"But at this point I don’t think being afraid to try is a good enough reason for anything." -- Ellie, in "The Last Letter From Your Lover"
______
There are those who advocate that Americans take a holiday or a vacation from the news out of mental health concerns. The idea is that they may find the news too depressing, so taking a break might be good therapy.
I disagree. We all need to be paying attention.
Plus simply by virtue of living in what is by far the richest and most powerful country on the planet, Americans are already living a news holiday. Allow me to explain.
I doubt many people other than economists truly appreciate the vast size difference between the U.S. economy and the rest of the world. Only China comes anywhere close and "close" in this case means roughly two-thirds the size of the U.S.
By contrast, as measured by GDP, the U.S. economy is basically as large as the economies of Japan, Germany, France, Brazil, the U.K., Italy, India and Canada combined. And those are the eight other largest economies outside of China.
We also are the unchallenged military powerhouse on the planet, with the firepower to destroy any challenger should we wish to do that.
What this vast wealth and huge arms advantage obscures from us is the ordinariness of hunger, poverty, illness and premature death, exploitation, crime, authoritarianism and miserable living conditions that exist in the rest of the world.
I've often wished that every American could serve just one year in the Peace Corps in the poorest countries exclusively. An alternative would be domestic service in the parts of this country that resemble Third World societies. Seeing how people subsist on as little as they do inevitably gives the veterans of such work a new appreciation for what most of us have here.
Covid-19 leveled the playing field in the short-term by reducing all lives to a common denominator; thus we see a slight increase of consciousness among Americans of their inter-dependence with every other person on the planet.
But now we have the vaccines, once again our wealth is insulating us from the realities overseas, at least for a while, until the next variant of the virus strikes. Even then, we will be luckier than most.
So for these reasons I do not support the concept of news holidays. On the contrary, I believe everyone should pat attention to the news headlines every day, 365 days a year.
We can moderate the impacts if we wish by maintaining other habits -- exercising, socializing, movies (bless Netflix!), novels, pets, grandchildren, dating (God bless love!), religion (if you choose), gardening, photography, golf (my Dad loved golf), sports (go Giants!), food, wine, collecting, volunteering, camping, swimming, lying in fields and dreaming.
Playing scrabble and writing in a journal are my personal recommendations; they're good for your brain at any age. Everything that is recommended for elderly people pays extra benefits over the long term when practiced by younger people.
There are many other wonderful ways to enjoy life, but a life lived in ignorance is simply unforgivable and that's what a life outside the news cycle amounts to.
If you find the news depressing, welcome to the club, but if we don't face *why* that is true directly, we are part of what makes it depressing in a big way. As my friend Roger Toennis has pointed out, there is plenty of good news out there as well. And how you receive the news, good or bad, depends more on you than the news itself.
Honestly, I always try to sprinkle a bit of the good, as well as the humorous, into my daily wrap-ups, because I know that the relentless flow of negative content can get people down. But I won't dumb down the news because in that case I would be misleading people, violating my duty as a journalist, and failing to tell the truth.
So, no. Don't ignore the news, but if you feel like turning off the TV news channels, that is probably a good move. I did that once and for all many months ago and I have not regretted it. Instead of TV, I rely exclusively on the web, print, radio and personal sources for news, because I found the TV programs got me too riled up emotionally to be able to remain as dispassionate and neutral as I wish to be in doing this work.
Shutting off Fox, CNN, MSNBC and so forth will not reduce your news literacy -- far from it. The cable networks polarize and divide people in order to gain ratings. So turning off the TV news is healthy.
By contrast, reading and discussing the news, free from bias, will help you be part of the solution. And the solution, to the extent there is one, is to be part of a highly informed citizenry that rejects conspiracy theories and demagogues to face reality and do the hard work of forging democratic alternatives to the despots who thrive wherever there is ignorance in this world.
We are not immune from the consequences of ignorance. If you need evidentiary proof, I've got one word for you: Trump.
That would-be dictator who calls journalists the enemies of the people is the reason we need to stay alert, informed and vigilant. Our common future depends on it. But try not to lose your sense of humor in the process...
***
THE HEADLINES:
* As China Boomed, It Didn’t Take Climate Change Into Account. Now It Must. -- China’s breathtaking economic growth created cities ill-equipped to face extreme weather. Last week’s dramatic floods showed that much will have to change. (NYT)
* The “greatest declines” in coral in the Bahamas are linked by researchers to the stony coral tissue loss disease, which may be triggered by ship traffic. The rampaging blight that first hit Florida’s reefs in 2014 has now swept through the Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Maarten and Mexico. It’s also been found in 18 other countries. [HuffPost]
* Sardinia, Italy, Battles Extreme Fires -- Parts of the Italian island of Sardinia have been engulfed by wildfires, causing the evacuations of about 1,000 residents and tourists. (NYT)
* Nearly two weeks later, Dixie Fire is still growing (SF Chronicle)
* Renewables Were the World’s Cheapest Source of Energy in 2020, New Report Shows (EcoWatch)
Last year’s record-breaking wildfire season, during which millions of acres burned across California and the West, actually had a below-average start until widespread lightning strikes ignited tinder-dry vegetation in many remote areas. (California Today) * The Climate Change Link To More And Bigger Wildfires (NPR) |
* New York City and California to Require Vaccines or Tests for Workers -- California and New York City announced the mandates for their employees, while the Department of Veterans Affairs said frontline health care workers must get vaccinated or face possible termination. (NYT)
* More than 50 major health care organizations have signed a letter urging health care and long-term care employers to require their workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19. About 25% of hospital employees who work directly with patients had not received even one COVID-19 vaccine shot as of May, according to an analysis. [HuffPost]
* Biden says White House exploring vaccine mandate for federal employees -- Such a push would mark a significant expansion of effort to vaccinate Americans as delta variant spreads. (WP)
* In Utah, hospitals swell with unvaccinated COVID-19 patients (Reuters)
* Federal Disability Law Will Protect ‘Long Covid’ Patients, Biden Says -- President Biden said the benefits and protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act would now extend to people facing ongoing health problems caused by a coronavirus infection that occurred weeks or months before. (NYT)
* Pfizer And Moderna To Expand Studies Of Vaccines In 5- To 11-Year-Olds --At the request of the FDA, the vaccine makers are expanding their trials with young children, seeking to better detect very rare heart issues. (HuffPost)
* Myanmar floods, coup, complicate growing COVID-19 outbreak (Reuters)
* As Virus Cases Rise, Another Contagion Spreads Among the Vaccinated: Anger -- Frustrated by the prospect of a new surge, many Americans are blaming the unvaccinated. (NYT)
* The 2021 Olympics Are Turning Into a $20 Billion Bust for Japan (WSJ)
* Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) -- who raised his fist in solidarity with the mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 -- introduced the "Love America Act," which he says would "promote patriotism in education." The bill would block federal funding to public schools that teach students about how white supremacy or racism played a role in the founding of the U.S. [HuffPost]
* Iran provides free education to thousands of illegal migrant kids (PressTV)
* After 100 games, the best Major League Baseball team is still the San Francisco Giants with a record of 63-37. The Giants also have the most homers (151). (DW)
* Report: Nearby Conversation Definitely Just Got Quiet To Prevent You From Hearing It (The Onion)
***
"Waiting For A Girl Like You"
Song by Foreigner
Written by Lou Grammatico / Mick Jones
So long, I've been looking too hard
I've been waiting too long
Sometimes I don't know what I will find
I only know it's a matter of time
I've been waiting too long
Sometimes I don't know what I will find
I only know it's a matter of time
When you love someone
When you love someone
It feels so right, so warm and true
I need to know if you feel it too
Maybe I'm wrong
Won't you tell me if I'm coming on too strong?
This heart of mine has been hurt before
This time I want to be sure
When you love someone
It feels so right, so warm and true
I need to know if you feel it too
Maybe I'm wrong
Won't you tell me if I'm coming on too strong?
This heart of mine has been hurt before
This time I want to be sure
I've been waiting for a girl like you to come into my life
I've been waiting for a girl like you, your a love that will survive
I've been waiting for someone new to make me feel alive
Yeah, waiting for a girl like you to come into my life
I've been waiting for a girl like you, your a love that will survive
I've been waiting for someone new to make me feel alive
Yeah, waiting for a girl like you to come into my life
You're so good
When we make love it's understood
It's more than a touch or a word can say
Only in dreams could it be this way
When we make love it's understood
It's more than a touch or a word can say
Only in dreams could it be this way
When you love someone
Yeah, I really love someone
Now, I know it's right
From the moment I wake up 'til deep in the night
There's nowhere on earth that I'd rather be than holding you tenderly
Yeah, I really love someone
Now, I know it's right
From the moment I wake up 'til deep in the night
There's nowhere on earth that I'd rather be than holding you tenderly
I've been waiting for a girl like you to come into my life
I've been waiting for a girl like you, your a love that will survive
I've been waiting for someone new to make me feel alive
Yeah, waiting for a girl like you to come into my life
I've been waiting for a girl like you, your a love that will survive
I've been waiting for someone new to make me feel alive
Yeah, waiting for a girl like you to come into my life
I've been waiting, waiting for you, ooh
Ooh, I've been waiting
(Waiting) I've been waiting, yeah
(I've been waiting for a girl like you, I've been waiting)
Won't you come into my life?
Ooh, I've been waiting
(Waiting) I've been waiting, yeah
(I've been waiting for a girl like you, I've been waiting)
Won't you come into my life?
No comments:
Post a Comment