Official Media Hater

It was near the end of high school that I began to acknowledge myself as a well-read person versed in current national and international affairs. Despite my then beggarly income of $10 a week for allowance, I'd still manage to buy the latest issue of the Times Magazine from time to time. In reality, there was no preference to Times, just that the magazine felt important, and I was ready to read what's important. I also read newspapers and sat through news programs, a rather unpopular activity among teenagers during my days, maybe even now but I can't know.

Fast forward several years, violent natural disasters, feeble wars and erratic weather forecasts, the media's big story today is the economy. Everywhere, you hear, see and read the instability and the withering of the world economy and in turn the Canadian economy. "Today TSX down 200 points, consumer confidence falls to an all time low, Jim Flaherty probes federal deficit, blah, blah, blah, blah, BLAH!!!"F***! I'm tired of all this frivolous nonsense!!! I was first introduced to this concept by Michael Moore, the idea of first instilling fear into ordinary people who will then turn around and do what you tell them. This worked for Bush, when he skillfully manipulated the American public through fear of terrorist attacks to sanction the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Advertising companies have been the forerunners of this ploy, subjecting an already dejected population into believing mere material attainment will lead to true happiness and security.

After years of accessing vital information through the media, I can honestly say that I am sick of their daily tantrums. Yes, people are losing their jobs, and Yes, the economy is not good, but it's not the end of the world, If you had visited your local mall this past holiday, it's not as gloom and doom as the convincingly conniving little *BEEP* make it out to be. People are still smiling. We're not AMERICANS. They have their own problems and we have our own. I know they have it more interesting, but that doesn't mean we have to steal their headlines. I pledge today, that I will not watch or the read the newspaper again for trivial matters but read and watch indepth articles (national geographic) and programs (the National on CBC) from hereon.

Next time you are watching the news, ask yourself this question "why the **** is the coverage on major headlines so short, but murders and accidents get repeated coverage?". Murder victims have been reduced to mere statistics (1st homicide of the year?). Today's media has no credibility, and are constantly inundated with horrific stories glorifying others' misery. And I refuse to be subjected to such ugliness. So it ends here.