I watched the news this morning, and I have seen more of the usual stuff played through the news cycle.
‘Wolf Blitzer is always opening with Breaking News, even when it is not breaking news – give me a f*ckin break.’
Death and destruction. Sadness and wickedness.
This morning was an alarming personal moment for me because I felt absolute despair for the whole world for the first time ever.
I heard myself say inside, ‘what are we becoming, what are we doing to ourselves?’ as I took in the news of another hate crime shooting spree.
But I cautioned against more profound despair because the news, as we see it, is not always the authentic representation of our actual life. It is a polarisation of events that happen to a selection of people in a population of millions, billions.
However sad things are, and how shocking I believe them to be, and I wish for world peace, I have to work on my brain to keep the perspective clear.
We always have to remember that the news, the media, is a business. It is intended to capture eyeballs, online clicks and continuous engagement. It is as much about entertainment as it is about informing you of real-world events, accurately and without bias.
The more you watch, the more money they make.
It’s very being. Its very existence is to be a vehicle for a political agenda and to make money.
The owners of the various mediums drive their world view, and everything is set up to make them vast sums of cash and harvest influence.
I have been teaching myself video editing recently, and the one thing that I now realise is the power of the edit. With the rearranging of video on the timeline, a careful trim here and there, and a dip on the audio, you can present a whole different viewpoint on who is guilty or innocent.
And if the people doing the edits are aligned on pushing a particular narrative, then that is what you hear and see only. That then becomes the truth as you know it to be.
Unless of course, you seek the alternative truth, but then what is real and what is lies?
Your realities of the larger world are seen through someone else’s edit. You get to see what they want you to see.
“The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.”
Malcolm X
The news cycles are short and frequent, the stories covered are limited, and the talking heads represent allegiances and, in doing so, will alienate another group from the conversation.
There always has to be a bogey man. An enemy of you.
We beget to be in perpetual angst and fear because it drives an economy for them. There is benefit in keeping you frustrated, anxious and scared. To keep you looking for another scapegoat and to point your gaze at someone else and not to them.
It is suitable for them and their wallets to keep everyone locked in anger against each other.
I am not clear on who the ‘Them’ are in this story – but you are free to complete the picture from your own personal edit.
“If you are not careful, the newspaper will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing oppressing.”
Malcolm X
Truth be told, I love the news, I love all things media, and I like to gather up the pundits’ opinions. I can challenge my viewpoints when I take the time to listen carefully and evolve more beliefs based on my own thought out reactions to their conversations.
But I have to keep it controlled like you would an illegal substance.
I am cautious that I don’t generate an echo chamber for my views, and I always strive to keep in mind why the news is there in its current format. It is a business.
If you want my advice, channel-hop across the news cycles as this will broaden your world view.
It is satisfying to sample the other impairments.
I have also learned to limit my intake and budget the news and the information drug before I am fully incapacitated.
You want more of my punditry – turn it off more often.
Your emotions will thank you for it.
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