I Think We Need To Talk (About Current Events and Whatnot)

Post Reply New Topic

Hi, guys. I think we need to have a talk about current events. This isn't my first rodeo in worrying about these things, but I think we need to talk. Remember, NO rude comments, this is a serious discussion.

Iran. The coronavirus. Brushfires. I know, it's a cauldron of bad news. And it also makes one wonder about the worst-case scenario. I keep hearing comments like "We should be worried about the end of the world!"

But at the same time, I say to a chattering room "EVERYBODY JUST SHUT UP!" It isn't going to help to overreact to these things, and I keep seeing memes about these things. Yes, I know everyone has their own coping mechanisms, but at the same time some of these things give off anxiety as well.

Why do we always have to worry about things I hear in the news that are largely beyond my control? Is it a natural thing, because of anxiety? It always seems like all you hear in the news is negative events. There's plenty of good, as I stated, but how the media is like in North America isn't helping things. There wasn't always a 24-hour news cycle, and the current presidential administration is giving me worries about its unpredictabilities. Yes, I sometimes fear the worse, but I also have to tell myself that things may not be as bad as they seem.

And then, all of the news I hear is largely out of my control. And I have to, at the same time, have to live my life the best I can in spite of what's going on.

It's one thing to be informed, but to let all that news disrupt your life to the point where you just can't live it properly is quite another.

I also wanted to add this: There are now so many news sources these days, and some of them may be "fake", and some are opinion, and it's hard to tell what's true and what isn't; and some news sources uses "loaded" words to invoke fear.

Thank you all. Let's have a civilized discussion on what can be done to cope with these things.

Sometimes we can see so much doom and gloom that we can fixate on it that it can effect us.
Yes, we need to seek out the fun and joy that we can get from this world.

It seems to me that maybe a lot of people feel like if they put enough emotion into events they have some sort of control. If they believe in something strongly enough they are making a difference. When in fact they do not have any control and they are not making a difference.

Personally I am not worried or upset or outraged. Because I know I am just an observer. I have zero control over events and what I believe or not is not going to make a difference. Everything is going to follow its course with or without me. If I die today it is not going to make any difference regarding world events. I guess maybe some people want to believe they are more important than that.

I like discussing certain current events. But objectively and clinically, rather than emotionally. I find a lot of the time that people project their emotions onto me. If they are worked up over a situation/event then I must be too.

Also, I see tweets and posts on social media about people who think the world is ending, like they're experts at this subject. That also gives me more anxiety.

You bring up some very good points.

It's said that "sex sells", but I would add in equal fashion: "Fear sells."

I stopped watching television news about ten years ago. I get my information from various internet sources. I purposely read both conservative and liberal sources because the bias of both on the same topics is interesting to me.

The main reason I stopped watching the news is because hearing about heinous acts, one worse than the other taking place thousands of miles from me, acts for example where one person commits a violent act against another "neighbor against neighbor" isn't news. It's really the kind of thing that should be relegated to tabloids. It's not news to me because I need no reminders that there is no level of hate and depravity that humans can't sink to. I would rather have news be the opposite of fear and hate. Think of what our society would be like if most news featured good things and kindness that people do for each other.

So you're saying that we SHOULD talk about current events, but that we should NOT get hysterical about current events.

Couldn't agree more.

Gotta keep things in perspective.

100 folks die of this new pneumonia in China. That's nothing compared to the millions who died from Spanish Influenza epidemic in 1920, and the millions who died of polio all of the time until shortly before I was born in the Fifties when they came out with the Salk vaccine. .

The best thing you can do for your mental health is to stay off Twitter and Facebook. There are people getting paid large amounts of money to keep you as frightened about everything as possible, and Twitter and Facebook (and the mainstream media in general) provide them with all the tools they need.

In fact, we live in a time of unprecedented global prosperity, health, and welfare, thanks to the increasing spread of free markets, private property, capitalism, and the rule of law. And things keep getting better. But if you believe that, you might not be afraid, and then you'll be harder to control — and we can't have that!

We've Just Had the Best Decade in Human History

Let nobody tell you that the second decade of the 21st century has been a bad time. We are living through the greatest improvement in human living standards in history. Extreme poverty has fallen below 10 per cent of the world’s population for the first time. It was 60 per cent when I was born. Global inequality has been plunging as Africa and Asia experience faster economic growth than Europe and North America; child mortality has fallen to record low levels; famine virtually went extinct; malaria, polio and heart disease are all in decline.

https://humanprogress.org/article.php?p=2322

Interesting what you said. Todays news seems to be based on what a cepebrity has said or done or a politician has been spied on in his own PRIVATE office or home and he has said a "Forbidden word" in a PRIVATE conversation which can ONLY be heard via using specialist listening devices or via bugging devices... And it suddenly gets all over the news... The politician has to resign.... Then the news media look up and discuss tweats about what people think about it and they call it all news?
The MAJOR consideration ere is why were the ones listening into these PRIVATE conversations not arrested and given a prison sentence? Why were the news channels not also fined for sharing what THEY KNEW TO BE OBTAINED THROUGH ILLEGAL MEANS? Why were the ones who gave permission to air it not also taken to court for their part in this?

In the privacy of ones own office or ones own home, or even during a PRIVATE conversation said quietly in a public place, NO-ONE has the right to invade anyone elses privacy in this way. It is harrassment.

Yet time and time again the law is broken and they call it the news? If I am not allowed to do it, why are the news channels allowed to do it?

Another thing to add to this is I once saw via the internet that Russia had massive forest fires which had killed many people several years ago. Maybe about 8 to 10 years ago? The news did not cover it at all. Then about two and a half years later they casually mentioned it. So much for the news. They were so biassed in their anti Russian stance that they just didn't care for those who had died.

I have also seen first hand fake news being made... I realized how dirty some news film crew can be.
And yet there are some good ones. There are some loyal faithful workers who do their jobs well. It is soo sad that the decent ones reputation is tarnished by the ones who really should never be allowed to continue.

Another one:

Why Is It so Cool to Be Gloomy?

(The world is in better shape than most people think, but we're more inclined to focus on bad news than good.)

Has the percentage of the world population that lives in extreme poverty almost doubled, almost halved or stayed the same over the past 20 years? When the Swedish statistician and public health expert Hans Rosling began asking people that question in 2013, he was astounded by their responses. Only 5% of 1,005 Americans got the right answer: Extreme poverty has been cut almost in half. A chimpanzee would do much better, he pointed out mischievously, by picking an answer at random. So people are worse than ignorant: They believe they know many dire things about the world that are, in fact, untrue.

https://humanprogress.org/article.php?p=1613

My grandfather told me that the world has supposedly been on the brink of coming to an end every day of his life. And every day of his grandfather's life as well. Thosands of people who worry about the end of the world die each day.

I went through all the 'emergency' crisis stuff in my teens and twenties. It was all going to come to an end by X. It's exhausting to keep worrying over a situation that it took billions of people to create. I contribute by doing my part. I make all my trips count, accomplishing as many tasks as I can. I would estimate that my car sits idle 85% of the time. I check out the recycle stamp on all materials. I use very little single use plastics, etc... All the while, keeping in mind that there are ignorant or worse, lazy people who do not know or care.

Eventually I realized that it's not in my control. I will continue to do my part, because it feels right. Everything has a season, the next crisis will claim the world ends in 3...2...1. And people will watch as years roll by, those climate prophets turn 80 and drop dead, and stop worrying. These scientists have great ideas with regard to pollution, they should be addressed. It's wrong to poison the earth. But they play on the fears of the young who want to live a long time and use that fear of dying to their advantage. I say, don't worry young people! Barring a terminal diagnosis or a tragic accident, you will get to live to see every wearisome, worrisome detail and hopefully have some good interspersed.

I always try and be the voice of reason in these confusing times.

This thread is well-timed.

^ It is. Thank you. There are times when I need to say "Guys, we need to talk." This is one of them.

Well don't watch news sources like CNN or Fox News.

I personally like Aljazeera its more factual/informative, and there's not a heavy bias, leans a little left but its not extreme...just can't really say it leans right because that's not really true. Idk of one with a slight right wing bias like that, but if I did I'd look at that as well.