The other day I was "shootin'-the-bull" with a couple of people at a local restaurant. They were talking about what was happening in the news. They asked me what I thought. I told them that I don't watch TV news, read newspapers or listen to the radio. They were aghast. "What?" one of them barked. "How do you know what is going on in the world?" "Well," I said. "I just go outside and look around." They shook their disbelieving heads as if they were sorry for me. I smiled and loved their facial expressions.
"Would you like to know why I don't listen to or read this stuff?" I asked. (This was really a rhetorical question. I used to tell my sons when they were growing up, "I have never let your lack of interest keep me from telling you what I want to tell you.") And so, I pushed on with my resturant friends.
"We don't have 'news' in America. We have sensationalism. It is purposefully made, consciously, strategically offered to make us afraid. We turn on television and/or radio and we are bombarded with the reports of violence, murders, rapes, wars, disasters, corruptions with democrats and republicans, our government and on and on. We sit there and allow this insidious drek to filter inside of our minds and thoughts. And without our awareness, we become afraid. We have 'numbed' ourselves to the levels of fear we are experiencing and maintaining by this insidious indoctrination." (By-the-way, this is why we eat, stuff ourselves as we watch TV and/or listen to the radio. This "eat" dynamic is a very primal way in which we are attempting to nurture ourselves to side-step or comfort the fears we are experiencing because of what we are watching and/or hearing.)
"I am sure you are begging for an answer to the question, 'Why would our pristine media moguls wish us to be afraid?' Well, sports fans, it is really quite simple if you think about it. There we sit, being made afraid and then "Bam"! We are offered commercials of all of this shiney, beautiful, necessary, youth-enhancing, techno-necessary, life-enhancing and worldly exciting stuff we need to buy. The dynamic of 'getting/buying' is salvation from the fear they have just made you experience.' First, they make us afraid and then they set us up to buy products because of the fear they have consciously led us into."
"The same is true with 'hate radio'. These announcers spew out vile ideas to make us angry. You see, anger is not really a primary emotion. It arises from fear and guilt but never-the-less, what they condition us to feel sets us up to buy their products."
"The way I see it is 'garbage - in, garbage - out'. If I allow this fear/anger garbage into my mind, then it has to come out; out in what I feel and out in how I begin to see the world. How can I have peace and happiness if I feed myself upon fear, anger and guilt?"
"This is why I don't watch television or listen to the radio."
My resturant friends looked dazed and didn't say much. I sensed they had to leave to go home and watch the news. I didn't mind because I planned to watch Everybody Loves Raymond because this program makes me smile.
© 2010 Lory Misel
2 comments:
I like the Raymond Show too.
It is quite truly a journey to disconnect nowadays! I used to have cable and a tv in my room to watch before bed. Now, I have one small tv in an armoire shut away for the rainy day movie - ones that make me smile! No cable, dvr to record stuff, and I just recently stopped my newspaper delivery. I am trying to limit my computer use (ha - not so easy!)and be mindful of my phone usage. I am working on staying present and aware with my young son, instead of filling my days with 'things' and 'stuff' to avoid the discomfort of being. It is truly liberating!
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