From Pine View Farm

All the News that Gives You Fits 0

Arash Javanbakht, writing at Psychology Today Blogs, notes that studies show that many Americans are not just turned off by the news, they are turning off the news because they are emotionally worn out. He looks into thee reasons why.

Here’s a bit of his article (follow the link for the rest–it is a worthwhile read):

. . . American politicians and major news media have found an ally in fear: a very strong emotion that can be used to grab our attention, keeping us in the tribal dividing lines and making us follow, click, tap, watch, and donate.

Over the past few decades, many people have felt a strong push for tribalism, an “us vs. them” way of seeing the world, turning Americans against one another. This has led to a point where we are not just in disagreement with each other. We hate, cancel, block, and attack those who disagree with us.

I agree that the news is very bad. The nation may well be in its worst crisis since the 1850s. I also agree that not wallowing in the news from dawn to dusk is wise.

But turning away from it entirely–not a good idea in these fraught times.

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