I watch the financial squawkers on TV while I’m sweating on the treadmill in the morning, but the relentless chirping about recession and doom is getting me down, which is not useful in my real life.
I get no relief from NPR on the radio when I drive to work. The commentators are continually alluding to the “terrible” economy. Then, when I reach the factory I turn on my iPad to check Yahoo! Finance and peruse the Wall Street Journal online. Another dose of pessimism. Then I say hello to certain coworkers, who repeat some of the bad news I’ve already heard.
What a ridiculous way to start a work day where people rely on me to make good things happen.
The media world is in a foul mood these days. But I choose not to be. It’s a waste of my energy and highly counterproductive in my personal and professional life. So how do I counteract a sullen, anxious, pissed off world that wants me to join its negativity?
My first defense is to look back to my heart situation three years ago – August 28, 2008 when the doctors at St. Francis Hospital told my wife I had a 20% chance of survival if they could not get a stent in the key artery feeding my heart, which was almost completely blocked.
Fortunately, Dr. Mohammed Akbar was working that day in the hospital and he had the guts and skill to succeed in the difficult procedure, which enabled me to get strong enough for the quadruple bypass surgery I required. I think about that event everyday. I realize that every day is a gift, so why wallow in negativity?
My second layer of defense against the grouchy pessimists is taking 15 minutes every morning for prayer and meditation. As part of my ritual I read a section recounting one person’s recitation of gratitude. After reading it I silently recount some of the things I’m especially grateful for, then I always put in a thank you for the ability to breathe.
My last line of defense against the fear-mongers is to connect with my wife Risa and son Noah. A touch, a kiss, a chat, a smile, reassure me that there is joy to be a part of. As I write this I know I will come off as a corny romantic Pollyanna, but I am who I am.
I feel like I have a choice most days, whether to be happy and confident or grumpy and pessimistic. I choose happy about 80% of the time, but I admit it is not always easy to do in a pissed off world. I think it takes effort and a plan to stay up when so many are down. It is easy to slide into the pervasive quicksand of depression around us.
Question: What annoys you the most in the media?
Saturday Night Live skit with “Debbie Downer” and Steve Carrell.
17 Comments
Liberal Bias
Isn’t it amazing? You go to a restaurant, have to wait for a table. Chicago opens a pre-fixed price pay before you go restaurant at $120/dinner and they sell out 1,900 reservations and this is supposed to be a recession? United Healthcare’s CEO earned OVER $100,000,000 last year and everyone wonders why health insurance costs so much? Corporations have MILLIONS of CASH in their coffers and they aren’t spending it. Multi BILLION mergers are announced almost daily but this is a recession? Unemployment’s average, NORMAL rate BEFORE Obama was what – around 5-6%? Now it’s 9%. SO we all are walking around with our hair on fire because 3% MORE people are NOW unemployed????? I just don’t get it. MILLIONS of people still have jobs, they are eating out in record numbers, their bosses are making millions in bonuses, what’s the problem????
A) Journalism used to be who, what, where etc, now we get nothing but opinions from the talking heads, who gives a rats ass what Anderson Cooper thinks about a news story, give me the facts not your opinion mr/ms reporter;
and
B) The complete and utter breakdown of the morals of our country by promoting stars/celebrities who have children out of wedlock, do drugs, rap about slappin a ho etc, this coupled with the media driven fascination of non talented “famous” people who are only famous for one reason, they have an outstanding pr agent; Paris Hilton, Kim K etc, these are the examples our children are directed to idolize? Angelina Jolie is the epitome of disfunction and yet she is lauded and placed on a pedstal for the younger generation to admire? Seriously???? Where are we going as a society???
I guess the inability to call a liar a liar. We now say,”I’m a politician and I’m lying thru my teeth, but if you call me on it I will say “I mis-spoke”. That and the fact that we don’t get the facts anymore, we only get what some liberal “NEWS REPORTER” thinks we should hear to get our commie president re-elected.
It is amazing that no one focuses on the fact that if 9% are un-employed, then 91% are employed. Get the 91 % turned into a more positive mood, and they just may spent a little more money, and the so called recession will be over. Nothing was ever gained by speading gloom!
The answer to your question is just more negativity. I hate the 30 minutes of commercials in 1 hour of local news at night. 15 minutes is spent building anticipation for things like the weather and sports, which I already know is going to be featured. I won’t watch 60 minutes of news for the 10-15 minutes of information anymore.
Liberal bias is annoying, but so is Conservative bias. I watch Ed Shultz occasionally just because I can’t take my eyes off of his progressive nonsense and his outright twisting of the truth. I don’t even bother with Shaun Hannity any longer; I know what will be said and how it will be played-out. It was better when it was Hannity and Colmes. Even Bill Orielly is too predictable in his views. The so called “media” is just another attention seeking circus/reality show that diverts us from what we should be paying attention to which is the politicians that rob this country blind and get away with it. The CBS Evening News and maybe all the network nightly news programs are still the most “tolerable”news for me.
Hearing every media outlet tell me how all the other media outlets besides them are biased. The only people interested in reporting on reporters are the reporters themselves. If I want to understand media bias, I can switch channels every once in a while and make my own decisions. I’m a grown up. I have the ability to do my own critical thinking.
They have no integrity. They lie, twist and deliberately distort the truth to advance their Liberal agenda. I hate it when the press treats the people they are reporting to like they are stupid. The real question might be, how did the press get to this point in our Country, and what are the long term implications ?
I agree with every comment that has been posted to this point as complaints of mine.
However the Media as totally abandoned JOURNALISM. Just tell me the Who, What, Where, When and leave the Why and How for me to decide.
LEAVE THE MEDIA OPINION OUT OF IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It would be nice to see factual news reported – who, what, why, where, when, how. Opinions are now the “news” of the day, liberal or conservative, There is no room for analysis, just dogma and screaming. I focus my media interaction to the internet, where I can view differing opinions, dig for facts, and draw my own conclusions.
It’s no longer news, just biased opinion spewing from many sources 24 hours a day. The news only reports on Washington D.C. and California like they are the only 2 states and connected in the middle.
Many years ago, Walter Cronkite anchored 15 minutes of no nonsense news without one single add. What happened to the good old days of just reporting what happened that day without bias and multiple other opinions?
So many other posters hit it right on the head of who are we forced to see. Kim K., Paris Hilton, Gene Simons, Angelina all have busy lives of doing nothing productive.
As far as negativity goes, when my children were young, we watched more family programming and cartoons. They are gone now and I watch the news but I am beginning to wonder if I should go back to cartoons.
Well, commericials, but record and watch later can solve that easily enough.
Bias, regardless of which way it leans, when presented as news, bothers me. I was on the road a night or two after Bin Laden was killed. I was sitting in my room, answering some emails and I starting switching between two opposing viewpoint stations (I think CNN and Fox News). It began to strike me that if I were not aware that they were discussing the same event, I might not have known. How that amount of opinion ever gets presented as news just amazes me. Personally I rarely watch any TV news programs as they are so highly opinionated.
If you find yourself defending one or more of these programs I hope you will step back and answer one question for yourself. Are you really defending the program as being ‘unbiased news’ or is that program just presenting the side of things that you happen to agree with?
Like most above, I too am bothered by the liberal bias of the MSM. However the arrogance of Bill O’Reilly and Hannity’s constant mention of his driving around in an Escalade has become too much to bear as well. Give me the 6 PM news on Fox with Krauthammer on the panel any day of the week.
As far as financial news goes, their ratings improve if there is a perceived panic. Everything is constantly exaggerated. If you’re unable to cut through the excess, you shouldn’t watch because it will lead to poor financial decisions.
Hate when commericials come on and they are louder than the TV program you are watching. It’s the worst!
Television is such a cesspool that I got rid of ours five years ago. If it weren’t for TV, the drugged-up antics of sleazy, dysfunctional “celebrities” wouldn’t be news. Come to think of it, these individuals wouldn’t even be celebrities without TV. I really don’t want to hear about Charlie Sheen whoring around and smashing up a hotel room while on some alcohol and drug-fueled rampage. This just isn’t news.
I CAN NOT HEAR WHAT THE ACTORS ON TV ARE SAHING MOST OF THE TIME BECAUSE OF THE LOUD BAKGROUND MUSIC. THE SOUND EDITORS SHOULD LISTEN TO PROGRAMS LIKE CADTLE, HAWAII 5 O, CIS, AND MANY MORE. MANY TIMES THE ADVERTISEMENT BACKGROOUND MUSIC IS SO LOUD THAT I DONT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE SELLING. I LOVE TO WATCH TCM MOVIES BECAUSE THE BACKGROUND MUSIC DOES NOT SOUND OUT THE ACTORS. I THINK PRESENT DAU EDITORS COULD LEARN SOMETHING FROM THE OLD OVIE EDITORS. I DONT EVEN LISTEN TO BANDS ANUMORE WHERE THE DRUMMER IS TO LOUD TO JEAR THE WORDS OF TJE SINGER. I HOPE MY COMMENTS REACH THE TV EDITORS`. SINCERELY, DORY
I am unsure if I find any of the mainstream media believable anymore. Too many opinions, twisted facts, short skirts, misleading statements, and far too many sheep that want their daily ration of kool-aid. People choose their news sources to confirm what they already believe, not to hear what happened.