“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”
Confucious
It has become this voracious beast that stalks the halls of our feeds, a rollercoaster ride through our rage and anger and helplessness at the injustices we see, the corruption infesting now so many arms of the U.S. government is staggering, with bad faith trump fluffers blathering their lies.
It’s all alot to digest. Frustrating to watch this vile man treated in any way but with utter contempt.
You know, it happens quickly, something streams past your eyes, some piece of news that raises the bile in your throat, you can feel the rage rising within.
This reaction became overwhelming, and so I made changes. Its effect, as well actually its ultimate purpose, is to get us all to turn away, turn off, refuse to engage, let it all just slip by as we muddle through 2020 and all its crappiness.
Hard to stand back in horror helplessly watching this nation we thought was stronger fall to this authoritarian agent of chaos and corruption.
Nothing he does is ever for the good of anyone but himself. The relevance anyone around him has is in what they can do for him, he requires unconditional loyalty, and any dissenters are obliterated under a barrage of rage tweets and troll campaigns by his rabid followers.
Many thought there were more checks and balances, more guardrails to withstand the assaults on democracy from an incompetent president.
Unfortunately, many have come to realize they were deadly wrong. In fact, the powers of the office of president has increased over the decades has set the stage to enthrone a tyrant with no moral compass.
Strategies of coping.
One strategy I have learned the hard way to employ, is to be very wary of anything that I see on social media that inflames those feelings of rage and anger.
Which is hard of late. This year, in particular.
One important thing is to look at the place the information comes from, the actual source of the news. Is it a news agency I’m familiar with? When I click the link does the site look legit or amateurish? Is it filled with ads all over the screen? Click bate? Lots of click bate, of late.
Looking out for the red flags featuring bogus claims and misinformation… so, ignore it until you see it posted by some other source you trust
Next I google the details and see what comes up. Hoax? Misleading? Same ol’ packaged in a new wrapper?
TIP: Pictures, right-click to search google for their source, which can be rather illuminating.
So, lets say my Library Technician education has come in handy, helped me to discern the validity of sources. I’ve learned to be suspicious. Just be a bit more suspicious than you would normally, just wait, don’t judge.
For instance, I suggest being a bit more skeptical of news unless it has been covered by one of the larger news outlets – and I have my own list of those I trust.
And that is personal and each to their own.
Also, as these outlets compete for readership in these chaotic times, and it is a good practice to question any new dirt until a couple other trusted sources cover the dirt, whatever the dirt may be, or who gets dirty.
Not your monkeys, not your circus.
Sad, frustrating, but right now more than ever vigilance is key.
The circus that surrounds Trump is a voracious band of attention seekers, trump fluffers, whose sole goal is to spin, divert and lie to the camera.
In the last weeks before the election, those agents of chaos and foreign powers interference is spread across social media platforms in increasing frequency.
I would suggest more than ever to be cautious and don’t share anything unless it’s been vetted. When in doubt research it, or just ignore it.
Don’t be a disinformation vector.
If the news is actually real, then chances are someone else will pick it up and you’ll begin to see it pop up in those sources you trust. I mean, unless you’re an actual journalist/reporter, be careful of precious time wasted on drivel…. let it go.
Avoid extreme views.
Extremes are where the bad actors find their prey. In the ditches of rage and helplessness. They stalk the internet for suckers willing to believe something because it fits their preconceived notions.
Basically, I would suggest questioning everything that elicits extreme emotional reactions.
Following instead specific journalists whose perspective you admire, or even because their point of view maybe sometimes diverges from your own. Challenges to your personal POV are important when trying to avoid extremes.
On Twitter, I follow very few that I know won’t follow back. I don’t really care what some celebrity has to say about most things political, so the few I do follow are a select bunch.
I’m very particular and judicious with this because I want to focus more on individuals who don’t generally engage or share extreme or salacious or unproven claims just to get clicks.
Don’t be a part of the chaos.
Try not to get drawn into accusations that have as of yet not been proven.
In other words, being likely you think something happened does not denote actual reality it happened. We are in dangerous times, were our own windows on the world have indeed been corrupted by this inflated news cycle on crack environment this man engenders. His actions, his tweets and controversial crass things he says, the actions he takes that demonstrate his indifference, all of which feed the hunger of media for clicks and views of their material.
So, be careful of whom you give those eyes and views to. Ask yourself, are they worth it?
Repeat after me… I don’t have to know everything.
This chaotic dark world of injustice and corruption at the highest levels of government, the volumes of words and events, that barrage of information will overwhelm you, so don’t let it.
See, I just only have so much rage I can accommodate.
Plus, remember that others out there are spreading the news that concerns them, thus we all do our part of spreading information we want others to see.
Basically I chose to ignore certain topics for the simple fact that in the grand scheme of things, I know my knowing won’t change anything with this administration in power. Barr protects the president, and I don’t believe anything will come of the accusations until someone else can get voted in and cleans house.
My focus is somewhere else.
Also, his followers won’t be swayed by any of it, since they don’t actually seem to either care, or don’t believe their dear leader could do such horrible things he is accused of doing.
Is he a pedophile? No idea. Is he a drug addict? No clue. Is he a Russian asset? I don’t know. Is he hiding some health issues? Who knows.
Is he a crass POS I can’t stand to hear speak and whose vile mob circumventing of the law pisses me right off/ Yep, and I hope one day he gets everything he justly deserves.
Nothing good comes from reading the comments section.
Comments are fun I guess if you’re a troll, but in all honesty, I often make a point of not engaging.
Frankly, I do not want to become any more disgusted by the callous disregard for common sense, not to mention how many raging lunatics there actually are out there.
I’ve found this knowledge does not help, but rather hinders me since I tend to get all caught up in someone else’s delusions and raging ignorance.
Well, and rarely are you going to actually change someone’s mind with vitriol, when actual reality for some seems a bridge too far.
“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.”
Isaac Asimov
So, my advice? If you are interested, get in the habit of quickly scan reading down the feed.
The only thing I’m generally interested in is new information someone may provide, new links, new studies with citations. Anything else is just an opinion poll that basically means absolutely nada.
*****
Make a one-time donation
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
Your contribution is appreciated.
Donate
by PaulaB 