It's September 18th 2012 and I can't take it anymore.
In order to save myself the pain inducing headaches I am making a vow today. I am turning off the news, going totally cold turkey, until after the election in November (and this includes avoiding news on the internet!), though there is a very strong possibility I may extend this vow to forever. The 24 hour news cycle is draining the life out of me, sucking me into it's black void of talking heads, negativity and tragedy. I cannot stand the constant back and forth, the lies and distortions on both sides of the political aisle as well as by the media, and lastly, the bias that is so prevalent over all the news channels. I am at the end of my rope and this is the only way to handle it, so I am just done. Unless it's weather (and thank god for the weather channel), or there is a major disaster, I will not, under any circumstances, turn on the news. Not once.
I am saying goodbye to the pundits, the politics and the vomit inducing ads from both parties and the news media. I have better things to do, and other shows to watch. I will even watch football and SportsCenter, if I have to, to avoid the news. This is huge since I don't even like sports other than soccer and hockey really! (And do not get me started on the current lockout of the NHL players. This has made me a very, very pissed off Kat. The claws are out and everything. Not.Happy.At.All. -_-) Sure these non-news shows and sports may have little or no educational value but I'd much prefer watching T.I and Tiny on VH1 or Monday Night Football on ESPN, than Anderson Cooper, Ed Shultz, Hannity and all the over crazy people on television. As an added bonus, T.I. is totally hot, as are some of those football players. And since eye candy does not give me headaches, these shows are totally acceptable alternatives.
How will I accomplish avoiding the news? Well, for a news junkie like me, I know this will be hard. As hard as giving up chocolate cake and I love chocolate cake. But, instead of the news on in the background when I am in the office, I will be listening to music. (I already do a lot of this anyways, so that shouldn't be a problem). And I can always fill any desire to watch the television with what is on my DVR (which is already really full), whatever is on TV (Yay for the new television season!), or just taking the time to read or get some additional writing in.
This may all sound crazy but seriously, I need to unplug a little. By blocking out the the news, I hope to free my mind from the cringe worthy negativity that it seems to be spread. Sure this may mean I am a bit less informed, but at my age I pretty much know what my principals are, what I stand for, and what is most important to me, so I don't need the media or politicians trying to shape, or re-shape, who I am. Scraping off the negative and filling it with things I enjoy and that don't suck the soul right out of me seems like a much better way to spend my time. (Emphasis on the whole 'sucking the soul right out of me'. I mean seriously, the bleakness and pessimism! I just can't stand it!)
And after making this vow, I feel better already, Sure it's only been 3 hours, but it's a start! What about you? Do you have an addiction to the news you want or need to lose (i.e. are you a news junkie too)? Or do you avoid the news when you can? Maybe you just watch the local news? Sound off in the comments below about how you handle the 24 hour news cycle and it's .
So much AGREE!! I don't know if anyone has noticed, but I'm about the most sensitive person ever. The news really does a number on me.
ReplyDeleteI did this a couple of years ago. It was really several things that happened at once that made it possible. I moved and decided that I wasn't going to pay for cable anymore. That eliminated most of the problem right there. The local channels don't come in on my tv no matter what type of box/antennae you have, so I actually CAN'T watch televised news. I have netflix and hulu so that covers pretty much every show I'd ever want to watch.
Eventually I started to feel too much in the dark, so when I want to know the news, I'll look it up on the internet. There's something different about that fact that's it's not passive like tv. I actually have to READ it which mostly ensures that I want to vs. it's just on in the background. Sometimes I open iTunes and listen to NPR in different cities on the radio option..which is kind of cool bc you're not actually limited to your local area. And when I'm politically curious, I'll watch Jon Stewart LOL. If I have to suffer, it might as well be hilarious :D Also, I always hear about the biggest news on twitter anyway, so you can definitely pick and choose and stay just as informed and way more sane!
For elections, I feel like this has made me a more responsible voter as cheesy as that sounds. Because I'm not listening to one side or the other tell me what they stand for (or what the other side stands for lol), I have to actively go find out. I do my own research so I'm informed on the issues before I go vote.
I also love this site that is all about positive news: http://www.dailygood.org/
This is one of my favorite stories ever: http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?sid=264
Good luck!! I know you can do it :D