The news – political and financial – has been action packed lately. The biggest names on Wall Street have failed. Oil and food costs are high. Russia invaded Georgia. North Korea and Iran are building nuclear weapons. Brittany Spears shaved her head. The Taliban are staging a comeback. Home foreclosures are at alarming rates. Greenhouse gas emissions increased by 3% last year. And a big-assed hurricane mauled Galveston, Texas.
The only reason I know any of this is from the news on TV, radio, the internet, and an occasional copy of the the Economist magazine. But as for first-hand evidence, either I’ve had none or I’ve paid no attention to it. Maybe I am paying more for English muffins; my credit card statements might prove that, but I don’t see the benefit in taking the time to check. If the 5 o’clock news tells me I’m paying more at the supermarket, I’ll take their word for it.
But were I to block out all media … imagine the blissful ignorance. I’d have no concern for Darfur or Diala Province or Israel or Islamabad (though I have been to Islamabad). I might notice gas prices if they were used to justify a raise in taxi fares or airline tickets, but otherwise I don’t care; more expensive gas discourages people from driving which reduces greenhouse gas emissions which is another issue I wouldn’t know of without the news media. I have noticed that squash balls, which are made of petroleum, are more expensive, but I don’t rule out that the website where I buy them simply decided it was time to stop selling them as a loss leader.
But other than squash balls, I haven’t seen – first hand – any noticeable change in daily life.
Admittedly, my situation is different from most Americans. I don’t have kids to feed, clothe, take to the dentist, drive to hockey practice, or educate. I don’t own my apartment and have never owned a car. I’m securely employed; I don’t work for an investment bank. I keep my 401K in a bland, fully-diversified portfolio; I don’t even know how much it’s up or down – probably less than 10% (I’ll look in a few months).
This is starting to sound like me gloating; it’s not supposed to. It’s supposed to be about how we create a view of the world based on videos of events that happen to other people in other places. When that footage dries up, we absorb the opinions of inflammatory personalities we’ve never met, talking heads killing time until the next commercial. News media encourages us to feel outrage or fear; it’s hard not to, given the way they deliver their content. We are always on the verge of succumbing to the looming crisis in the something-something, so stay tuned for details.
It’s often worked on me.
For years I’ve fretted over the negative savings rate of the average American household. And when the housing bubble burst I found myself thinking “I told you so.” Thinking, but not saying, because I don’t know any average households and because I have more tact than to say such a thing. I would, instead, imply it. Subtly.
I also worry about what N.A.T.O. should/can do if Russia finds an excuse to invade Estonia. I worry about Taiwan – those nice people; will China try to retake the island by force? I worry about the environment – when will we Americans, all 300+ million of us, come to our senses and take responsibility? I have my own plan to improve our public schools (it’s in my head, this plan). I have carefully considered opinions on healthcare and social security and foreign policy, though no one’s ever asked me for advice.
It’s easy to get worked up about the World’s problems. If you believe that problems exist. You probably do. Alternately, you could see these issues as “the way things are,” though there is, in fact, nothing to see. Not anymore, at least. Lately, I’ve been seeing things more as they are and spending less time worrying about if they should be “some other way.”
But even with this newfound existentialism, I watch a good amount of news. Why?
- to talk about it socially (though these conversations will often make people leave you to get another drink)
- to be a more informed voter
- to understand why my industry (technology) may someday soon be flooded by programmers who used to work for Lehman Brothers or Bear Stearns
- to not book a vacation in South Ossetia
- to not be surprised when a nuclear-armed ICBM leaves Pyongyang headed for the West Coast of the U.S., then to be doubly relieved when it crashes into the Pacific
Just my two cents.
When I decide what to write in this blog, it’s often a topic I’ve found myself gravitating to naturally in the course of a conversation – all of which is consistent with paying maximum attention to the right here and right now.