Are you aware of the fact that there was a time in the not-so-far-away history of the world when most people in America had no idea what was going on on the other side of the world at a moment’s notice and were largely unaffected by their happenings?
Well, it’s true. And I say most people because I’m certain that certain people in our government were aware of some serious things. But by and large, not the general public.
Are you aware that that first paragraph is the wordiest question I’ve ever asked? Well, it is.
And the first paragraph is true. If anybody ever found out that the Queen of England sneezed so hard that she blew a snot bubble, it was old news by the time it reached North America. And the New Englanders never cared anyway.
Long before the days of 24-hour news networks and high-speed internet satellites orbiting the Earth, there was a daily newspaper full of local and national news.
I recently read a page of the Somerset Whig newspaper printed in 1819. The front page contained writings from a prominent bishop in Richmond, Virginia; financial news from an up-and-coming New Orleans; and the story of a woman attacked by a snake in Pennsylvania.
One of the major stories was about a brand-new mail coach with patriotic symbolism painted on its sides. Since this stagecoach had the power of two real live horses, this may have been about the time when the term “snail mail” originated.
But we are so inundated with stories that don’t matter. And stories that matter, too, but they are things that I can’t do anything about.
Yes, North Korea might shoot another missile, but if it reaches me, I don’t have a shelter deep enough to protect myself, so I’d rather be taken by complete surprise.
The forty-seven consecutive days of cloud cover in Vietnam during peak growing season may mean their rice plants won’t grow as large or produce as much, but it means little to me. I don’t eat much rice.
I know that sounds calloused, but the news telling me about it isn’t helping anybody. If I could help in some way, then it would be news worth sharing.
The only thing I know to do is vote somebody into office who likes to use my money to bail people out of their problems without letting them discover other solutions.
The news outlets are the main reasons why we need more local stories. We need news that matters — like when Son #1 tried to lick the uneven end of a 9-volt battery.
And no, I’m not going to tell you to subscribe to my blog at http://www.caneymountainblog.com/subscribe or for you to like and share my posts so more people can read them.
That would be tacky.
to anyone needing to disconnect for a week,
– Caleb
caneymountainblog.com 