GloryofGreece wrote:Specifically with "national" and international "news"? I think most posters here are at least in their late 20s,-50s. So in your 20+ years of life on this planet has knowing political and geopolitical news been helpful to you?
Couldn't a legitimate case be made that you'd be less neurotic / angry if you opted out of watching CNN/FOX/CBS/Drudge Report/Glen Beck/Michael Savage / whatever you read to get your news. And really, what had knowing about the NFL kneeling controversy, Trump's tweets, Regular NK threats, fear mongering, burning fire/spree shootings/ ISIS/ whatever the hell is on at the time done to make you a more stable well adjusted citizen?
In the end, why watch the news or read anything really about so called current events other than say the weather report for logistical decisions in your weekly planning? If I was less informed or totally uninformed I still would be a college graduate, have a career, go to work everyday, go home read or watch a show/movie, sleep...rinse, lather, repeat. Hell I've been steadily watching and reading less news since late 2013. Now I tune into take your pick "News" show or read Drudge or see a tweet etc. and follow up on reading an article about said event/topic and then go another month or so without really getting any "news".
I became aware of Trumps election victory watching the news for around 2 hour that night...other than that I haven't watched news live all year.
I live outside Charlottesville Virginia and didn't know about the "protest"/torch/whatever til two days later.
I found out about the Vegas shooting b/c it was a thread on another message board
I find out about something Trump tweeted or a NK threat for example again from a board message here or another forum.
Im thinking of signing off the two forums I currently read and post on. Seem's like again its negative overall and I waste time more than anything. I probably would be better off spending my time
shooting a bow, reading, hiking, sleeping, having sex, or at least watching a movie I'd really like potentially than spending another minute on the internet reading "news" or anything else really. I guess I'd go to some new consortium once a week to briefly scan for any significant news stories, i guess. But even then, why bother really? B/c the off chance someone at work will be like, "hey have you seen..." then i'd just be like no Joe I haven't tell me about it etc.
GloryofGreece:
Good thread!
I have often wondered about this myself. I have come to the conclusion that we would all be happier if we did not follow politics and get outraged by everything that happens. It is a bit like yelling at a chair. Believe it or not, I have managed to reduce my ange somewhat in the last 2 years by consciously tuning out a lot of the media channels you just mentioned. Of course, my plan was shot to shit because like you, I learn about a lot of current events from being on here with all the other nutcases. In my opinion, it damn near impossible to put the shit back in the donkey's asshole. We would all be better off not getting so worked up about this stuff, but we all probably have the cynical and paradoxically idealistic personality types that see the flaws in the system yet want it to match whatever ideal one we have conjured in our minds. Since that is how we are all most likely wired, coupled with living in the rapid fire information age, we are stuck in a vicious loop of shitposting on MHF and becoming more and more enraged and disillusioned by the state of the world. I often make retarded posts and contribute very little of value to this community. Believe it or not, I do that for personal catharsis. The other option is just losing my shit every time the political party (or both) that I don't like does something fucked up. Since that is every day, I'd just be furious all the time. Other members have told me they also view this forum as cathartic, so I guess I'm not alone in that.
The main appeal of this forum for me is being able to talk with people who are generally smarter than I am. You can find dudes on here who have a great understanding of econ, military history, music, tv, religion, physics, and of course politics. I learn something new every time I log in. I view this forum as a resource, and I have found all sorts of awesome suggestions for books and articles in a wide range of topics I'm interested in. Almost like getting a free education. I talk to a few people on here outside of the forum, and I find those conversations to be highly entertaining and stimulating. If you are thinking about quitting, ask yourself, what reason do you stick around here in the first place? I would imagine that despite its warts, this community probably fills a void in your life, whether its finding info about history or current events, or being able to vent about shit that bugs you. If you can find a better outlet to meets these needs, then perhaps it would be more productive for you to leave. In my opinion, the group we have here is more lively and amusing than on places like reddit and facebook so I have stuck around. For the record, I think you have made some good threads about stuff I'm interested in, so I hope you decide to stay.
