Woah, wait til you guys see what the last one was!
Endless Doom Scroller
51–60 of 118 posts
Re: Endless Doom Scroller
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I don't see how you can fix problems if you aren't willing to in the first place look at them, as we've seen in this pandemic the virus doesn't care how optimistic you are. How can you fix problems by knowing about them? What I mean is: unless you're an expert on the problem, or willing and able to become one as soon as you've learned about it, what difference does it make whether you specifically know how bad some…
> We have institutions to work on things, do we need each individual citizen to be constantly worried about everything that goes wrong, will go wrong, can go wrong or won't go at all? To give an accompanying reply to the sibling commenter saying "that's why we have democracy, so we can delegate": that's why democracy in its current state works so poorly; a disengaged electorate. The "we have institutions to work on t…
Does each citizen need to become a vigilant member of the general public oversight committee, spending his days and nights making sure that the institutions work correctly, are responding appropriately to the threats etc? Are they qualified to evaluate that? Do they even understand the severity of the threats?
Or are they, in effect, the amplification apparatus for journalists who, by and large, also know very little about the things they write about?
I understand the point, it feels like a noble and important thing, to be informed, have an opinion and be ready to tackle the problem when the White House calls. But they probably won't call, not me, not you, not anyone getting their information about anything from the daily news. They'll call the people who are giving the information to the news.
Re: Endless Doom Scroller
#53Elon Musk on avoiding daily news: “ The daily news I find to be a lot of noise. Generally newspapers seem to try to answer the question, ‘What is the worst thing that happened on the Earth today?’ ”
Elon 'Covid will be over by April' Musk?
Yes that Elon Musk. People can say dumb things, and sometimes they can say interesting things. No one is permanently locked into one or the other.
Re: Endless Doom Scroller
#54I don't really understand the 'doomer' debate, that is to say complaining about negative news when the world in fact is facing enormous negative events. It seems to me sort of like the 'three-wise-monkeys', just think happy thoughts and the world gets better or something. It seems infantile. I don't see how you can fix problems if you aren't willing to in the first place look at them, as we've seen in this pandemic t…
> I don't see how you can fix problems if you aren't willing to in the first place look at them, as we've seen in this pandemic the virus doesn't care how optimistic you are. How can you fix problems by knowing about them? What I mean is: unless you're an expert on the problem, or willing and able to become one as soon as you've learned about it, what difference does it make whether you specifically know how bad some…
I'm replying because you're obviously being downvoted for the content of your comment, not the quality. It appears to me that you're contributing to the conversation in good faith with tough questions.
What your questions triggered in me was to reject the notion that the institutions set up around me will solve much. I'm sure most people have lost faith in these institutions at this point, on all sides.
But I agree with the part of your comment that implies that we're being lied to in the process of entertained. It's the end goal, right? Fear drives clicks which drives revenue. I'm sure it's one of the foundational blocks of modern journalism.
Re: Endless Doom Scroller
#55I don't really understand the 'doomer' debate, that is to say complaining about negative news when the world in fact is facing enormous negative events. It seems to me sort of like the 'three-wise-monkeys', just think happy thoughts and the world gets better or something. It seems infantile. I don't see how you can fix problems if you aren't willing to in the first place look at them, as we've seen in this pandemic t…
The US news media (left, right and upside down) is sensationalized trash. Fueling hate (stereotypes), outrage and inducing fear..all for profit and their agenda!
I've tuned it all out minus some pertinent local news.
Give me a US media that shows peaceful protests without an agenda (don't watch news anymore but did in May and all I saw was the ugly protests filled with violence.. didnt see any peaceful protests that were surely happening ...now i hear CNN, etc are showing the peaceful protests like in Oregon which are now peaceful because Trump isnt there and so CNN Im sure is now blasting/banging the peaceful protest drum). As for COVID news i just get it directly from my friends who are doctors, nurses and hospital administrators. Forget the media.. i loathe it!
Re: Endless Doom Scroller
#56I don't really understand the 'doomer' debate, that is to say complaining about negative news when the world in fact is facing enormous negative events. It seems to me sort of like the 'three-wise-monkeys', just think happy thoughts and the world gets better or something. It seems infantile. I don't see how you can fix problems if you aren't willing to in the first place look at them, as we've seen in this pandemic t…
> I don't see how you can fix problems if you aren't willing to in the first place look at them, as we've seen in this pandemic the virus doesn't care how optimistic you are. How can you fix problems by knowing about them? What I mean is: unless you're an expert on the problem, or willing and able to become one as soon as you've learned about it, what difference does it make whether you specifically know how bad some…
Obviously the news cycle thrives on panic and style over substance. This does not change the fact that "knowing" about the world is valuable. Effective action to address a threat is nearly impossible without an accurate model of it. People don't need to be experts about everything to become relatively well informed about many things, nor do they need to try to solve every problem at once.
The appeal to institutions as trustworthy problem solvers is also disheartening. Institutions are supra-human intelligences. This does not mean they are necessarily more intelligent than any of their members. They're often less so, and in any case they usually have their own incentive structures which are entirely separate from (and often antagonistic to) people's wellbeing.
Re: Endless Doom Scroller
#57I scrolled to the bottom and it said "no end in sight" but it stopped there
You may not know it but you reached the end of the internet
Re: Endless Doom Scroller
#58I would advise the way to beat the anxiety about doom scrolling is to RTFA
Headline: The world is spiraling out of control
Body: X is happening that will impact Y in these specific ways. Z people are working against X and trying tactics A & B...
The Headline is calibrated to maximize your anxiety. The Body is often calibrated to the right level of anxiety and context. I find instead of trying to mentally suppress Headline that freaks me out, and thus subconsciously imagining the worst possible thing, RTFA helps to soften and calibrate the anxiety more appropriately.
Re: Endless Doom Scroller
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
> We have institutions to work on things, do we need each individual citizen to be constantly worried about everything that goes wrong, will go wrong, can go wrong or won't go at all? To give an accompanying reply to the sibling commenter saying "that's why we have democracy, so we can delegate": that's why democracy in its current state works so poorly; a disengaged electorate. The "we have institutions to work on t…
Does each citizen need to become a vigilant member of the general public oversight committee, spending his days and nights making sure that the institutions work correctly, are responding appropriately to the threats etc? Are they qualified to evaluate that? Do they even understand the severity of the threats? Or are they, in effect, the amplification apparatus for journalists who, by and large, also know very little…
Who said we ought to wait to act until the White House calls?
Re: Endless Doom Scroller
#60I don't really understand the 'doomer' debate, that is to say complaining about negative news when the world in fact is facing enormous negative events. It seems to me sort of like the 'three-wise-monkeys', just think happy thoughts and the world gets better or something. It seems infantile. I don't see how you can fix problems if you aren't willing to in the first place look at them, as we've seen in this pandemic t…
I'm well aware we're in a pandemic, and my family and friends are quarantining and going to great lengths in cleaning and wearing masks. I'm well aware that the US and particularly Trump is absolutely mucking up the response. I'm well aware that we're approaching the breaking point of the "Union" part of the United States, as the Federal government and Blue States fight over resources and jurisdiction.
I'm well aware there's a police brutality problem in the US, including brutality against protesters and the US sending Federal troops into cities.
I'm well aware that Biden is the Democrat nominee and there's nothing to be done about it, and that after however much hemming and hawing he's going to make Kamala Harris his VP, and there's not much to be done about that either. That there likely won't be Medicare For All, or a safety net for millions of unemployed people, or any other really popular and obvious change that needs to be needed.
I'm well aware that China, a world away, is trying to stamp out Uyghurs through apartheid and likely soon genocide.
Scrolling Facebook, Twitter, etc just reminds us of these terrible things that are constantly happening, that we have little control over day to day. And yes, we should volunteer, donate, protest, prepare to respond. But day to day, there's not much we can do to fix it. We're instead stressing ourselves to death over things we can't control, at least right now. Don't forget they're problems, help where you can, but don't spend your life hyperfixated on them.