The person sitting next to me, a raging vegitarian but otherwise a seemingly well rounded person, doesn't watch the news to the point that she actaully avoids it. She doesn't look at any news sites on the internet, turns the TV off or switches channels when it comes on, only listens to her own music in the car never has the radio on. "It's only ever bad news".
Is it me or is this bonkers? Maybe I'm bonkers because not knowing anything that is going on in the world for more than a couple of weeks (usually when I'm on holiday or bike touring when the whole point is to get away from it all) would drive me mad.
Go on then, tell me she's bonkers or I put to much emphasis on the need to be up to date with current affairs.
I can't remember that last time I read a newspaper
I watch the news if it happens to be on - I'd never bother putting it on
The only online news I look at is the Daily Mash 😀
[i]Is it me or is this bonkers?[/i]
Firstly, I've got to say I enjoy reading the news and keeping up with current affairs but having said that, to some extent I see her viewpoint. I mean how much news do we taken in everyday that actually has no real impact on us? Would it really matter if we didn't know the news? Just looking on the BBC news frontpage and its got stories on swine flu, tortured students, naked hikers and TBH I don't think any story will have any impact on my life whatsoever so whats the point of reading about it?
Over the last few months I also developed a taste for 'pessimism porn' which can't be healthy 😳
Intentional ignorance annoys me, especially from those people who treat you as if you're something different because you choose to keep up to date with current affairs.
That said, I'm intently watching the swine flu story unfold as I'm off to Mexico at the end of next month. Oops.
It is important to keep up to date with what is going on in the world but you do need to take it all with a pinch of salt. I cannot recommend Charlie Brookers Newswipe which is available on the iplayer. It makes some very interesting points about how the media and news work today.
Is she happier as a result? If so fair play, it's not as if most people have any sway over any of the crap that the news media feeds us in the name of "news".
Should read some of the "Have Your Say" comments on the BBC website.
They normally start with "<smug mode>I'm a vegetarian so the swine flu isn't going to affect me and yah boo sucks to you meateaters</smug mode>"
Sigh.
I am not sure that refusing to keep up-to-date with current affairs is necessarily wilful ignorance. Just recently, I have been reading about ****stani politics. My understanding of ****stani (and indeed other) current affairs has probably suffered, as I have limited reading time. My udnerstanding of the world has possibly increased more than it would if I just followed the news.
And joining in the mass panic about swine flu is almost as pointless as fretting about where Maddy is. There's nothing whatever you can do about it. Influenza pandemics are the greatest known threat to human civilisation, and happen occasionally. They happen far less often than newspapers try to scare the crap out of us about them. 🙂
You have little or no way of altering the bad things happening in the world (war, disease, death, famine etc) the news also centres on (bad) things that don't happen very often (murder, rape , violence, dead babies etc) which makes it feel like the world is a very dangerous scary place that you have no control over... and it's mostly there to make you buy papers or sell advertising.
Oh and the (lack) of reporting skills on science/medical/stats stuff really get on my nerves.
I 2nd the Charlie Booker Newswipe thing but it's probably more depressing than the news itself!
If everyone saw the news everyday I don't think the world would be a better place, how ever if nobody watched the news we might think it is!
I cannot recommend Charlie Brookers Newswipe which is available on the iplayer.
I can. It's really good 🙂
Sorry Graham, I am currently suffering from a horrific case of man flu which has severely affected my ability to think and type!
I can understand where she is coming from. I'm selective about the news i ingest as most of it is dumbed down and about entertainment and/or viewing figures.
Brooker rocks. As does John Stewart.
I've turned into my Father, who loved to keep up with the news.
Otherwise how on earth would I be able to participate in the pub quiz.
Yes she's not a full shilling, but then again who is?