Imagine Life Without the Media

I notice that many people on here are quick to categorize people without
knowing who these people are. Have you ever thought about what life without
the media would be like. Well it would suck. Mainly because we are news
addicts. But what if we went one month without the hate/fear from the media
being spewed? This wouldn't just involve the MSM, it would be ALL media.
What if, for one month, they could only report on positive things?

I want to put you all in my father's shoes for a few fleeting moments. This
man grew up poor. His father had a 4th grade education so you can imagine
what life was like. Though great in school he decided to take up a recruiters
offering and go into the army. Years later he would end up in Desert Storm
seeing all kinds of atrocities being committed. After this he did what many
do, left the army and became a cop. Being a cop he has witnessed many (possible
worse) things than he did over in the Gulf. He arrested friends and family that he
grew up with, is constantly shot at, seen families destroyed over trivial things
and on more than one occasion arrested another police officer for breaking the law
(something that I don't bring up around him).

After all of this is said in done, I can only imagine that it would be hard to
stay sane. So I brought it up (it really amazes me) and asked for his thoughts.
While he does see the worst in people daily. Crooked cops, thieves, rapists, murderers, drug dealers, crooked Politicians, etc, but he also sees the family and victims as well. Aside from an occasional victim making the news the main thing you hear about are the perps. I am sure we all see bad people daily. My main problem is idiots, but that doesn't make them bad. My father has also seen the best in people. These kind of people, aside from an occasional hero, are hard to categorize. How many of you are good people? How many of you know more good people than bad people (Not idiots but actual bad people)? The thing is we see bad people in the media, but the majority of us are good people. I have a general distrust of people and I don't hide it. But this distrust really is unwarranted. I have had my life made rough by some a**holes before, but I have never had someone completely alter my life (aside from a thief, which I got over it eventually). So where does my distrust come from?

I know many people, most who are either great or just idiots that mean me know harm. I get my feelings from the negativity in the media.

Back to my father. When he arrests someone, he arrests a bad guy. That bad guy will have a negative impact on around 10 people (sometimes more or less). So while this perp gets all the attention the ones around him are ignored. Ignored because they are like you and me, uninteresting. Note that this is a majority being ignored everyone.

I offer this to you in the form of evidence to weigh in my incoming question. Do
you honestly believe that we as humans are really as bad as we seem? If we had
positive news for one month, would this alter your view of the real world?

Here is what you should be imagining.

The rich donating millions of dollars to help the needy, not screwing us over on
a daily basis. Cops helping out every way possible, instead of tasering someone
who didn't deserve it. Marines rebuilding homes in Iraq and Afghanistan, not
gunning down innocents. The birthers/truthers doing something to help out their
communities instead of purposely distorting the facts. Politicians saying no to
someone pushing to corrupt them (hard for me to imagine). NRA buddies getting
together and hanging out. Abortionists jumping through hoops to save the baby.
Doctors going 18 hours to save someone that they don't know. Welfare recipients
going to work but still needing additional funds because they don't make a living
wage. A drug addict overcoming hurdles of addiction in order to get to know the
family he once knew so well. A couple overcoming their differences to stay together for their kids. A mexican striving to make ends meat because he is pouring his money into taking tests to get a green card. A teaparty activist/anti war protester having tea with his family talking about the football game.

Everyday normal people are doing this. Not just normal people but an astounding majority that you will never get in a left right vote. Unfortunately the news is diluted. You can't stop the bad news from being delivered, but try visiting the real world every once in awhile. While you may fear that guy walking beside you, chances are he is exactly like you are, making his way through life. Granted he may be an idiot, but he probably ain't out to hurt you. The truth is, 10% of this world (probably less) has got you down. Take my advice and get out and enjoy life and its splendors. You may be attacked at the bus stop, or get killed while being hi jacked on your way to your friends house, but if I was a betting man, I would bet against those odds.

I have poured much thought into this post and I hope everyone of you take the questions asked seriously. Do you honestly think that the world is categorized by political leanings or anything else for that matter? I will definitely get flamed for this post but it is OK. If you are flaming me, chances are you aren't a bad person. I can get this because I visit the real world daily....do you?



Some language but funny and should suffice in the meantime, as far as news is concerned. ENJOY!

[edit on 8-5-2010 by ventian]

reply to post by ventian
I've starred and flagged your post for a few reasons.

The main one is that you are right...people get over-excited by categorising people. We all do it, but it can become way too definitive and black and white. People are people are most of them are pretty decent. They spend their days like we all do and bring more light than darkness into the lives of the folk around them.

The second reason is it's a great contrast to the miserable threads and posts we've had recently. Man, I've been logging in and just hanging my head at the hate and misery gaining flags and stars. Prejudice is enjoying a great season! Anti-moslem, anti-African, anti-homo, anti-immigrant, anti-Mexican...depressing stuff if people let it be.

The point I see in your thread is that people are people. They aren't just thieves, gays, blacks, whites or heroes. We're all complicated, multi-faceted enigmas. Even the members that revel in seeding distrust and hatred are probably decent guys in their real lives....probably...

Nobody is one-dimensional despite the media tendency to make us all appear so.

I would love life without media.

Ignorance is bliss.

Life without media would be sublime.

Originally posted by catwhoknows
I would love life without media.

Ignorance is bliss.

Life without media would be sublime.

I'd be swinging from a tree without media. Music, art, books, cave paintings...it's all media.

reply to post by Kandinsky


Music is not telling you things to believe, nor is art.

Newspapers, radio and tv are telling you things to believe.

So, give me music and art, except don't, give me books.

reply to post by Kandinsky


Couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks for the replies guys.

Originally posted by catwhoknows
reply to post by Kandinsky

 

Music is not telling you things to believe, nor is art.

Newspapers, radio and tv are telling you things to believe.

So, give me music and art, except don't, give me books.

I beg to differ. Music deffinitly tells you the opinion of the creators of the music. That is music with lyrics. But music, like art creates emotions, good or bad.

Art also creates emotions. I took an art history class and was shocked at how 90% of the earliest art work is religious art. Since churches had most of the money they were the ones hiring artists to paint subjects from their bibles. Or paintings were done by rulers who wanted to have paintings of their victories. The other people who commissioned paintings were noble people who wanted portraits.

The whole point of media is to invoke emotions, it's as simple as that. The newspapers and news on TV wants to create emotion while "informing" you of news. Once you realize how much crap is being reported in the "news" you can start to ignore it. I do not really read news, i go to cnn once a day just to make sure the world is okay.

But the OP has a great point. What if we people lived like we did over 200 years ago? What if we did not pay attention to the news at all and let our government handle all the affairs?

Oh jeez that wouldn't work so well nowadays.. they would just wage as many wars as humanly possible to take over more land and resources.

So as you can see there are good things and many bad things to the news and media. Great thread! S+F

Hell No!

The ONLY reason that I watch the news, is so that I can be prepared.
You CANT be prepared when all they do is tell you what you want to hear.
I am glad that I see so many disturbing things on the news on a daily basis because to me, thats people out there Doing Their Job informing us of the people who are trying to get over on us.

Another thing, the News or any other media, has never stopped me from living my life positively.

I do get what you are trying to say though, we need to see more good in this world on a daily basis. I cannot argue with that point, but without the evil, there cannot be a good.

Oh and BTW..this thread was interesting me until you got to the "Here is what I should be Imaginating" paragraph.

Your thread was good enough without all of that liberal garbage thrown in the middle of it. Birthers/truthers doing MORE instead of purposely distorting facts?So on and So on.. Come on....I dont think you should expect anyone to take you seriously when you throw in plugs like that.

Other than that...Bring me the bad news.
keep all the sugar coated, watered down MSM stations who do nothing but lick this administrations sack. If you want BS and unimportant news, keep watching cnn msnbc and the like. They seem to not give a crap lately.

Edit- to answer your question-
YES...Humans are as bad as they seem, if not worse. Although, there is still a lot of good in us. Like I said earlier, you cant have one without the other. We ALL have skeletons.

[edit on 8-5-2010 by Common Good]