nazi on national television. What am I doing?" I get that they have bosses and they're not creating the content. To some extent some these morning shows are just teleprompter bimbos. But that guy is a multi-millionaire. He could push back or even quit and be set for life. I guess that's where I have a disconnect and mention a lobotomy. Anyone with half a brain should know they're giving these idiots a platform that they're interviewing.

It's like that one muslim dude in Britain. Can't remember his name. These news outlets have him on, knowing he's basically a terrorist sympathizer and will make nut job comments to get publicity (yes I know, he does believe what he's saying about islam). It's like WTF, why are you giving this guy any validity even if you're being combative in the interview? I don't know, maybe there's just so much money in these anchorman jobs that they're just fucking blinded by greed and have zero moral compass. If anyone asked me to interview a Nazi, my first question would be why? Regardless of the answer I would then proceed to tell them no. There's no value, in my opinion, to give idiots a platform.

And yes, I know these news outlets do it for ratings and the money. But why are advertisers so complicit. If you're fucking Chevy and your commercial leads into the next segment. "We're back and with us now Nathan Nazi tells us about what it's like be Nazi. Nathan please tell."

Couple of reasons:

1. TV journalists lack ethics
2. controversy is good for ratings, making Nazis and extreme Muslims especially good for ratings
3. advertisers don't suffer any loss of revenue for being on TV shows that interview Nazis and extreme Muslims

jazz_music says

There ARE some real journalists left and they are like great great heroes exposing the corruption and rot that undermines our nation.

I'm not saying you're wrong, but who? What media outlet or specifically journalist?

jazz_music says

It's much worse than that, ever since Fox News, the main thing they offer is bimbo looks with long legs exposed behind glass desks and LIMITED reading abilities.

Are you saying only Fox news does this? I see it everywhere. Actually I'll add on to Patrick's reasons: #4 sex sells.

Don't worry about the house thing. Stock market worked out at least as well for me. I wasn't wrong at all about waiting. But when I was really really right, in 2009, I probably should have bought. At least from the financial point of view.

Never said anyone shouldn't buy a house. Just said they shouldn't overpay.

I hope things are going well for you.

Thanks Patrick.. I think there are a lot of people that feel exactly as you do. I do think we are living in a country of extremists that are controlling the narrative the Communists (Antifa(who are really the Fascists)/BLM/SJW) vs the Nazi's (KKK). I truly believe this could seriously lead to Civil War. It is tragic how the Globalists/TPTB/Military-Media-Industrial complex will completely go against the populist/anti-establishment to have their way. Sad, very sad.

Everybody should read Patrick.net!

jazz_music says

Between Trumps daily gaffes, Korean nukes and Nazis months will pass and when we all wake up from that, the rich will have far lower taxes, financial markets will have even less regulation, all our freeways and bridges will be privately owned toll roads, the national parks will belong to the states, employees will have even less rights, healthcare will be more expensive and more tenuous for people who get sick.

OOPS you were too busy screaming at each other about Trump, Nazis, SJWs and Kim Jong-Un.

Yep pretty much. Throw in a few newer crazy Trump dramafests and that's about right. At least it's what they will try.

totally agree in fact I started learning to play guitar instead of wasting hours online so much better too!

I agree with the post.

Extended periods of time where I've turned off the TV and put down the phone have resulted in me being happier and less anxious, no question.

jazz_music says

WookieMan says

but who?

I've liked several major works by Matt Taibbi, Tim Dickinson, Tom Engelhardt, Jamelle Bouie, The ACLU directly publishes exposés at times,

There are serious journalists exposing corruption typically, and there is plenty of it to expose too. It warms the heart and brings a patriotic tear to the eye.

The Rolling Stone Magazine presents serious journalism on occasion.

MattTabbibi is a drug addict who actively lies in his Rolling Stone articles.