Friend—
Just before Christmas, I discussed my planned media detox diet. Like most dieters, I evangelized and tried to get you to join me on my mental weight loss journey.
Here's my takeaway: The news, as it's fed to us, isn't the whole picture. It's a sliver, often a distorted one, designed to hook you and keep you coming back for more. And social media? It's a funhouse mirror, warping reality, often making the bizarre and the outrageous seem commonplace.
So, what's the plan for us moving forward? Simple. We'll keep our eyes open, but we won't let the hysteria dictate our mood or our worldview.
We'll dig into issues, sure, but we'll be looking for the truth, not just the sensational. We'll tackle the tough topics – the ones they say you're not supposed to talk about – but we'll do it with a bit of detachment from the frenzy.
I like knowing about the large-scale, important news stories, but I’ve realized I can do without the day-to-day drama that feeds the outrage machine. I’ve also been thinking about this newsletter. I want to make sure I’m not both bemoaning the outrage and still feeding it here.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not about to turn into one of those "good vibes only" guys. The world's got its share of problems, and sticking your head in the sand isn't the answer. But there's a difference between being informed and diving headfirst into an echo chamber that's just hell-bent on keeping you riled up and ready to argue.
And so, in 2024, I'm we’re scheduling this newsletter for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, as I step up production of my weekly videos.
Did you try the media detox diet over the holidays? I’d love to know what your experience was like and if you have any new insights!
—Ken
PS: I did promise I’d update you on anything you may have missed during our intermittent fasting period. Here we go:
Beleaguered Harvard president Claudine Gay has resigned after controversies over plagiarism and blowback for her double standards on "hate speech” and antisemitic behavior on campus.
President Trump was kicked off the ballot in Maine. This is after an earlier decision by the Colorado Supreme Court that ruled he is ineligible for the presidency.
At least 55 people are dead after a series of earthquakes in western Japan. A Japan Coast Guard plane delivering supplies collided with a Japan Airlines jet at a Tokyo airport. The hundreds of passengers were evacuated, but five of the six people on the Coast Guard plane are confirmed dead.
Several John Does in previously redacted documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein are likely to be unveiled soon. Fox News reports one of the John Does is President Clinton.
Pro-Palestinian protesters blocked airport access roads in New York and Los Angeles during holiday travel.
Massive waves in the beachfront town of Ventura, CA swept up a truck and sent people to the hospital.
My weapon against media toxicity is a more active form of media-age abstention. My light sabre is the remote control, bearer of the transcendent Jedi warrior magic trick: the mute button.
Flipping channels is faster than fasting during the holidays. Tis the season to mute both unwelcome (usually substitute) pundit/hosts and the well-intended but depressingly repetitive entreaties for contributions to wounded heroes, orphan animals, and disease-ravaged toddlers. My prefered conveyors of news, Maria Bartiromo and Larry Kudlow, took well-earned vacations. Maria's substitutes disappointed, Larry's was alright. Blundering into "Special Report" sharpened my mute reflexes. I flipped quickly, leaving to Mollie the Wise the task of correcting her panel-mates' errata. (She needs to be wary of stress-eating, a malady common to brave windmill-tilter-atters.)
I did cut down on time spent with online news aggregators. The search for Drudge replacement goes on. CFP comes closest, but their anti-vax obsession and promiscuous links to left-wing sources disappoints. Plus they have no tip line, so there was no way to correct a post attributing a Hollywood, FL disturbance to Los Angeles.
Safe landing areas over the holidays included seasonal treasures like "Miracle on 34th Street", "White Christmas", and "The World of Henry Orient"; a generally favorable end-of-year transaction environment supported by the business channels; a terrific season finale for "The Gilded Age"; and a politically misguided, historically inaccurate weak one for "Julia." Unsafe and unvisited were the big social media. I did pare down on Substacks. A response I posted on the conservative social network Ricochet.com earned a bag of likes, but be forewarned, sanctimony thrives there and soars over the top on religious holidays.
As a former TV critic and classroom impresario I sometimes miss my outlets, but not having an active, interactive following bars the door against toxicity, left and right. My wife, also in retirement, has energetically replaced corporate life with watercolor painting. We included one of her works in a holiday e-mail, and the response was dizzyingly favorable. When it comes to media, sometimes small and simple is most satisfying.
Did detox, some, watch Varney & Co M-F AM
Hannity PM
some NewsMax PM
One Nation, Trey weekend FNC
Thats IT