#Media #Politics #Analogy
If landscaping people get paid only to cut grass and cut trees, and not plant native shrubs and care for trees, we will have a bunch of attention & resources dedicated to constant, extreme mowing and cutting. It’s inevitable. People’s livelihoods depend on it.
If the media get paid to post extreme sensational stories, then we’re going to be having lots of extreme sensational stories. Even if the media are supposed to be helping the public stay informed, tall tales are going to be an inevitable consequence if the journalists and companies make more money by posting the wild stories than by setting about the more dull business of posting plain facts.
(This post was prompted by overhearing some young men yesterday talking about how every single illegal immigrant to this country is being handed $3000 for food and $150,000 to buy a house.)
Unfortunately we can’t stop the media from posting outrageous stories. But we can and must decide how to process what we see in the media. I personally favor a “probiotic” approach. Reading as much as possible from many many sources.
And also, weighing the stories against my own experience. My experience of observing government grapple with finances, my experience of hearing everyday people’s experiences recounted in the first person, and my experience in my own life.
Photo of my eco landscaped driveway for your visual enjoyment. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/kiPHgFXTZDhgu1Ki/?mibextid=WC7FNe
(One of the perks of not needing to own a car is that I got to convert my driveway into a sweet outdoor room and hangout space.)