10 Years of Trumped Up Headlines

I swore I was going to post more regularly. It was one of my New Years Resolutions.

However, we are almost two weeks into February. On the Eve of Valentine’s Day, I make my first blog of the month. A previous version of myself would feel ashamed. Thankfully, the current version is more forgiving.

Perhaps you are overwhelmed by the onslaught of news like me. It’s a different kind of feeling from the election. Then I was worn down by negativity. Now I am more awed by the speed of news. There is something insane or semi-insane multiple times a week.

I had a conversation today with some colleagues about the availability of information throughout history. We started with how rare books were and how hard it was to make them. A city may of had a single copy of a book while in the modern era, there are several on the same block. Long ago news spread slowly and unreliably. Now it’s lightning fast. A few weeks ago, fans informed Miami Heat players during a game about a trade. That would be unthinkable even 5–10 years ago.

Ironically, the newfound availability of information is paralyzing in its own way. A big factor in this information paralysis (better name to come, maybe) is Donald Trump.

The USA has experienced a decade of the former real estate magnate’s political career. (I cannot believe it has been that long!) In the early days and especially before his 2016 victory, he was a wake up call for many. He both galvanized people who felt neglected and opponents who felt a man without political or military experience should not be the president.

At first, I welcomed the furor around Trump as it got people to take their democracy seriously. For too long, the U.S.A. functioned well enough on its own. Wide swaths of the population could tune out its elections and government. Trump’s rise forced people to pay attention, whether they loved or hated him.

In the opening weeks of his second term, the Trump furor has got me to a breaking point.

January 6th pardons.

Withdrawal from international organizations.

Shutting down governmental departments.

Tariffs on friend and foe.

Acquiring land through any means necessary.

The amount and variety makes me think I’m a character in a James Joyce novel, subject to the stream of consciousness of our chief executive and news networks.

It makes me reflect on how much information do we actually need. I certainly don’t want to go back to Ancient Rome or the Middle Ages. In those eras, my book and information addiction would most likely be unmet.

That being said, I’m unsure that I need access to everything I currently do. Without intending to, I am exposed to a vast array of sources, a mixture of fact and propaganda, that has to be interpreted by a brain which evolved to deal with non-urban life.

Things aren’t going to change because I don’t like them. I need to find a balance.

Though it would be nice to have a quiet spell, no?