Sources

I wrote about our latest adventure – a move up to northwestern Wisconsin. We are currently at the in-laws, and are so thankful they have opened their home to us as we make this transition as Illinois refugees. My FIL has long been a die-hard Democrat, and while I’ve noticed it in the past, this time I truly cannot get over how hard-lined he is to the Democratic party and their ideals.

I am not a fan of television, and before we left the Chicago area, would only turn it on in the mornings and early evenings for the news. The rest of the day, it would be off, and I would play music or podcasts. I don’t see anything that can be gained from it being on all day. Being up here, my in-laws have their television on all day. It starts in the morning, with my FIL turning on MSNBC, and rewinding whatever the morning news show is back to the time it starts; he plays it all morning, fast-forwarding through the commercials, and complains about everything they report on POTUS. Once he’s done with the news and his complaining, MIL switches to her murder mysteries; I don’t mind the occasional murder mystery show, but 8 hours a day of it is a bit much. At 6, the local news is turned on, and then it’s time for Wheel of Fortune. That little bit of local news is the only reprieve we get from the hard left new reporting each day.

Squatch and I both believe in well-rounded reporting, and so look to multiple sources for our news. On a given day, I will go to WGN, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, BBC, and ZeroHedge to see what is being reported, and get various angles into the same story. Squatch will also go to Drudge, as well as a few other sources to see what is being reported. Over the years, I have found that I have a better idea of not only what is happening in the world, but I have a more educated and well-rounded view of current events. By going to so many sources, I can see which angles are being pitched, and can make my own, well-educated conclusion into what is happening around me.

Think back to high school and/or college – when writing a paper, you had to provide multiple sources. What is different with going to various news outlets to get the scoop of the day? The reality is that the majority of people are like my in-laws and only go to one network or outlet to get their dose of the news. How can you make an educated decision when you only have one source? You cannot make an argument when you only look at a situation from one angle; you end up only spouting out what the media wants you to say, trust me, I hear it from my FIL all day every day. The sad part is, the fewer news sources an individual refers to, the harder it is to have any type of civil discourse with that person.

Today’s polarizing media is getting out of hand. People speak in sound bites, and are just repeating what the talking heads are reading from their teleprompters. Add in the censorship on the internet (I’m looking at you, FaceBook and Google), and it is no wonder this country seems so divided. I made a comment this afternoon that I was glad to have not watched any television all summer (apart from when we had the tornado warning and watch at the end of June), because I could not believe the vitriol being spewed on screen all day. Truthfully, by only allotting a small amount of my day to be dedicated to seeing what is going on in the world from different news sources, and then going about the rest of the day, I have been a much happier, more productive person. When you don’t waste your time getting angry at whatever you’re being told to be angry at, you can get so much more done, and you will be in a much better mood.

So, get out there, pick one, or two, short times during your day to catch up on the news. Go to multiple sources, and not just the ones that skew in your preferred political direction, to see the various ways the same topic is being portrayed; you may even find that there are stories being completely ignored by some outlets. Try this for a week or two, and see how your outlook on life changes. I know it changed mine for the better.