A Rant

The past few months I’ve realized that I’m “tuning out” as far as keeping up with world news. Between the Middle-East, the Ukraine and other hot spots, I just don’t want to read or hear about it anymore. I read about failing infrastructure, corporation lobbies buying government and melting glaciers. Our returning veterans aren’t being taken care of and private companies are getting 50% of our foreign aid. I read about congressmen and women who don’t have any time to govern because most of their time is spent raising money for the next election. I feel angry and frustrated and helpless and there’s not a thing I can do. I vote but over half of eligible Americans are too apathetic to vote. As a whole nation, we get what we deserve but the affected individuals don’t.

I’m overloaded. The 24 hour news cycle means TV news has become a forum for opinion, not news. Every channel has it’s own list of pundits who expound with authority, each contradicting another. Who knew there are so many foundations and think-tanks and research organizations, each with its experts? Perhaps the worst of all is that the same news clips get played over and over and there is a frantic attempt to get the latest update on stories that have no update.

l I long for the days when Huntley and Brinkley appeared on TV at six and eleven to give us an update on world events. The daily newspaper elaborated on the major news and let us know what was happening locally.

Okay, I don’t watch TV news anymore with the exception of the Daily Show and Newshour. I read the on-line version of the Boston Globe for local news and check out the opinion pages of the New York Times.

I love newspapers and once read the Globe from the first page to the last. Now I scan for interesting bit and try to ignore the parts that make me feel that I’ve lived too long.