Any of you notice the pattern lately?

[HorseArcher]

I'm talking about news you read or watch.

There is one thing common about all: It's all negative.

Go to any major news site and all you read is negative news. This is directly effecting the people and their way of thinking --you guessed it--- in a negative way.

You know the saying "You are what you eat". It also works for thinking and living. "You think and do what you hear and take in as information".

I'm also noticing the way people behave:

-There are more road rage incidents - from my personal experiences lately.
-Crime is going up, some very gruesome lately - related to hate and mental disorders
-Just walk around and talking to people, I can sense the negativity about everything.
-I find more people depressed lately about something. Even stuff, that always effected them and yet now they are more worried.

I blame the media (trying to live off from negative news) and materialism. People became too materialistic.
Well, I guess it's that time. To brake the cycle of this and it's happening, but before it gets good, first it gets worse. Mark my words.

[Brewskii]

people are drawn to negativety, the media is in a ratings system they will go with whatever works, good or bad

[finsternis]

Brew is right. People are more attracted to other people dying than a cute little puppy winning a cute little puppy's race. And the media knows this and takes advantage of it.

[Dayman]

The news has always been negative.

[The Colonel]

Negative=Money

Positive news, or news that would affect companies negatively arent reported.
I remember on the local austin news, there was supposed to be a story about how pharmaceutical companies' vaccines back in the late 80's and early 90's could have been a cause for most modern autism. The story never came up.

[Da Skinna]

You are not what you think you are; but what you think, you are.

[The Good]

Unfortunately, HorseArcher, this is true, especially moreso lately, that is, in the last decade. The news is (or was?) regularily showing pictures of fallen soldiers who participated in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. This definately has a negative effect; it makes younger generations less willing to serve in the nation's armed forces/military. I would like to see more pleasant news though, even though I know there aren't many choices in this category. Many people find negative news more interesting as well. When you ask someone if they want to hear the "good news" or "bad news" first, generally people would be more interested in hearing the bad news first. Get what I'm saying?

[Serious J]

Humans have always had a heavy negative side to them. In the past however it was heavily balanced with strong faith in religion, the government/leaders and having close family ties that gave us hope. Those concepts have taken a drastic turn down the crapper in the recent past for a lot of people so all we're left with is pessimism and anger. People are simply beginning to see the world for what it really is.

Take the step through the looking glass Alice because the Strange Days are coming.

[Dayman]

The news is (or was?) regularily showing pictures of fallen soldiers who participated in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. This definately has a negative effect; it makes younger generations less willing to serve in the nation's armed forces/military.

Wow. because they show them that they might die? Perhaps we should pretend Americans don't die in wars instead. You know, so the "younger generations" are more willing to serve.

[The Good]

Wow. because they show them that they might die? Perhaps we should pretend Americans don't die in wars instead. You know, so the "younger generations" are more willing to serve.

It's not quite like the World War II days, where young men were willing to fight for their country in the armed forces. Nowdays, with such footage even being shown, less people are willing to join the military. It's not necessarily a good or bad thing for us here, but it's bad for our government and it's influence/power.

[Richard]

It's not quite like the World War II days, where young men were willing to fight for their country in the armed forces. Nowdays, with such footage even being shown, less people are willing to join the military. It's not necessarily a good or bad thing for us here, but it's bad for our government and it's influence/power.

Exactly. Recently I've been studying censorship; it's amazing some of the wartime laws that were enacted (at least in New Zealand) regarding the national war effort. I wonder if so many people would have gone to the other side of the world to defend 'Mother England' if they knew what the Japanese were up to as they wandered in this direction...

Fortunately, it's now a lot harder to conceal information in the west, and also, I think, more difficult to stir up idiotic sentiment among the populace (exceptions include third-world countries, China, the US, and the ultra-religious/patriotic)

[Amorphos]

a lot of people say how tired they feel all the time, the negativity perhaps is also a part of this same phenomenon. i call this effect ‘sardine fever’ like that feeling when people are packed into tube trains. this for me is the result of an increase and the condensing of events, we are simply in a period of our evolution when so much is happening, history is changing so quickly, that it feels like chaos. this in turn has the effect of causing confusion, lethargy and negativity.

i don’t think the end times are upon us.


...but i do feel that humanity will yearn for a simpler way of life in some way, thence eventually things will slow back down.

[Cluny the Scourge]

Fear sells. That is a prime universal historical law and one that has made some men very powerful by understanding it.

[Big War Bird]

If it bleeds it leads.

[removeduser_426582376423734]

Harmony isn't news.

[ajm317]

Negative news is just, generally speaking, more important than positive news. Let's face it, I want to know if there's a tornado coming my way, or if my country is at war, or if someone was murdered on 15th street (guess I'll be staying away from that part of town). If there's a natural disaster in Southeast Asia or something, people should know so they can send help if they want to. Is it as important to know that the help was sent? Not really.

Basically, when something goes wrong, people should be aware of it, so they can either be prepared for it or try to fix it. When something goes right? That's great but...so what?

[Yaga Shu Ra]

Harmony isn't news.

Exactly. Something is "news" because it's out of the ordinairy. I would start to worry when positive events become the exception.

[Kanaric]

I'm talking about news you read or watch.

There is one thing common about all: It's all negative.

Go to any major news site and all you read is negative news. This is directly effecting the people and their way of thinking --you guessed it--- in a negative way.

You know the saying "You are what you eat". It also works for thinking and living. "You think and do what you hear and take in as information".

I'm also noticing the way people behave:

-There are more road rage incidents - from my personal experiences lately.
-Crime is going up, some very gruesome lately - related to hate and mental disorders
-Just walk around and talking to people, I can sense the negativity about everything.
-I find more people depressed lately about something. Even stuff, that always effected them and yet now they are more worried.

I blame the media (trying to live off from negative news) and materialism. People became too materialistic.
Well, I guess it's that time. To brake the cycle of this and it's happening, but before it gets good, first it gets worse. Mark my words.

Media has been like this for YEARS. Even before 24.7 news networks, which are a plague of misinformation and fear mongering.

I've noticed a pattern lately on this forum as well, not meaning this topic BTW, most topics in the political mudpit are back and forth topics talking about a previously discussed issue just to bring it up because the topic is known to be flame bait.

[craziii]

that is why I donate to pbs, the one, the only good channel. they are not driven by a rating system.

[Tecumseh]

"In other news, this bus didn't crash today."

Not news.