But deciding to opt out entirely is kind of like dropping out of high school because you won the lottery. Can you get away with it? Maybe, for a while. Are you ignorant because if it? Of course.
I stopped consuming news years ago.
The only way it reaches my conscious is if:
1) friends or family mention something (or anyone else within my social circle). Fair game. This helps me understand their thinking patterns too. Very helpful to see what they find important.
2) retweets. If I'm following someone who is retweeting low quality news I immediately block.
I don't feel anxious, when I go to the barbers and everyone is staring at the TV in the top corner, it reminds me of why I stopped.
Gyms are evil that play general trashy news on TV.
On the whole, you are not ignorant if you don't consume the news, not by any standard.
Don't believe that one bit.
P.s great handle.
Agreed about the TVs. I never understood why so many places have it running in the background all day long.
I don't mean this in an insulting way, but aren't you ignorant (by definition) of current events if you don't read/hear about them?
Why is the medium of acquisition of news important here, seems like an irrelevant distinction. How can one be 'Ignorant of current events' if he is acquiring said current events through coworkers/locals.
This is precisely what I was referring to in my original comment. Not everyone has the privilege to leave safety of their family to random happenstance local interactions. eg: My wife's grand parents are on greencard and unenrolled themselves from one govt service based on recent news about being a public charge. Some ppl are constantly on the edge to leave it to 'local interactions'
> if it matters to my family/community/area I’ll hear about it from local interactions.
Reading only relevant news is still reading news.
Anything that will impact your life will be filtered through.
How are you so sure it will ? It might not. correct?
It’s surely possible that something could occur that has repercussions for your life, to where you would have preferred to be aware of it ahead of time. But I can only think of 1 time in my 40 years when that’s happened with any significance. Hardly worth making myself an anxious wreck trying to constantly “be informed”. No matter how diligent one tried to keep pace, you’d never be certain of catching everything anyway.
99% is irrelevant Decision fatigue Generally crap stuff Unhealthy Chips away on your perspective
Better to vet individual publications and consume at really moderate rates, for example, the economist, pointed out in the paper.
Far easier to see the bull for what it is when you’re not acclimated to being deceived 99% of the time.