I confess to being a news scanner. I don't regularly watch the news, read the paper or listen to the radio. But I do check my Twitter account, Surf my news feeds and spy on my friends on Facebook. For me this is not a bad thing. It does not mean that I am socially inept or uninformed about current events. If anything, it helps keep me level headed and out of jail. These are two pluses that I am sure my family and friends greatly appreciate.
But I have to admit, some of what I see in my scans makes me go Huh? Like the article titled - Do you know Obesity when You see it? Most Doctor's Don't. Okay, got my interest, so I read the article. Seems that most folks (including Doctors and Nurses) are getting heavier. Doctors and nurses are not identifying their patients as being overweight, mostly because they don't identify themselves as being overweight and don't see their patients as any different than themselves. (This is a summary) Okay, I get that. The article pointed out many good things, but noted that doctors do not tell their patients that they are overweight and that their problems could be caused by being overweight. Now they lost me. Just about everyone I know has had the doctor point out their weight, whether it was part of the problem or not. Perhaps we are a minority.
So I moved on and spied an article about How to Dress Your Bump. And another one about Bonding with your Bump. Say what? I know, the article was about bonding with an unborn baby, but I just can't figure out why we would identify a baby as a "Bump." A bump is something you get when you have chicken pox or acne. I don't recall ever referring to my over-sized middle section when I was pregnant as a bump. More like a double wide trailer that had gotten loose from its park, but never a bump. And why would I be concerned with dressing a bump. How about dressing me? All of me? Baby wasn't born yet and certainly had no need for clothes yet... Okay, so maybe I am a little out of the loop.
Perhaps I should read some of the other "trending news." Hmmm, lets see, how about plane crash? Not very big article. Actor accused of sexual assault. Interesting, but no real facts or findings. Why you should Never wash your jeans - OK YUCK! Gonna pass on that one. NFL player arrested for trying to pay for goods with Bubble Gum. Seriously? How about this one - Using Your Hands to Soothe Your Brain - now that sounds interesting. But skip the first paragraph where they talk about folding and ironing clothes as having calming powers. Just thinking about those activities brings on the stress. And if they are so calming, why are there households all over America full of clean laundry sitting in laundry baskets, just waiting to be folded and ironed - instead of worn wrinkled and tossed back into the hamper?
Among the articles I find one titled Child Homelessness on the Rise in the US. An attention grabbing headline with a detailed, informed story about the many issues that contribute to the problem and the perception of homelessness. It also supports the headline with facts and figures about the number of children that are homeless compared to the number a year ago. Okay, I have found an article that further investigation fails to debunk. It is not aiming for scare tactics, sensationalism or selling something. I feel touched and like looking for a solution. How on earth did it get in the news feed?
One of the things about news surfing that I like is that I can look deeper in the articles presented on news feeds and social media. I looked into a few recent articles circulating, Like the one about the Florida man arrested for Feeding the Homeless. Some of the facts to the story were omitted. Perhaps an oversight? And some exaggerated. He was issued citations for not complying with outdoor feeding practices put in place, not for feeding the homeless, as the news story suggests. While some can argue that those are charges and constitute being arrested, so are tickets issues for moving violations, but most of us don't tell people we were arrested for speeding. Should we be worried about restricting the feeding of the homeless? You bet ya. But both sides of the issue are not really addressed, like food safety issues, availability of hand washing and restroom facilities and use of public facilities. A lot of people get fired up about the issue and rant. So what are the rules in your community? I don't see groups in my area feeding the homeless in the public parks where we take our children to play. Is it because the neighbors don't like to "see the problem" or are there other considerations? Hmmm, now that is food for thought.
I do feel sorry for the whales being slaughtered near Denmark, but I would have been just as outraged if the story had identified the animals correctly as whales (not dolphins) and still feel something should be done about ending the practice - even if the pilot whales in question are not considered endangered. The story would have been just as good with more solid facts and figures and less sensationalism. Maybe even better if the author could have offered a feel for local culture, some interviews with people from the area as well as potential solutions. The story is true, but lacks a quality of reporting that cuts to the underlying issues.
I have an opinion about common core math. I could care less about celebrities and professional sports players, but recognize that they are role models and merit some pubic attention. I admit that I laughed at the funny video of the baby laughing her head off while sitting on the couch with a box of tissues, even though this wasn't "news." I am alarmed at the violence and crime that seems prevalent in Mexico. I worry about ISIS. However, I have to say, that I worry about Ebola about as much as I did during the 2001 and 2012 outbreaks in Uganda and the Republic of the Congo, perhaps because I am aware that we had doctors and nurses coming and going from those countries at that time, no different than we do now. Current headlines that hurl accusations and spread panic do nothing to create valid public policy. I know that our state is in financial trouble and recognize that the programs they are looking to cut are less than a percent of the spending and will do little to alleviate the financial crisis. My head is not in the sand, though it could be argued that it belongs there.
If you ask me why I don't watch the news, I will tell you that I don't think exposure to violence via video is educating me on the world problems. Instead I fear that it may inure me to harsh conditions that exist in our world today. And I certainly don't want to become inundated to such deprivation and violence until I accept it as being commonplace. The acceptance is what I fear the most. And I have decided that I prefer to see my news not through the lens of the media, but through a filter that allows me to navigate and explore the truths behind the articles.
If you ask me why I like Facebook, I will tell you it is because my family and friends find it creepy when I am standing outside their living room windows looking in.
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