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Indeed! It seems people these days are just looking for something to be offended about. Pick a topic, and someone will be "offended" about something. If, for no other reason, just to draw attention to themselves.
This seems, especially prevalent, in religious and race issues. Someone gets "offended"about by a nativity scene in a mall at Christmas, or a word that sounds similar to the dreaded N word sets off a torrent of "offense". Its not really that a lot of people are like this, the ones that are, are just loud, obnoxious, and won't go away.
Coupled with the fawning attention the media gives them, it's like drinking gasoline and pizzing on a brushfire.
No doubt some folks are. A short visit to the Politics and Other Controversies forum will confirm that phony outrage would appear to be the primary activity for a certain segment of the political spectrum.
No doubt some folks are. A short visit to the Politics and Other Controversies forum will confirm that phony outrage would appear to be the primary activity for a certain segment of the political spectrum.
And, no, I do not blame the media...that's just BS people invoke to shrug off responsibility for anything and everything. If the media is supposedly serving up sensationalized incidents to incite totally bogus outrage, it is because this is what a huge chunk of the public wants.
Outrage allows people to ride an emotional high of self-righteousness. And there is nothing so characteristic of the changes in American society in the past thirty years than the constant puking stream of self-righteousness that has destroyed all intelligent discourse.
I do blame the media because for a long time, people have looked to them for information.
They are not just informers, but idea makers, as well.
Yes, now everyone is addicted to fake outrage, spoonfed to them by the media.
I've been reading a very interesting article by David Sirota -Political journalist, best-selling author and syndicated newspaper columnist
"It's outrageous that President Obama gets driven around in a limo! It's outrageous that John McCain wore expensive shoes! It's outrageous that Michael Phelps smoked some weed! Welcome, as I say in my newest newspaper column, to a nation now addicted to fake outrage -- a nation that feeds on made-up controversies about total non-issues. And if we don't break our dependency, we're really not going to solve the huge challenges we desperately need to solve."
Do you agree with the author, do you believe we are addicted to fake outrage?
This "fake outrage" is just a side effect of the internet, where people come to spill all sorts of crap that may or may not be true. You can shut the Tv off, but the internet is everywhere. People stopped being educated by parents, and in turn they are "educated" by Google, and the likes! That's why this non sense is perpetuated and we've become very sensitive to whatever a fly says.
We really need to take a step back, and return to interacting with people rather than phones, and use the internet as a tool, and not as a means to live.
On the flip side, it is quite outrageous that those in charge have a need to show off! ....and are paid to keep the masses uninsured!
People, but especially American people, are addicted to feeling something, particularly when there is nothing else to do.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhotoProIP
This "fake outrage" is just a side effect of the internet, where people come to spill all sorts of crap that may or may not be true. You can shut the Tv off, but the internet is everywhere. People stopped being educated by parents, and in turn they are "educated" by Google, and the likes! That's why this non sense is perpetuated and we've become very sensitive to whatever a fly says.
We really need to take a step back, and return to interacting with people rather than phones, and use the internet as a tool, and not as a means to live.
Precisely, tho I don't understand how anyone can want more government ownership of individual privacy thru the ACA or any other agency.
People, but especially American people, are addicted to feeling something, particularly when there is nothing else to do.
Good point. I guess this is a consequence of the showing/being in touch with you feelings movement so popular in psychology since the 70s. Pandora's box.
Perhaps we have to stop the 24 hour news stations, who are trying to fill in every minute with some story that catches our interests. I am always amazed at how many reports are based on "while we don't know the whole story, this is what possibly could be going on. I'd rather get "just the facts", and not "well, in this scenario, this is possible...etc... News is supposed to inform, not confuse. I think that's why I enjoy BBC news, Free Speech TV news shows, and Al Jazerra news. I even learn more from "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Show" than regular news feeds!
I'm with you on that, moscowborn. It always kills me that the 24-hour networks spend most of the day on the same few stories when there's so much news in the world, much of it being of more consequence.
Anderson Cooper, whom I used to respect, can obsess on a single story for ages. He just ran yet another special report on the death of Michael Jackson, for example. It's fair to say the rest of us have happily moved on. Filling time has definitely made news networks more sensational. That, and their metrics/strategies for viewer loyalty. Having interactive websites and social media accounts for viewer feedback (Tell us what you think!) further encourages preoccupation with sensational stories.
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Do you think we are addicted to fake outrage?
