Want to Save Lives? Pay Attention.
Not watching the news is a luxury I will not allow myself.
“Don’t pay attention to the news or politics; it will only destroy your mental state.”
This sort of sentiment has been making the rounds on social media lately. I’ve seen it on Twitter and LinkedIn from various writers and content creators.
I’m not sure they thought this through.
While the sentiment has good intentions — Don’t let yourself become overwhelmed and consumed by bad news. Keep showing up and stay productive — the consequence of this message is dire and could be devastating for all of us.
The worry? Impressionable people may actually heed this advice.
Not paying attention is a luxury
Recently, I’d read a post like this too many times and had to push back. I left a comment that was something to the effect of —
“When you don’t pay attention, your government strips you of your rights. We don’t have the luxury of not paying attention.”
Watching what’s happening and keeping track is another full-time job. I get it. I feel ‘ya. It takes work to stay engaged and to track all the horror. And yes, it can be traumatic.
If you make enough money or were born the “right sex,” maybe you think you don’t need to pay attention. You’re secure. No one is coming after you. Not yet anyway. So, block it all out. The news, politics, anyone with a dissenting opinion. You don’t need to hear it; you’re doing okay.
If you reside in America as I do, I hate to tell you, we need to pay attention. We need to give this all we got. Our democracy is under threat — serious threat. This is not a drill.
People are actively working on overthrowing our democratic practices and checks and balances. They are working day and night to take away more of our rights.
I wish I were overreacting.
So, stick your head in the sand if you want to. Read all the uplifting self-help content you like, but 51% of the American population lost their bodily autonomy, so forgive me if I can’t get on board with that sentiment.
Doomsday writers aren’t delusional
Many of these “don’t watch the news” people also like to crap on doomsday writers. But, guess what? Doomsday is on our doorstep, folks.
Christian Nationalists are trying to strangle us and strip away more rights. The chopping block includes gay marriage, rights for LGBTQ folks, claiming that Black Lives Matter is a terrorist organization (it’s not), and so on.
My DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) friends get harassed on LinkedIn daily. People tell them they should be grateful for their place in American society, and they should be thankful that the North won the Civil War and that they should “know their place.”
The comments they have to deal with are pretty gross. Entitlement reveals racism.
If the things they post about their reality, living as a non-white person, are so offensive to you, just unfollow them. There’s no need for all this vitriol. The world would be a better place if we could listen and learn from everyone. There’s already enough poison coursing through the veins of our country.
Poison revealed
Corrections officers recently sold their cell keys to male inmates so they could rape the female inmates. Hey, guess what? We need to know about this.
Some people are rotten to the core with keys to prisons. So much is f*cked right now, but do you know the real cause for concern? It always was. We’re only now learning about it because everyone has access to take photos and record videos from their cell phones. Social media can now get this information out to millions of people instantly.
We need to continue learning about it to help change it.
All this happens while politicians try to install puppets in election certification positions. (This is also a thing).
Also, the planet is on fire
By the way, our planet is on fire and is about to render humans extinct. This is happening whether we like it or not. It’s happening to you whether you’re paying attention or not.
The people that hold power are too greedy to enact any real change. They’ll all be dead in thirty years anyway, so what do they care?
We should care.
They’re banking on the fact that we won’t.
The planet may not be hospitable for your children to grow up here, but, okay, stop watching the news because it bums you out. That sounds like a good bet.
If we all take the advice, “Just ignore the news, it’s toxic.” Then we shall speed up the rate of our demise.
Maybe we should all give up. The suits would like that.
Have you stopped paying attention altogether? Lucky you.
Does this now make me a doomsday writer? Maybe it does. I’m okay with that. I’d rather die knowing it’s coming than be completely taken by surprise.
I’d rather die fighting.
Kit Campoy is a freelance writer based in Southern California. She covers Web3, travel, leadership, retail, writing, and more. Connect with Kit on LinkedIn, DeSo, and Twitter. Give yourself a break, and join her weekly newsletter.
