One of the smartest things I did in 2008 was get rid of television.
I wasn’t quite scrounging around in the couch cushions for milk money yet, but I was looking for ways to cut my expenses. Dispensing with cable wasn’t a big ask. The kids had plenty of Blue’s Clues and Veggie Tales videos to watch and we still had economy internet service.
I had stopped buying the newspaper around the same time when it occurred to me it was mostly being used to line the litter box. Editing had gone by the wayside, reporters couldn’t spell and they were no longer writing about the who, what, where, when and how and were now just opinion columnists.
What passed for journalism would have gotten me fired 20 years ago when I was working for the local papers.
I had a newly minted Facebook account (probably a mistake), so I figured if something important happened in the world I would hear about it. I also worked seven days a week and that helped me stay in touch with the here and the now.
The nice thing about not having television at home, especially these days, is I am not constantly bombarded with the panic porn. My job requires that I stay up to date and I do read medical journals and the daily papers for work. I often have to rely on foreign news sources to find anything remotely resembling truth. However, I am able to go home at night and, if I choose, pretend the country isn’t mad and destroying itself.
There is very little objective journalism anymore. Anyone with half a brain can see that the networks are shills for their preferred political party and the producers edit content to reflect their personal views. “If it bleeds, it leads” couldn’t be truer than today. The yellow journalism of the late 19th Century almost pales in comparison.
Doctors who actively practice medicine on the front line are being censored. Access to lifesaving medications is restricted for political reasons. Riots are called “peaceful protests”. Politicians hijack funerals and cash in on death.
Citizens who dare to defend themselves against mob violence or express an opinion contrary to the approved narrative of the day are being forced to resign from jobs after years of dedicated service. Members of Congress are allowed to browbeat the Attorney General and then accuse him of being rude. Hello, Pot. Meet Kettle.
And the news media, the very people who are supposed to be defenders of free speech, seem to be, with few exceptions, just fine with this.
This is America. This is not Nazi Germany. This is not Cuba or the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. This is not Communist China. But this is happening.
Right here, right now, right in front of our masked faces.
