Disclaimer: Conversations always have me thinking, and so I recognize that when I hear something I ponder it, and often my wonderings show up in these writings. All that to say, recent conversations have had me considering the content of this weeks musings, well before the devastating injustice surrounding the death of George Floyd. Please hear me say that I do not speak out of a response to his story or as a chance to react to the way we have responded, so no need to seek out an opinion that I am not trying to convey. My heart grieves over the division and injustice of our world. A darkness that we are reminded of often that feels a million miles away from touching the light.
It’s everywhere. From FlipBoard articles to Facebook posts. Can I admit that it has taken me probably ten minutes to write that last sentence, as I took a moment to head to FlipBoards website and it immediately became an allusive black hole of tragedy and information.
We hold the world in our pockets, and yet we know very little.
“Sensationalism is a type of editorial tactic in mass media. Events and topics in news stories are selected and worded to excite the greatest number of readers and viewers. This style of news report encourages biased impressions of events rather than neutrality, and may cause a manipulation to the truth of a story…Some tactics include being deliberately obtuse, appealing to emotions, being controversial, intentionally omitting facts and information, being loud and self-centered, and acting to obtain attention. Trivial information and events are sometimes misrepresented and exaggerated as important or significant, and often include stories about the actions of individuals and small groups of people, the content of which is often insignificant and irrelevant to the macro-level day-to-day events occurring globally.” (Wikipedia)
Perhaps there was a time when tabloids were the only forms of sensationalized media out there. The number of times the Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston love triangle can continue to sell in the grocery store check out line is well beyond normal, but we feed off of drama, particularly if first relegated to those we don’t know. The relational distance makes for some great gossip trial runs before tantalizing our own emotions. Yet distrust in the media across all platforms has been publicly acknowledged, and so you would think our resources for educating ourselves with current events would shift elsewhere, with a large emphasis on truth.
Except it hasn’t. Not by a long shot.
For some, perhaps those who first experienced news headlines in ink, poured over zealously with a cup of black coffee in hand and polished shoes, there is no reason to believe that news is not simply that. News. Why would they need to appeal to my emotions with exaggerated or misinformed facts? This is the news, for crying out loud.
Jerry Seinfeld currently has a bit up on Netflix where he of course rather comically notes his admiration for being in his 60s. He loves that he has this seeming superpower that comes with age where he can simply say “no”. If someone asks him to turn around – “Jerry you gotta see this!”, he assumes it something he’s already seen, or maybe he’ll see it on the way back when he’s walking in that direction, but if not, who cares. It’s probably like something he’s already seen anyway. He comments on being excited for his 70s when he won’t even need to answer – just wave. “Eh.”
I am by no means a comedian, but you get the gist. Although here’s the problem. Getting older is not an indicator of seeing it all. Things do look different. Very different. So much so in fact that if you don’t take a second look at what would at first glance seem familiar, then you may be opting instead for blindness under the assumption that some things just don’t change. And so with the wave of a hand you hand over your trust to the news stations that know this, and make a nice profit on your unwillingness to look closer, so long as it looks like a shadow of what you’ve already seen before.
Some get this, and still enjoy the tantalizing emotional pull and political polarizing of their favorite news station. “Eh.” Yet others carry on with media mistrust and scour for information elsewhere. How about friends? For certainly a friend is trustworthy, and we hold a similar worldview, or at least I admire you as a person so can take confidence in what you choose to communicate. Although deliver it to me in the quickest means possible, because my attention span is shorter than that of a goldfish, and a headline is meant to communicate all I need to know anyway, so let’s stick with that. And honestly, if you’re more of an acquaintance, that works too.
Facebook. Twitter. Perfect.
Suddenly our understanding of the world around us is summarized in some tantalizing tweets and fiery facebook rants, all of which cater well to opinion. Because here’s the thing, we’re all just trying to justify our story. Opinions are rarely built on truth, even if truth surfaces, and cater instead to our desire to perpetuate a worldview that has been doused in experiences from the day we left our mothers’ womb.
As already stated, we hold the world in our hands, yet we know very little. Not because there is far too much to know, although that is most certainly the case, but because we only know what is being communicated to us. And with little thought, we gather around us the stories we want to hear, especially if that means waging war against anything that threatens who we are. We base opinion, perspectives, and even the entirety of our worldview on the information we receive, without placing substantial merit on the truth present in it. We cater knowledge to our already opinionated selves. Opinions that have formed in light of the way we were raised, or the ways we have been hurt, or the injustices we have experienced, or the people that have either inspired us or revolted us. Our foundation is built off of our own personal experiences, and we cater our understanding of the world – our knowledge – to our initial leanings. We would rather let what we hear cement our pre-formed belief systems than seek to understand what is true.
How quickly we latch onto the knowledge that resonates with our story rather than finding the truth that will challenge our behavior.
There’s something else that looks different, and a wave of the hand looks more like a click of the “post” button.
Power.
We scoff at politicians who seem to get high off of power trips, while we, the people, are left to fight back for our voice to be heard. So we spew words and information for the purpose of resonating our concerns, our opinions, our anger. And we like it. Suddenly, with one click, we have the power that we despise politicians for misusing, and something rather strange happens. We go after that power at any cost. At the cost of friendships. At the cost of justice. At the cost of truth. Words disguised as necessary to making an impact, yet simply catering to our love for power. We are not hell bent on conveying truth. We are instead okay with a little truth, and a lot of self.
Confession. I probably know too little. I am not misinformed, but I am uninformed, and by that measure you may want to discredit me immediately. I understand. Perhaps you should. Honestly, I feel that unbiased news is hard to come by, so I do little to seek it out and feel social media to be a deplorable precedence for truth and better for initiating gossip and self-justification, of which I find sad, yet know I am all too human to not be snagged by. So when it comes to absorbing the knowledge accessible to us in this digital age of immediate access… well, I would most certainly flunk the exam.
I am by no means advocating for naivete. To be informed means to be made aware of the injustices of the world around us, whether in politics or in social systems, and know how to interact with them. To be sheltered is to potentially cater to narrow mindedness. Although, sadly truth is hard to come by.
Here’s what I’ve resoled to do instead (until I find a mentor that can steer me in the right direction), although I still consider it but a starting point. Although perhaps a better starting point than the sensationalized media frenzy:
Stick close to what I know to be true.
Wear a mask for the sake of my concerned neighbor, because conspiracy theory unearthed or not, they are tending to aging parents.
Consider where I purchase the clothes on my back, because I have not stepped foot in a slave laborers factory, but I know the value of ethical practices over my materialism.
Recycle, because I have no tactile experience that would help me understand the condition of our planet, but I do know that if our recycling can is far more utilized than our garbage can, then that’s less trash serving as a young girl’s slum.
Befriend ethnically diverse individuals so that our children are confused when we breach with them the topic of racism.
Continue finding ways to serve those in need, because compassion demands action, not mere sympathy or rage.
Celebrate with my church family on Sunday mornings from a distance, because I could be enraged that our houses of worship are empty, or recognize that God is needed more predominantly in the home anyway.
I could be swayed by sensationalism and know the woes of the world. Or I could know little, and make a mark.
EXPOSITION: I am sure I have prodded enough to engage an emotional response. Why? What worldview are you building on that has its foundation in a life of personal experiences?
RISE: Eliminate sensationalism, even if just for a week (although longer might be needed) and see what it does to your spirit. Better yet, replace it with tangible ways that you can respond to the only truths you know to be true.
DENOUEMENT: “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.” (Solomon- a man who asked for God’s wisdom… and got it.)