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.
I've all but abandoned Drudge, although now it gives me a 1-page insight into the MSM. I love knowing things, although your last paragraph sounds pretty darn good.
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.
All of this makes total sense to me, Jim.
I've all but abandoned Drudge, although now it gives me a 1-page insight into the MSM. I love knowing things, although your last paragraph sounds pretty darn good.
Did detox, some, watch Varney & Co M-F AM
Hannity PM
some NewsMax PM
One Nation, Trey weekend FNC
Thats IT