I stopped watching television several years ago. I have several TVs in the house, but they are mainly used to watch movies or key sporting events. Television for me became a distraction that pulled me away from work, school, and my hobbies, so I simply cut it out.
Because of this, I don’t watch the news, which I never really enjoyed anyway.
My folks; however, have the television on all the time. Last year, when we moved into our new house and my folks sold their house and moved here, they lived with us for a few weeks as their house was closing and their belongings were being delivered. That had to be the longest few weeks for my dad, because we didn’t even hook up our satellite for a month after moving in.
Needless, he watches the news all the time.
We both get the Boerne Star newspaper…my parents read theirs front to back and I make nice stacks with mine that eventually are used to start fires in the fireplaces. Even then, the Star really isn’t a very worldly news source.
So, my news comes mainly from the Internet…through social media (Facebook and LinkedIn) and news sites (primarily Yahoo News). I’m looking for a more complete and effective news app for my phone and iPad, but I’m not totally disconnected.
As you can see, the information I get and what my parents get is from totally different streams.
Last night, I went to dinner with my parents and I was talking all about this Nevada Cattle Ranch issue and how I see it blowing up and becoming a major national issue. What surprised me was that my parents had heard very little about it…and I do mean very little. We started discussing news that I knew versus news that they knew (the news we knew) and it became very apparent that what national media and social media were saying were two entirely different messages.
Now, I clearly feel that my folks watch too much Fox News and television as a whole. But, I also feel that I get information overload from my news sources as well and try to limit my time surfing for current events and news. The thing is, we could easily be overloaded with information if we let it. However, are we really getting enough information even when we’re overloaded with it? Is it the right information?
I don’t get political on my blogs–I leave that for Facebook (smile). However, I know I need to do a better job of making sure that I get a fuller picture of what is going on in the world. This Nevada Cattle Ranch issue, if you are not aware, has the potential to become a defining moment in our history as a nation. It has the potential of proving out the second amendment of the Constitution and of throwing the United States into total chaos.
This single issue isn’t the reason…it’s just the opportunity to demonstrate that Americans–at least 50% of them–are fed up with our government today. From the current Administration, to our Congressional “leadership,” to government organizations like IRS, Health and Human Services (responsible for the failed Affordable Care Act program failures), Bureau of Land Management (what this current powder keg is about), and the EPA. The scene is being played out in Nevada and has the potential of coalescing at least half the nation into a militia frenzy.
So, I ask you…are you aware of what’s going on in the country and world today? If you saw on the news tonight that 200 armed Federal Agents killed hundreds of equally armed Americas in Nevada over cattle, turtles, and solar power, would you know the whole story?
If this would be the first you’ve heard about it, then, like me, you should probably consider your news sources and ask yourself if you are getting enough information and if that information you are getting covers everything?