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The brain was not designed for this much bad news

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Re: The brain was not designed for this much bad news

#61

Post by Spooky23 »

appplication wrote: post #22
metabagel wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is close to correct. We should be aware of current events but not become too emotionally involved with them. They are mostly outside of our control, and we need to reserve most of our focus and emotional energy on what is front of us and our loved ones. However, we should still act on behalf of greater causes with the means at our disposal. Some examples... world in crisis - I donate to World Central Kitchen the…

I was recently massively downvoted on Reddit because I mentioned I didn’t really care about candidates stances either way on Israel/Palestine as it regards to a city-level election. I certainly have opinions and understand why folks have principles either way, but we can’t make every issue the issue we spend our energy on, and this doesn’t meet the bar for me for a city official. Sometimes online and election media d…

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Re: The brain was not designed for this much bad news

#62

Post by azzzxcc123 »

devsda wrote: post #58
applfanboysbgon wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a weird quote. It reeks of pretentious pseudo-intellectualism. People vote for a government that does something very tangible about all of those things. The media influenced how Americans voted in the US election, and they voted for a guy that predictably started a major new war in the Middle East. That is a real thing that happened and has impacted billions of people globally with second-order economic effec…

> People vote for a government that does something very tangible about all of those things People don't do that. Politics in US(and democracies in general) have what I call the cable tv bundling problem. Imagine you have only two bundle packages with your most preferred channels split evenly across two packages along with some unwanted channels. Regardless of which package you choose, you'll miss out on some of your…

[dead]

Re: The brain was not designed for this much bad news

#63

Post by weregiraffe »

uberex wrote: post #24
spking wrote: post #3

Neil Postman called this the “Peekaboo World”. “What steps do you plan to take to reduce the conflict in the Middle East? Or the rates of inflation, crime and unemployment? What are your plans for preserving the environment or reducing the risk of nuclear war? What do you plan to do about NATO, OPEC, the CIA, affirmative action, and the monstrous treatment of the Baha’is in Iran? I shall take the liberty of answering…

Er... I got an electric car does that count? Based on $ keeping the old car is cheaper. Also divestment, purchase choices, charity donations, solar install.

No, it doesn't. Your contribution is statistically insignificant. It was purely a symbolic gesture.

Re: The brain was not designed for this much bad news

#64

Post by tetrisgm »

uberex wrote: post #25
tetrisgm wrote: post #7

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. Back in 2010 I gave a TEDx talk about how the internet can be an extension of your mind. Nowadays I feel like it is contributing noise. The internet has become X, Reddit, AI, doomscrolling and group messaging. Very little room for positive messaging. I don’t mean to harp about the theft of attention: the message itself is just not even contributing anything.

Out of interest what is the path to talking at a TEDx?

since they are privately organized, you need to know the organizers or somebody who knows them. Be expert in the topic in question.

Re: The brain was not designed for this much bad news

#65

Post by Gud »

weregiraffe wrote: post #63
uberex wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Er... I got an electric car does that count? Based on $ keeping the old car is cheaper. Also divestment, purchase choices, charity donations, solar install.

No, it doesn't. Your contribution is statistically insignificant. It was purely a symbolic gesture.

Even so, an electric car is not particularly good for the environment.

Bicycles and public transportation.

Re: The brain was not designed for this much bad news

#66

Post by gchamonlive »

Gibbon1 wrote: post #59
uberex wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Er... I got an electric car does that count? Based on $ keeping the old car is cheaper. Also divestment, purchase choices, charity donations, solar install.

Buying electric cars, installing solar, and switching to heat pumps are one of the few things you can materially do to screw the powers that be. The the other one is limiting your family size.

The only thing you can do to hurt the powers that be is not buying.

Re: The brain was not designed for this much bad news

#67

Post by rf15 »

I don't know, I am a naturally anxious person even before I started reading the news daily, and I'm fine. Seeing the brutal chaos of the world definitely makes me appreciate the peace at home more. It's a grounding experience to be aware of the good and bad things that happen in the world.

Re: The brain was not designed for this much bad news

#68

Post by pjc50 »

spking wrote: post #3

Neil Postman called this the “Peekaboo World”. “What steps do you plan to take to reduce the conflict in the Middle East? Or the rates of inflation, crime and unemployment? What are your plans for preserving the environment or reducing the risk of nuclear war? What do you plan to do about NATO, OPEC, the CIA, affirmative action, and the monstrous treatment of the Baha’is in Iran? I shall take the liberty of answering…

> inflation, crime and unemployment?

Here's a subject I want to explore; the statistical vs individual view of the world. Because those things do matter - to the individuals they happen to. People care about the price level every time they get paid or go grocery shopping. People care if a crime is committed against them - it can be a lifelong trauma. And so on.

They're also likely to care when things happen to their immediate social circle. What about their broader community? However that is defined?

On the other end of that, the ability to do something about things: isn't that ultimately why people value democracy, because it is actually possible to change things, even sometimes for the better?

Re: The brain was not designed for this much bad news

#69

Post by pjc50 »

weregiraffe wrote: post #63
uberex wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Er... I got an electric car does that count? Based on $ keeping the old car is cheaper. Also divestment, purchase choices, charity donations, solar install.

No, it doesn't. Your contribution is statistically insignificant. It was purely a symbolic gesture.

Everyone's contribution is insignificant, and yet it all adds up.

This is rather like saying the average player in a football match scores 0 goals, therefore 0 goals were scored.

Re: The brain was not designed for this much bad news

#70

Post by pjc50 »

watwut wrote: post #56
foxglacier wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You'd have trouble finding a candidate who wouldn't predictably start a major war in the middle East. Biden and Trump 1 were kind of exceptions. Kamala certainly seemed pro-war-in-the-middle-East with her support for Israel, so she's out. Who did you vote for instead?

Frankly, bullshit. Harris did not seemed more pro war or aggressive, unless you live in deep conservative bubble.

The slight problem here is that the war was started by Netenyahu, whom US voters are unable to remove. But yes, I doubt Harris would have gone for the decapitation strike that destabilized everything.
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