The News Makes Us Dumb (and serfs)

My father was, I think it's safe to say, an intellectual - an Ethiopian intellectual. Like in many homes of Ethiopian intellectuals, in our home, amateur politics and philosophy was often the topic of conversation. Between my father and I, our friends and guests, during visits, lunches, and dinners, it was a time when, where two or three (Ethiopian men) are gathered, politics is present.

We also watched the news. Not much else. Maybe a comedy here, and perhaps a cowboy and Indian show for nostalgia's sake. But news was king. And when we moved to North America, then we really got our fill of news. And plenty of political commentary.

As you might expect, we thought of ourselves as quite smart. We were the news watchers. We knew what was going on. We were serious. We were cosmopolitan. We were intellectuals. Our neighbours couldn't even point out Mexico on a map, and there we knew most of the world capitals. We even watched the US presidential debates - of the nominees! How smart we were.

Of course, this was all nonsense. We followed "the news" in exactly in the same way as the housewife followed soap operas or the youth followed sports. We were passive onlookers onto an activity on which we had no influence and had no stake, but fooled ourselves into thinking that merely watching meant something! But no, the news, was really a form of entertainment - mindless (and heartless) entertainment and escapism. Gossip that pretended to be something else. Passive and numbing brainwashing. No better than a soap opera. Actually worse - most soap opera watchers are under no illusion that they are doing something worthwhile!

Today, I don't watch TV and don't follow the news. On the internet, once in a while I quickly browse the headlines on a few sites - none of them mainstream. But sometimes, I find myself entranced and feeling the urge to delve a little into the news/gossip, and I have to stop myself.

Nevertheless, it was on the internet of course that I stumbled upon this old article: Why The News Makes Us Dumb. I encourage you all to read it. And turn off the news. Never watch CNN; if you see it on a television screen where you happen to it, flee!  Don't let your mind be colonized. If you have the spare time to burn, go have a chat with your neighbour. It would do you and him much more good than staring at the TV.