Doom and Gloom or just Doom sans the Gloom?

derg

derg

Apparently a "terse" writer
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Doom and Gloom or just Doom sans the Gloom?
with 3 comments

“There is no Earthly way of knowing… which direction we are going. There is no knowing where we’re rowing, or which way the river’s flowing. Is it raining? Is it snowing? Is a hurricane a’blowing? Not a speck of light is showing so the danger must be growing. Are the fires of hell a’glowing? Is the grisley reaper mowing? YES! The danger must be growing for the rowers keep on rowing AND THEY’RE CERTAINLY NOT SHOWING ANY SIGNS THAT THEY ARE SLOWING!!”

Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

It is not my job to cheer you up. My writing career goal is not to make you feel better, happier or even smarter. I write this column to entertain and occasionally, very occasionally, it happens. More often than not, it falls short, and more often than that, it falls on its face.

It is hard to function in our society without being overwhelmed with gloom, doom, envious thoughts and compulsive thoughts about the sex lives of celebrity golf players.

If you want a single example of how far down the rabbit-hole out civilization has gone you only have to look at the Tiger Woods brouhaha. On one hand, who cares who he is dating other than his wife and family? On the other hand, what the heck is wrong with this guy? On the third hand, why are we even concerned with him and spending so much of our media time on his turbo-charged libido and lack of judgment?

I think the main problem with our current preoccupation with gloom and doom is that we all seem to pay attention to the talking heads of the media way too much. They are mostly under-educated people who majored in communications or journalism in college because they made D’s in science in high school. I feel superior to them because I made C’s in high school science.

The bottom line (as journalist majors like to say) is that they are Silly People. They stand out in the rain during Hurricanes to tell us it is raining. They stand out in snow to get on TV and tell us it is snowing and god forbid there be an armed riot somewhere, because you just know they will be out in the middle of the gunfire telling us that there is gunfire.

Like I said, Silly People.

The problem with never watching them on TV or listening to sweaty angry and stupid men on AM radio ranting is that we might find a little peace in our little, local worlds. For example, things around my place today are pretty good. The heater is still working and I had some nice toast for breakfast. If I can keep myself from turning the TV news or the radio on to those dunderheads my day will continue to go fairly well.

I know there was an earthquake in California yesterday and that is kind of scary but even if I listen to every sorry, scary story coming from the west coast how am I going to be able to play “tennis ball” with my dog with the requisite amount of joy later today. Besides, even if I eat a total diet of bad feelings off of CNN, what good will that do for Californians who have just had the guacamole knocked out of them?

The world may be and probably is going to Hell but for me, not today.

Visit Kevin’s Site:

http://www.kevincreates.com/
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I have long thought that the media is playing a major role in the decline of our society and our country. Unfortunately, even though the newscasters themselves may be of less-than-average intelligence, a lot of viewers will watch, listen, and believe it just simply because it's on TV.

I agree with the man but he's describing the symptom, not the disease.
 
we all seem to pay attention to the talking heads of the media way too much. They are mostly under-educated people who majored in communications or journalism in college because they made D’s in science in high school.
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At least he got something correct in his article.
 
Guy said:
At least he got something correct in his article.
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although there is much to be said about MSNBC's slant (especially of late), Rachel Maddow has a doctorate in politics from Oxford. A person reporting on her area of academic experience? Novel.

Summarizing the existential angst of the American zeitgeist as attributable solely to the talking heads of CNN, Fox News, et al is too shallow an explanation. Although the media is certainly a "technology of power" it's the need to manufacture such power that is most interesting. Perhaps the most noteworthy attempts of an explanation lie in the works of theorists of the past 150 years (Marx, Foucault, Derrida, etc). But all of this (admittedly) belongs to the "ivory tower" of which most have no need or desire to become familiar - which begs the question: is there any change necessary, or are we, as a society, content with the state of things?
 
Ha. This Communication and Journalism major who got "B"s and above in his AP science and math classes laughs at Kevin Garrison.
 
Well, there's vast profit to be made in fear, demagoguery, and wacky, ridiculous conspiratorial thinking.

Scared about guns killing children? Pools kill hundreds times more annually.
Scared about airline safety? Your car is multiple times more dangerous.
Frightened about terrorism? Your family reunion is far more dangerous.
Scared about eColi in restaurants? Your own kitchen has far more than a few health code violations! :)

But if you watch television, Michael Jackson will return from the dead, collect Tiger Wood's angry sword-brandishing mistresses, show your children 2 Live Crew videos, destroy democracy and snack on dolphin-unsafe tuna from lead cans on melamine-laced dinnerware.

IF you watch cable news or AM radio! ;)
 
Doug Taylor said:
Well, there's vast profit to be made in fear, demagoguery, and wacky, ridiculous conspiratorial thinking.

Scared about guns killing children? Pools kill hundreds times more annually.
Scared about airline safety? Your car is multiple times more dangerous.
Frightened about terrorism? Your family reunion is far more dangerous.
Scared about eColi in restaurants? Your own kitchen has far more than a few health code violations! :)

But if you watch television, Michael Jackson will return from the dead, collect Tiger Wood's angry sword-brandishing mistresses, show your children 2 Live Crew videos, destroy democracy and snack on dolphin-unsafe tuna from lead cans on melamine-laced dinnerware.

IF you watch cable news or AM radio! ;)
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:rotfl:
 
It's the alcohol. I'm sorry man, late night + cocktail brings out the snark.
 
Lady friend make me get some birthday ice cream, whatever that is. I'm digging the rum. Now I am speaking gibberish.
 
I think there is an underlying good reason why people watch the news, they want to look reasonably informed about day to day topics or current events. The problem is that anything news you watch on tv is completely wacked. Though I don't have the answers and I am trying to figure life out by trial and error just like everybody else, after much stress over the past 5-8 years freaking out over what "may" come of the tv news wizards predictions, I went on a news blackout about 10 months ago. I 100% will not watch anybody on tv. I try to catch glimpses of the front page of the national newspaper to keep up on what HAS happened, and then if I want to I will seek out a print version if I desire more information to learn more (oil spill and the volcano). Anything that hints of bias or opinion gets instantly shutout. I would recommend not watching tv news to everyone, I am much happier as a result.
 
Doug Taylor said:
Well, there's vast profit to be made in fear, demagoguery, and wacky, ridiculous conspiratorial thinking.

Scared about guns killing children? Pools kill hundreds times more annually.
Scared about airline safety? Your car is multiple times more dangerous.
Frightened about terrorism? Your family reunion is far more dangerous.
Scared about eColi in restaurants? Your own kitchen has far more than a few health code violations! :)

But if you watch television, Michael Jackson will return from the dead, collect Tiger Wood's angry sword-brandishing mistresses, show your children 2 Live Crew videos, destroy democracy and snack on dolphin-unsafe tuna from lead cans on melamine-laced dinnerware.

IF you watch cable news or AM radio! ;)
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Which is how our government gets away with policies like the Patriot Act and all the TSA bs.
 
Hootie said:
I think there is an underlying good reason why people watch the news, they want to look reasonably informed about day to day topics or current events. The problem is that anything news you watch on tv is completely wacked. Though I don't have the answers and I am trying to figure life out by trial and error just like everybody else, after much stress over the past 5-8 years freaking out over what "may" come of the tv news wizards predictions, I went on a news blackout about 10 months ago. I 100% will not watch anybody on tv. I try to catch glimpses of the front page of the national newspaper to keep up on what HAS happened, and then if I want to I will seek out a print version if I desire more information to learn more (oil spill and the volcano). Anything that hints of bias or opinion gets instantly shutout. I would recommend not watching tv news to everyone, I am much happier as a result.
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:yeahthat:

I have sworn off of 90% of televised news. At night, I'll put the 11:00 local news on as I'm getting ready to turn in for the night, before Letterman comes on. I watch it mainly for the weather... which I usually get from the computer, but since it's on at 11, and there's not much ELSE on at 11, and since Letterman comes on after the news, I just put in on and pretty much ignore it all but the weather forecast.

I get my news from many assorted websites. Newspapers' sites, TV channels' sites, international news organizations, etc. I try to read things from a variety of sources to get as broad a picture as possible.

My TV is never tuned to CNN, MSNBC, or Fox News. Ever.
 
Let me clarify a bit, there's nothing wrong with watching the news. There is, in my jaded opinion, something wrong with obsessing over it.

30min/day? ok.

HOURS? You're going to need Prozac! :)
 
BCTAv8r said:
Which is how our government gets away with policies like the Patriot Act and all the TSA bs.
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Is that how they "get away" with ignoring the law (e.g. immigration and special deals for states with senators want a bribe to vote for government takeover of health care)?
 
All of this reminds me of the song "Vicarious" by TOOL. Man, Maynard James Keenan was a smart dude.
 
coa787 said:
All of this reminds me of the song "Vicarious" by TOOL. Man, Maynard James Keenan was a smart dude.
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He's out here in Arizona making wine!

If you're pissed and stressed out because of the world you live in, I heavily suggest "Freakonomics" the book.

You have more to fear by that backyard trampoline than you do Bin Laden by leaps and bounds.

But fear sells, gets votes and moves product.
 
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