Stopped Watching The News

Capitolhillguy

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I was addicted to the news for the first 2 years of the Trump dictatorship, especially after the Democrats took over the House. About 6 weeks ago all of a sudden I just got tired of not seeing the Democrats being able to reign in Putin's puppet and stopped with the news. My sense of well being has risen. I still peak at the headlines but no more MSNBC addiction for me. I don't miss it. At this point I only see any progress occurring if his taxes are released or when the next election gives a Democrat a chance in office if the Russians don't sabotage our election.
 

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I was addicted to the news for the first 2 years of the Trump dictatorship, especially after the Democrats took over the House. About 6 weeks ago all of a sudden I just got tired of not seeing the Democrats being able to reign in Putin's puppet and stopped with the news. My sense of well being has risen. I still peak at the headlines but no more MSNBC addiction for me. I don't miss it. At this point I only see any progress occurring if his taxes are released or when the next election gives a Democrat a chance in office if the Russians don't sabotage our election.

I don't watch it everyday - too tedious. I read the papers on line, keep up with The Post, the NYTimes and some others. I think the country is beginning to stir in a good way. The deplorables are mostly unchanged but even there the lies are starting to have an effect. I used to watch hours at a time and I stopped doing that before Trump was elected. I can still stay current without making myself crazy.

Hang in there.
 

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The news is perishable information. I just listen to the radio on the way to work and that's it.

The older it gets...the less valuable it becomes.
 
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brunno7

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I was addicted to the news for the first 2 years of the Trump dictatorship, especially after the Democrats took over the House. About 6 weeks ago all of a sudden I just got tired of not seeing the Democrats being able to reign in Putin's puppet and stopped with the news. My sense of well being has risen. I still peak at the headlines but no more MSNBC addiction for me. I don't miss it. At this point I only see any progress occurring if his taxes are released or when the next election gives a Democrat a chance in office if the Russians don't sabotage our election.

That's your issue. You want your imagination to become reality.
 
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b.c.

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The news is quite toxic. Experts are in agreement that limiting your intake is good for you.

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

That may well be, Sargon. But I don't believe being unaware of what's happening changes realities any, and may in fact have been one of the reasons for the disconnect on the part of so many in 2016 - and why our country is where it is now.

That being said, however, I DO plan on taking a MASSIVE break from writing or commenting on it, WIN, LOSE, WHATEVER.

If the former, certainly LESS to write about (and wouldn't that be nice!) and if the LATTER, then no use anyway... democracy will be dead and the country fucked, so might as well move on.

 
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That may well be, Sargon. But I don't believe being unaware of what's happening changes realities any, and may in fact have been one of the reasons for the disconnect on the part of so many in 2016 - and why our country is where it is now.

There’s the rub. From a mental health perspective being aware of every horrific deed homo sapiens in real time limits your ability to enjoy the time we have in this life. Yet democracy requires a moderate awareness of what is happening. We need to find that balance.
 
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halcyondays

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For the last four years I have muted the telly whenever Trump's on the news. Can't stand hearing him let alone seeing him.

I did the same for the eight years of W's presidency, especially after he started a war in Iraq based on false pretenses, perpetrated rendition and torture and devolved Iraq into the shit show still playing 17 years later.

Nor did I go on line and listen to pundits bellyaching about these last two Republican presidents. Luckily there are other sources like BBC World Service on radio and BBC and The Guardian on line.

I'm old school. I read newspapers. Something new has appeared in them in the last four years: fact-checking Trump. He spews so much bullshit sometimes it takes an entire page to set the record straight. Sometimes there's a column every day.

I want to kiss whomever invented the mute button! :cool:
 

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For the last four years I have muted the telly whenever Trump's on the news. Can't stand hearing him let alone seeing him.

I did the same for the eight years of W's presidency, especially after he started a war in Iraq based on false pretenses, perpetrated rendition and torture and devolved Iraq into the shit show still playing 17 years later.

Nor did I go on line and listen to pundits bellyaching about these last two Republican presidents. Luckily there are other sources like BBC World Service on radio and BBC and The Guardian on line.

I'm old school. I read newspapers. Something new has appeared in them in the last four years: fact-checking Trump. He spews so much bullshit sometimes it takes an entire page to set the record straight. Sometimes there's a column every day.

I want to kiss whomever invented the mute button! :cool:

The "Mute Button" is our "friend", but I still read the news. I must do so... Don't want to be caught by surprise as the proverbial "Ostrich with his head stuck in the sand".

Ostrich.jpg


Note: No Ostriches were harmed in posting this photo... ;-)

A/B
 
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ActionBuddy

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Suddenly, my brain has started re-writing the lyrics for the famous showtune, "New York, New York", starting off with "Stopped watching the News!... It's melting away..."... Does that mean I am way TOO gay, or just that it's been an exhausting day, and it's time to go to bed?


You don't need to answer my question.

;)
 
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halcyondays

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The "Mute Button" is our "friend", but I still read the news. I must do so... Don't want to be caught by surprise as the proverbial "Ostrich with his head stuck in the sand".

View attachment 24486231

Note: No Ostriches were harmed in posting this photo... ;-)

A/B


lol... I can't stand seeing Trump's orange face and hair or hearing his whiny bitch voice but I can tolerate reading about everything he gets wrong... which is everything!
 
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bar4doug

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The news is quite toxic. Experts are in agreement that limiting your intake is good for you.

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

The only live TV I watch (currently) is football on Sundays.

My folks get their solid 8 of news programming a day, and they behave like addicts on withdrawal. I tell them to stop watching the news, and instead watch some old movies or even old game shows... they'll sleep better.

I may read on-line news every other day. When I drive, I'll give the all-news station a listen. I give them 22 minutes, they give me the world.

The Pandemic isn't helping people curb their intake, that's for sure...

Sometimes it's best not to look...
 
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fordonfire

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the problem is that so many Americans only get the news from television, but TV news is now almost entirely designed to appeal to our most basic emotions: fear, disgust, envy, hate, etc etc.

once upon a time, the news was boring and people still watched it because it served a purpose--to educate and inform.....now it's just about getting people hooked on the outrage, better ratings means better ad sales after all.
 

njfellow2002

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the problem is that so many Americans only get the news from television, but TV news is now almost entirely designed to appeal to our most basic emotions: fear, disgust, envy, hate, etc etc.

once upon a time, the news was boring and people still watched it because it served a purpose--to educate and inform.....now it's just about getting people hooked on the outrage, better ratings means better ad sales after all.

Watch the first episode of "Newsroom' on HBO. Best hour you can spend. Back when the new was delivery of information without editorial we all heard the same thing. When the news migrated to 'entertainment' and subject to ratings...to advertising dollars... and worse, the 'owners' whims of political bias, we all lose the truth. (Looking at you Fox News--and your crazy clowns Hannity and Carlson) Add with personalized Facebook pages that force feed us enough info to 'trigger' us into staying and clicking (profit), you end up in our own 'world' where all news is carved to match (and support) your individual world view. I could go on...but you get the idea.

Indeed...turn it off!
 
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JustinTimeforbreak

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Oh god “Putin’s puppet”. US/Russia relations are at the lowest point since the Cold War and he put more sanctions than ever on Russia.This is what makes me laugh when people say stuff like that, yes he worked with Russia to help his campaign but if you read the Mueller report it was Israeli/Russian collusion and he was the puppet of BIBI not Putin. Just look at his foreign policy,most pro-Israel president in History and this is widely reported in Israeli media. You got sick of the news because after 4 years of Russian escandalo NOTHING happened because they didn’t actually care to impeach him! Congress and Pelosi knew full well that he worked with Israel and so did Mueller but they couldn’t expose that in the mainstream press since they’re our greatest ally, instead they spent 4 years trying to convince you it was all Russia. They could’ve literally impeached him after he put his crony hedge fund manager friend in charge of distributing the Corona relief through his OWN HEDGE FUND a few months ago. The media is just one giant psy-op. BTW Israeli foreign minister is now threatening WAR with Iran if Biden renews the Iran Nuclear deal, meaning the US will be dragged into another Middle Eastern conflict that will cost thousands of lives & further tarnish their reputation around the globe in the interest of a foreign country!
 

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JustinTimeforbreak

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the problem is that so many Americans only get the news from television, but TV news is now almost entirely designed to appeal to our most basic emotions: fear, disgust, envy, hate, etc etc.

once upon a time, the news was boring and people still watched it because it served a purpose--to educate and inform.....now it's just about getting people hooked on the outrage, better ratings means better ad sales after all.
I love going back and watching TV interviews from the 70s-2000s, journalists just say there and asked pointed questions and would be blunt with their guests, it’s truly sad how far media has fallen in the age of social media. It’s not even about ratings anymore it’s about going viral on social media. Great example was the vice presidential debate between Kamala and Mike, she literally was only there to get turned into reaction memes with her facial expressions and “Mr Vice President, I’m speaking” with her fake smile. Love her politically but my god I’m not ready for 4 years of memes of her not being serious and playing for the camera