Yesterday a reader commented, on my post, about avoiding the news for the last few months, because of how depressing it is. It’s true. It’s terribly disillusioning. To
prove it, I decided to get yesterday’s Globe & Mail out of my recycling bin and give the headlines a quick scan. To see if I could find anything remotely positive or pleasant:
Let’s start with the front page. “Why Generation Y Should Fear Retirement”. Hmmm. Shoot me now. Not that I’m a young adult, but still. Moving further down the page, “SNC bribery probe widens to Algeria”. Not exactly cheerful, either.
So then I checked the index, to get an idea of what I had to look forward to, inside the paper. Not much, as it turned out. “Montreal’s mayor declares he is not under investigation after a raid at City Hall by anti-corruption police.” “Ottawa’s new ambassador of religious freedoms is at risk of being marginalized by Foreign Affairs, an expert warns”.
Jumping for joy yet? NOT!
“Former US. congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., the son of the famous civil-rights leader, pleads guilty to spending $750,000 in campaign funds in personal luxuries. “A day after home crowds booed the team off the ice, the Buffalo Sabres
fire long-standing coach Lindy Ruff.
As you can, no doubt imagine, I’m now thinking I’d like to get back into bed, with the covers over my head.
Page 2 has a flashback to this date in 1965. What did they choose to remember? “Malcolm X assassinated in New York ballroom.” Let’s see. Oh, here we have a double page spread on “The Next Wave of Religious Violence”. Well, let’s keep flipping those pages. Surely there’s some good news, buried somewhere.
“Strikes, counterstrikes rock Damascus”. Clearly not on this page. “Humanitarian tragedy unfolding in rebel-held north, UN says”. Not this one, either. “Man tells court he scouted targets for Hezbollah in EU”. Nope. “Balanced-budget legislation works only in theory’. Nope. Bulgarian wrestler to return gold medal”. No siree bob.
“A crisis in waiting as Italians prepare to head to the polls”. Don’t think so. “Economists warn of Canada’s bitumen cliff”. Jeez Louise. “Wal-Mart sales likely indicate cooler U.S. Spending”. Shoot me, already; and get it over with.
“Housing market continues to cool”. “Talisman cuts jobs over low gas prices”. “Heinz sued over takeover”. “Netflix faces suit over growth numbers”. “Fed uneasy with stimulus, minutes show”. “Foxconn freezes assembly-line hiring’. “New York Times Co. puts Boston Globe on the auction block”. “Lufthansa must steer new course”. God help us!
The only good news I could find, was not seeing my name in the obits. Seriously.
Just bring me the aspirin bottle and a glass of water, okay. Please. And make it snappy. Like, are you kidding me? This is how we’re supposed to start our day? Eggs over easy, with a side of misery? Badly burned toast? And bitter coffee? YUM!
And maybe some rat poison.
Time to cancel my subscription, I think. Seriously. Do I really need to immerse myself in all this gloom? Is this going to help me do my job better? Will it help me get more clients? Or do better work for them? Will this wake up my writing muse? Get her all excited and motivated? Or make me want to save more money, for my future?
Hell, I want to spend every last dime I have right now. Party my ass off. Because it doesn’t sound like there’s going to be a tomorrow. And, if there is, it sure doesn’t sound like it’s going to be much fun, does it?
I don’t know about you, but my get-up-and-go, just got-up-and-went.
365 And Counting 
Interesting – have you tried watching the news on TV? No, don’t!
Oh, I know. I don’t.
Hi Fransi, I was prompted by your post to share with you some of the “good news heads” from the pages of yesterdays newspapers from this side of the pond, Thursdayday 21st Feb. 2013.
The blank space will no doubt tell you that good news is in scarce supply right around the globe.
Haha. I have to laugh, but it is sad. And awful. How are we supposed to get motivated? Bury ourselves in fiction, I guess. The truth hurts too much 🙂
How about we approach NASA with the idea of building a fiction bubble – but it would have to envelope the universe I guess.
I like this idea! And we’d be putting them back to work. And if there was a bubble over the earth, maybe it would help with climate change, as well. I think you’re on to something here 🙂
Somewhere it is written – Some speak because they have something to say; some speak because they have to say something. I guess I fall into part two.
I think you fall into 1, as well. Just saying …
Ah thanks. Heres a thought for one with the where with all – go to print with your own paper you already have a title in “The Trying Times”
Funny. After I posted this morning I thought, now there’s a name for a newspaper: The Trying Times. But we want good news, don’t we? So maybe it should be called The Good Times. Or The Blank Page because good news is so hard to find 🙂
I’ve heard it said and I guess it’s true good news never sold a newspaper
I’ve heard the same thing, so it must be true. We’re just gluttons for punishment. The Trying Times I guess it is, then. Woe is me 🙂
Gluttons for punishment, I guess we are
Born I guess to witness this unhealable scar
Accept it we must, what will be will be
Your last line sums it up well – woe is also me.
Bravo! It’s not often one can refer to a comment as poetry, but I can! Thank you. It’s perfect!
Oh Fransi, this is soooo spot on! I keep saying someone needs to publish a “good news” paper that celebrates good things happening on the planet and uplifts the readers. We are all only too aware of the depressing state of affairs in the world in general and perhaps a focus on the positive would inspire more of the same! There is much to celebrate in life and that’s what we need to hear about, IMHO.
Yes! Yes! Yes! It is such a great idea. Maybe we should do it on WordPress. It could ve a collaborative effort. Everyone could participate. Like WikiGoodNews.
Here’s some good news: it’s FRIDAY!
I have a hard time with the news too. This morning’s local breakfast news featured 1) a hostage situation, 2) various shootings throughout the night and 3) old video from the “hosts” when they were just starting their careers out. I paid more attention to #3 and the weather than I did anything else, but even then, I really didn’t listen much. No stomach (spleen/pancreas/lungs/etc.) for the drama.
There’s no avoiding it, it seems. Unless you stop reading/watching all together. Which is beginning to sound very appealing to me. But you’re right. It’s Friday. Have a great weekend. I know, by now, you will be crazy busy. 🙂
Perhaps you can subscribe to a comics section? Be sure it’s not political satire comics!
Alas, I don’t think so. I’ll stick to books and blogs I think.
Thanks for reminding me how blissful it is living with my head in the sand! I don’t watch the news, read the news, and generally try to ignore anyone who wants to talk about the news. Just me and the squirrels, frolicking about while the world goes to hell in a handbasket!
I’ll be in a tree of my own. See ya up there 🙂
YAY!
BTW, Congrats on Day 200! My 200th post will be tomorrow’s Saturday Squirrel post, so we almost hit milestones on the same day…
Thank you! And congratulations back. I presume you’ll be celebrating with assorted nuts?
You mean Planters or my normal followers? 😉
Perhaps a bit of both 🙂 ??
Yes!! Now I don’t feel so bad about being one of the, apparently, only people who doesn’t watch tv news, read papers or generally otherwise upset myself with all the crazy goings on in the world! 😀
Kindred spirits. Enough is enough I think.
The problem is that problems bring in readers. And readers bring in money. And money pays for the ever more depressed reporters to find ever more depressing problems. It’s a cycle that continues to spiral down to the lowest masses. Now, if printing/publicizing positive pieces would bring in the moola, then all the desperate sad reporters would brighten up, their pieces would inspire the day of every reader, and life would be the better for it. But “pass it on”, while proven to change perspectives, just doesn’t make for good reading material, according to the news industry. Ever wonder why the happy stories are always a snippet at the end of TV local news? See sentence #1.
Well I have a little wake up call for everybody. The scary, depressing headlines are doing nothing for the economy. No one is investing. No one is hiring. No one is spending. Because the reporters have done such a great job of scaring everyone to death. And newspapers and magazines and broadcasters are losing money every day. Lits and lots of it. So I’d say the thinking is a bit flawed.
Agree! Back “in the day” when getting news was exciting, Big Bad Breaking News was thrilling. But our times have changed and people need hope and encouragement. Of course, it would be helpful if the real news settled down a bit so the happier stories could actually be told.
True enough.
I thought the same thing this morning when I scanned the homepage of The Guardian, I actually decided I was not going to click on anything negative and then I spotted a photo of a woman whose face I recognised and the word Kindness in the title, but even that was kind of depressing, as it highlights just how many children fall outside the realm of protection, who need it.
Camila Batmanghelidjhis a wonderful and inspiring woman, who launched a children’s charity Kid’s Company and has galvanised many, many people into helping the cause of disadvantaged and abused children, she is an incredible woman, who gets by on small kindnesses and appreciation.
Thanks for the link. I’m going to read this, now.
The old saying, “No news is good news” has never been more true today though, as some of the comments noted, that only happens when you turn off the TV and avoid reading the news in paper or on the internet. I do that from time to time and focus on the positives in my little world. I do definitely feel better after I shut off all the negative noise.
Me too.
Haha, this is why I don’t watch or read the news. People ask me how I never know what’s going on, but I’d rather not know what I can’t fix. If I see something bad, then I want to find a solution. When I watch the news, I can’t really do that. It would be awesome to have “Good News”. Instead of problems, the news would focus on solutions. It would help inspire others, and would actually be a good way to start the day. 🙂
Maybe we should all give up news for Lent.