Simply taking a break from all the bad news — or is it denial?
I’ve simply been taking a break from all the bad economic news lately — or am I perhaps really just living in denial?
Nope, not denial, but, yes, I’ve worked at avoiding a good deal of the online and television news in recent weeks. My son, who has lost about half of his investment portfolio since September/October 2008 started the stock market downward plunge, puts the matter very plainly: Most of the downward plunge of the market right now is based on nothing “real” or rational — it’s a really awful blend of stupidity and panic. I suspect he’s right; and I suspect much of the stupidity and panic is fed by the media.
As a former “news guy” of sorts (I worked as a newspaper copy editor for seven years and taught college level news writing for four semesters), I’m almost addicted to news. Our blossoming 24/7 flood of “news” on cable and on the Internet is very hard for me to resist. But I noticed in recent months that the constant barrage of “the sky is falling, the sky is falling” lame excuse for economic/national “news” has done nothing but make me feel as though the sun had stopped shining and doom/gloom were everywhere.
How refreshing it is, then, to keep my web browser away from Google News and Yahoo News, and to turn the cable TV to some of the many wonderful digital music channels as I work. And the amazing thing is this: Life goes on for me and my family pretty much as it has for the last several years, only with less of the fear and loathing that was bombarding us since last fall.
I highly recommend you give the media a rest for a few days. The world will PROBABLY still be there when you decide to reopen the browser and turn the TV back on.
