Monday, February 28, 2011

Everyone is Doomed! Doomed I tell you!

"There'll be another depression!" "The liberals will destroy this country!" "Obama is a space Alien!" "The Republicans are all evil!" "Store up gold because the world economy is going to implode!" "Save up food for the end is near I tell you!" "Your children won't have it as good as our Grandparents did." "We're all doomed"

Who wouldn’t be down if all you read or heard all day was doom, gloom and negativity.

Hang on! That is what we seem to read and hear all day! Is it any wonder why people are so on edge and in a heightened state of anxiety?



Here’s just a mild example: “Pleading for unity in a newly divided government, President Barack Obama implored Democratic and Republican lawmakers to rally behind his vision of economic revival for an anxious nation, declaring in his State of the Union address Tuesday night: "We will move forward together or not at all."


The Republican response?: Our day of reckoning is just around the corner.
I use the world mild because that’s nothing compared to what we’re being exposed to everyday. Is the nation divided? You bet it is. And the American people are as much to blame as the politicians and the talking heads like Glenn Beck and the like.


Batter up!
Part of the problem is that we in the United States see everything as a winner-take-all scenario. It’s all about the game…the match. Us v.s them. My team is better than your team! Your team is terrible and my team is the only team that matters! We go so far as to get into actually physical brawls over something as simple as… a sports competition! Sad when you think about it.


And now, there are no shortage of media outlets and personal blogs to help spread the discord! There are many who are all too happy to get online and pound out their aggression and anxiety using their keyboard. Nothing wrong with free speech…but now, you hit “publish” and your blog and all its words are up for all to see and with blog sharing and promotions of blogs, they’re even more prevalent.


So why do some people seem to thrive on creating and spreading angst and dis-harmony? Why is there a seemingly endless supply of people lately, who almost seem eager to spread doom and gloom? Here are some theories:


- They’re just unhappy people and as the saying goes, “misery loves company.”
- They’re frustrated because they think no one listens to them, so they say shocking things just to get attention
- They’re evil
- They’re just miserable, cranky, nasty people
- It’s a sign of the times


Personally, of that list, I believe it to be numbers 1, 3 and 5.


Here’s another problem – people spreading lies… even as a joke, and then “others” picking up on them and repeating them….never bothering to check them first. Example, as appeared in a story on Pop Eater:

Oops! Sarah Palin Didn't Call Christina Aguilera an 'Airhead'
By PopEater Staff

Posted Feb 10th 2011 01:10PM
“Whoops! One comedian's attempt to spoof Sarah Palin has been blown way out of proportion after one media site decided to report the former vice presidential candidate's fabricated comments as fact.

In Palin's comments, which were crafted by an Onion-like satirical website, she supposedly blasts Christina Aguilera's disastrous performance of the national anthem at Super Bowl XLV. In the satire, Palin calls Aguilera a "demanding beauty queen who's clearly in over her head." The Palin impersonator also talks about wanting to "deport" Aguilera, after having "to suffer through a performance by a foreigner with a poor grasp of the English language."


But as Gossip Cop points out, the quotes were all fake -- even though Us Weekly reported them as fact.

Neither side has yet issued a denial, but that's probably because neither needs to.”
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This kind of thing should worry us all because the web now means anyone can spread anything, no matter how untrue or inaccurate it may be. And let’s face it…there are too many people more than happy to spread untruths and half-truths. Spin is in!


People are increasingly unhappy and looking for something …or someone to make them happy. It’s not that simple. Happiness comes from within; it’s a seed that needs nurturing so that it takes root and stays with you. Happiness is about feeling content and feeling a sense of self-worth. It’s about feeling inspired and having a positive outlook on life. It’s also about realizing that it doesn’t mean you won’t feel “blue” sometimes, because everyone does…but it does mean realizing that there is light at the end of the tunnel.


Why are there so many people spreading doom and gloom? I wish I knew. I have some theories, but they’re for another article. Right now though, each one of us has to fight the doom and push aside the gloom. People who spread fear and disharmony deserve our sympathy, not our hate.

                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                     

1 comment:

  1. Its terrible really. Theres so much negativity. You can't trust the news, you hear and read all sorts of terrible things. It can get to you afer a while but I think you're right that you still have try to be reasonable and tune out the negativity and focus on the truth and the good things.

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