Are you tired of an 'angry' media? I know I am. There's so much media out there, it seems that the only way that they can get your attention is if they 'tick you off'. Look at television. The cable news channels don't simply deliver the news, they take sides. The left has its channels and the right has theirs. Maybe I was naive or something but when I was a kid, it seems that we simply got the facts. Maybe they massaged the stories a bit, but it wasn't obvious. Today...they hit you over the head with their partiality. There's no subtlety to it. It's there for everyone to see, like a flasher with his raincoat opened.
You watch the news and you find yourself getting angry at strangers...people you don't even know! And people you'll probably never know. Why is that? Isn't there enough real stuff for us to get angry about...problems that we have to deal with day after day? Do we need to watch TV to raise our blood pressure? I don't think so.
Even the reality shows get me honked off. Take Survivor....everyone is trying to stick it to the other guy. They're conniving and deceiving...and they all deserve to be on a deserted island. And American Idol....now he's probably a nice guy in person...but don't you want to just smack Simon sometimes?
Dramas are no better. I like House but the guy's no Marcus Welby. What a nasty S.O.B.. He has the bedside manner of Attila the Hun. I wouldn't want him performing any delicate surgery on me. (Hey guys...imagine Dr. House giving you a vasectomy...YIKES!!) I also love 24 but Jack Bauer's got some serious anger management issues, don't you think? You watch an hour of that show and you're exhausted! And you feel inferior...like you're not getting enough done. I mean this guy saves the world in a day. I feel fulfilled if I get my car washed.
Radio talk show hosts are particularly good a elevating my BP. And the real good ones can drive me to near rage in the short time that it takes me to drive to the convenience store down the street. You find yourself walking in to buy a quart of milk and you're scowling at the clerk! And I should know better because I've been a talk show host...on some pretty big stations. I know the tricks of the trade. But I guess I'm as vulnerable as the next guy. And most of today's Top 4o radio morning show hosts can crank me up too. I find their 'humor' to be demeaning, disrespectful and dumb. Oh...and their music stinks too.
And how about them promo announcers! That's right I said promo announcers. The guys sound hostile. They used to be big voiced and important...now they sound surly and they growl their messages at you.
Wow...just mentioning this stuff is getting me uptight.
Is it all a sign of the times? Is it just a reflection of who we are? Have we become an unhappy and angry society? Maybe...but I hope not. God knows that we have a lot to worry about.
Friends...we all need to step back and take a cleansing breath. Maybe if we avoid these angry media messages and outlets they'll get the message. There are other options for us out there and having a little more peace in your life just might make you live longer.
Oh, and the convenience store clerk will feel better about you too.
