The News!

I watched the news last night...

Well, actually I surfed various news videos. Now this is a big deal for me, because not having a TV in our house, the only news I subject myself to is my Austin American homepage, NPR & an occasional glance at the NPR website.

Last night, it all started with the story of the mom who let her 9 year old ride the subway home alone in NYC. I then clicked on the link of a Today show video of two teenagers being inducted into the "Caring Hall of Fame" for their efforts in helping out their communities....harmless enough, right? One of the girls made a video about how teenage girls can protect themselves if they are ever assaulted. She was prompted to create this video after seeing the tape of Carlie Brucia being abducted. I have never heard of Carlie Brucia, so I searched for her story. After being horrified about Carlie's story, I clicked on a sidebar video of teenage girls video taping themselves beating up another girl. Amazed at how cruel these girls were, I hypnotically watched their video numerous times. I then clicked on the updated information about the Eldorado compound and watched a video on a woman who escaped from a similar compound with her 8 children. After listening to her description of life as a "compound wife" and the brutalities that her & her children experienced, I hit bottom! How can the majority of our society watch these horrific stories day in and day out??? I was so depressed after viewing these videos that I totally understood why such a large percentage of our population is on anti-depressants!

I then started having grand ideas of creating a news station that only offered news with a positive non-sensationalized perspective, but realized that our society feeds off of drama & it probably wouldn't work (not to mention I have absolutely no idea on how I would create my own news station). I have eventually concluded that I am satisfied with positively influencing the community around me by not having a TV & not feeding the ratings to these news programs. I have also dispelled the myth that I will be "disillusioned to reality" if I do not keep up with the news, because the news that affects my "reality"...I am well aware of. I really do not feel like a more informed person after being exposed to some of the cruelest examples of humanity.

To conclude on a positive note...I winded down last evening by retreating to my bed with my wonderful kids reading a marvelously innocent book and eventually falling peacefully asleep.