Gross Abuses
Call me a pleb, but there’s a certain category of “Trump era” news that breaks my central nervous system. I’m talking about the grab bag of idiotic/trivial/cruel/untrue—yet potentially significant—stories. Ones that are likely nothing, but could very well lead to something dangerous or life-altering. I think it’s this potential of so many things, coupled with the 24-hour news cycle’s relentless pace, that I cannot process; my body simply revolts.
Batshit bullshit from last week à la Zeteo:
Tuesday: Trump and Musk turned the South Lawn of the White House into a car lot, showcasing Tesla vehicles in front of reporters.
Wednesday: House Speaker Mike Johnson wants Congress to investigate claims of “domestic terrorism to attack Tesla owners and their vehicles”.
Thursday: Trump called CNN host Kaitlan Collins a “third rate, low rated reporter”.
Friday: Trump referred to staffers at the non-profit Citizens for Responsible Ethics in Washington as “scum”.
What a relief I didn’t have to read any of these gross abuses in real time. Keeping up with the Trump administration’s incessant microaggressions is a Sisyphean task. But people do. And I am eternally grateful for their hardy resolve. Zeteo’s “This Week In Democracy” series, a day-by-day distillation published every Saturday, does a fantastic job at recapping the essential Trumpian chaos you may have caught, missed, or (if you’re like me) deliberately ignored in an effort to not spend the evening hyperventilating on the couch.
Moody Descanso Gardens, Los Angeles, 📸 November 2019
I find the 24-hour news cycle paralyzing and dishonest. I don't like being jerked around. I don't appreciate clickbait content, buried leads, or unannounced corrections. Mass media knowingly takes advantage of its audience—entertaining them, overwhelming them, eventually numbing them until they’re tuned out entirely, ingesting the news like a fucking football game or TV drama. Zero scrutiny. Zero concern for credible sources. If it’s coming from the network, out of a favorite news anchor’s mouth, well then, it must be true, eh?
Mass media allegiance is such a dumb concept. As dumb as “vote blue no matter who” and “vote red to save America” or whatever the Republican counterpoint is. I find both to be incredibly reductive and hysterical. I don’t mean to say that some middle ground exists between the two, no. I don’t give a shit about balance. I want the facts. I don’t need to lean one way or the other. I just want the fucking truth. And I don’t see it when I’m watching CNN or reading the New York Times.
When it comes to the news—reading readable news—I am picky as hell. For one, I don’t keep up with Trump’s vitriol in real time. I just don’t. I mentally and physically can’t. Some may call that “privileged”; I say, “know thyself”. Two, I seek out independent journalism rooted in accuracy and accountability (might I suggest Drop Site News). Finally, I absolutely require passion and kindness—specifically, dignity for all people while boldly calling out any and all oppressors obstructing said dignity—to shine through in whatever I’m reading.