Showing posts with label bokeh. Show all posts
As a kid, I recall my parents pretty consistently tuning into the evening or prime time local news. Do I remember the contents of the newscasts? Not particularly. What I do know is that, at the age of 28, I often have a difficult time working the local TV news into my agenda, because it tends to feel more depressing than it does informative.
From a psychology standpoint, I suppose I understand that their mission is to focus on the juicier and more sensational bits. In general, that's what draws people in. It just causes me to wonder if there happen to be good things occurring in our society.
For example, in the first five minutes of a local newscast tonight, here's what they told me about.
1. Bank robbers escaping from a downtown Chicago prison, with a focus on how the trail has gone cold in the search
2. The death of a NIU freshman at the hands of fraternity hazing
3. A Chicago fire that is now looking suspiciously like a murder
We went on to talk about less sensational topics for a minute, although still in a dramatic tone (CTA fare hikes, blizzard-like conditions), before moving back to Newtown and the NRA's response to all of the talk about gun control. Revert to sports news: the Bears have another injury, Joaquin Noah is leaving his wild ways behind, so on and so forth.
Finally, thirty minutes in, for the final story of the newscast, we were graced with a blip about how a tweet from Ann Curry is causing random acts of kindness. I'm not sure if we even glossed over the topic for 30 seconds before the newscast was over.
There's constant debates about how newsworthy, factual or accurate our news actually is - I'm not getting into that argument. This isn't about agenda-setting and persuasion. This is about how I'd love to see the lead story on my local news sway a little more positive and a little less homicide and arson. At least once in a while.
light up your life \12.18\
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Labels:
bokeh,
christmas,
lights,
tree
From a psychology standpoint, I suppose I understand that their mission is to focus on the juicier and more sensational bits. In general, that's what draws people in. It just causes me to wonder if there happen to be good things occurring in our society.
For example, in the first five minutes of a local newscast tonight, here's what they told me about.
1. Bank robbers escaping from a downtown Chicago prison, with a focus on how the trail has gone cold in the search
2. The death of a NIU freshman at the hands of fraternity hazing
3. A Chicago fire that is now looking suspiciously like a murder
We went on to talk about less sensational topics for a minute, although still in a dramatic tone (CTA fare hikes, blizzard-like conditions), before moving back to Newtown and the NRA's response to all of the talk about gun control. Revert to sports news: the Bears have another injury, Joaquin Noah is leaving his wild ways behind, so on and so forth.
Finally, thirty minutes in, for the final story of the newscast, we were graced with a blip about how a tweet from Ann Curry is causing random acts of kindness. I'm not sure if we even glossed over the topic for 30 seconds before the newscast was over.
There's constant debates about how newsworthy, factual or accurate our news actually is - I'm not getting into that argument. This isn't about agenda-setting and persuasion. This is about how I'd love to see the lead story on my local news sway a little more positive and a little less homicide and arson. At least once in a while.
I'm simultaneously saddened, frightened, and appalled today. For the life of me, I can't fathom how people's minds bring them so far to the brink that they take the lives of innocent people. Innocent children. I feel fortunate that, for me, Sandy Hook Elementary School is a news story and not a personal one. Despite the fact that I can't imagine their pain, there are so many people that my heart aches for - and I'm sure that I'm not alone. Both now and across the unforeseeable future.
When you look at the things that people do and how easy it is to get caught in their path, you almost feel as though you should be scared to leave home. Movie theaters. Hair salons. Malls. Schools. Everyday places, places you wouldn't necessarily think to leave your guard up. Train platforms. Busy city streets. Highways. Places you use to get from point A to point B in everyday life. Innocent people have been shot in all of these places in the past six months alone.
I don't want to go through life thinking that nowhere is safe, but it's difficult to keep suspicion from edging its way in. There's no way to foretell and avoid senseless violence. Standard vigilance and common sense will keep you out of harm's way in most cases, but there's truly no way to expect the unexpected. So I'll keep living my life, perhaps wary but not fearful. If I fear every decision, I'm not really living anymore.
It's crushing for those who lost family and friends today to be in the midst of the holiday season, a time that's meant to revolve around the people you love. I'm sure their absence will leave an aching hole. Ultimately it's a good reminder to the rest of us. We don't know what next week, tomorrow, or even ten minutes from now will bring. So appreciate the people in your life while you're here to do it. Make sure they know you love them. And stop putting off the enjoyment of life for things less worthwhile.
These thoughts and feelings aren't particularly unique; you've probably seen them pasted far and wide across social media and the internet in general. But I felt the need to put them out in the universe.
shine a light \12.14\
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Labels:
bokeh,
fence,
lights,
night
When you look at the things that people do and how easy it is to get caught in their path, you almost feel as though you should be scared to leave home. Movie theaters. Hair salons. Malls. Schools. Everyday places, places you wouldn't necessarily think to leave your guard up. Train platforms. Busy city streets. Highways. Places you use to get from point A to point B in everyday life. Innocent people have been shot in all of these places in the past six months alone.
I don't want to go through life thinking that nowhere is safe, but it's difficult to keep suspicion from edging its way in. There's no way to foretell and avoid senseless violence. Standard vigilance and common sense will keep you out of harm's way in most cases, but there's truly no way to expect the unexpected. So I'll keep living my life, perhaps wary but not fearful. If I fear every decision, I'm not really living anymore.
It's crushing for those who lost family and friends today to be in the midst of the holiday season, a time that's meant to revolve around the people you love. I'm sure their absence will leave an aching hole. Ultimately it's a good reminder to the rest of us. We don't know what next week, tomorrow, or even ten minutes from now will bring. So appreciate the people in your life while you're here to do it. Make sure they know you love them. And stop putting off the enjoyment of life for things less worthwhile.
These thoughts and feelings aren't particularly unique; you've probably seen them pasted far and wide across social media and the internet in general. But I felt the need to put them out in the universe.