This country has an anger problem

In the last few days I have read of

- bodies being found curb side in the debris in New Orleans

- children who were reunited with their families SIX MONTHS after the hurricane

- secret torture chambers run by the US Army

and these stories don't even make it onto the evening newscasts!

This country has a serious anger shortage. Any one of these stories should be a cause for major scandal, yet they don't even cause a ripple. What's going on? Are we suffering from an overdose of Ambien and Lunesta? Is everyone that overworked? Too much alcohol/meth/marijuana? Or is it simple scandal fatigue?

"and these stories don't even make it onto the evening newscasts!"

but i like your title. made me look! :-)

I post on a couple of private political boards. One of them damn near came to a screeching halt for awhile. We all said that we were just plain old burned out.

Where is Ted Turner when you need him...?

underworked

Job market. No jobs.

just to keep up. That's why some of us are out of work.

being out of work is a full-time job.

problem. Anger, we got plenty of. but catch the corporate media reporting it or the vote count machine tallying it - not gonna happen.

What happened to yesterday's story about the electronic voting machines in Texas that had a 20% discrepancy when they went in to do the recount? See, that's what I'm talking about. There are so many screwy things happening so fat we can't keep track anymore.

... people are losing their jobs, homes, family members, cities in NOLA's case ... and nobody gives a shit, there's nowhere to turn. Mr. Pretzeldunce gutted the national treasury to pay his war-profiteering pals, and his speeches are "We're gonna kick your ass" strong macho tough cowboy, all war all the time.

We're being dumbed down into Neandethal cave people who constantly feel like we literally have to fight for survival.

It was a car accident and accidents happen all over the world every day. Was this the lead story because those who died were Americans from a popular cruise line? Who knows. It's infuriating to me how they drool all over a story like this and beat it into the ground, then not mention events that are far more newsworthy. I have to believe it's because they're being censored, not because they're idiots.

"Too much alcohol/meth/marijuana" thing. Most of the users I've known were intensely interested in current events. Not to say that all are like that; maybe I was just fortunate in knowing intelligent and responsible users.

This is what I think it is... we are a self absorbed nation who only really care when it hits our pockets or neighborhood.

That's all. We can't be bothered by disturbing stories like that. We need exciting stories that really hit home, like blondes gone missing in another country, or women in a coma that are helpless against their evil husbands.

Disgusting isn't it?

Of course that's not everyone. There are people like us who do care about those stories. There are people who are simply oblivious to all that's going on in the world. "Oh, the news is on? Wonder what's on the next channel." I think scandal fatigue could be a factor for some people.

I also think there are others who would care, if reporters would give the stories more than a passing comment before moving on to the NEXT BIG STORY.

Wouldn't you think "kids looking for their moms" would be right up there with "Blondes gone missing"? Dare I suggest it's because the kids were black or because maybe the moms were single mothers or maybe even that the moms were (gasp!) overweight! What is wrong with this country? Bobby Kennedy would never have stood for this. If he had to line those families up himself and match them one by one, he would have done it. He always tried to be civilized, but when he saw something wrong, he got angry and he did something.

I don't care who the Democratic candidate is in 2008, but unless we find ourselves an angry man, we've already lost the election.

I'm young (20) so I have no idea how the news was years ago. All I know is the news of the last few years. And as far as I can tell it gets progressively worse as time goes by.

Is it that people don't want the real news? Is it that people need their news to be entertaining? Or is it that the corporate men at the top decided that we need entertainment rather than straight news? Is it both? I think it's both.

I don't watch any of the big networks anymore (got rid of cable), but even watching my local news, I get pissed off. I want to hear the facts of a story. I don't want to hear a reporter's opinion on it. Save that for the editorials, not the nightly news.

I want to hear about real problems. I'm sorry for the families who have missing college age daughters who went to the wrong place for spring break. But what about the poor people who have missing children on our own streets?

I don't know. I'm disgusted with the tv news. I'm disgusted with about half the population of our country.

The generic term is Soma.

Welcome to the brave, new world (order).

It just seems that after 1968 a lot of people were more interested in smoking marijuana than in getting involved in politics. Of course, after 1968, maybe they figured the system was rigged. Looking back, I am so frustrated by how things went in Jimmy Carter's administration. He had so many good ideas, but was undercut by the old hands in the Democratic Party who were unwilling to admit that change was still needed.

On edit: Some people really need these meds. But probably a lot of people are prescribed them who don't really need them.

happening around us. We depressives are the canary in the coal mine as far as society goes. We are thin skinned and just can't ignore what goes on around us and get on with life.

I also understand what you are saying....

The 'whitewashing' of the news!!

Is it really an anger shortage?? If they aren't hearing it on YOUR local news?
How the hell do they become angry?

Everything in your list HAS been a source of outrage across the country!
It has caused new groups to form! on the web!!


"Any one of these stories should be a cause for major scandal, yet they don't even cause a ripple."

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it. Does it make a sound??

:shrug:

With all the horror that's been going on all around us for so long, I think many have become desensitized to how bad these horrors really are. Few care or realize unless it happens to them or in their neighborhood. Very sad state of affairs.

And very true. Seems like it's same ol' same ol' anymore, doesn't it? Maybe some people feel helpless knowing all these things are happening every day, maybe that's why they start to ignore it? I hate to think it's just that nobody cares.

With propaganda, you must repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

The media choose a diversion and repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Suckers who haven't weaned themselves from the media titty suck it all in as if it were warm milk. It lulls and pacifies them and the truth is far away and they feel safe.

Notice all the tourist stories. "Don't travel" they are saying. "Stay home." "See how dangerous it is when you leave your country?"

Bush will push spending as an answer but I don't think the Neocons want anyone travelling. They want to do their dirty work unobserved. They don't want Americans talking to "outsiders" who hate Bush. They don't want you to know how much your country is depised because of the Republicans.

That's my take on the many tourist stories.

I stopped looking to the media to provide any kind of real info shortly after we invaded Iraq. I was sadly, too late.

What you are seeing when you turn on the tube today is the equivalent of the Lerner's shopgirl or the Clinique makeup lady or the Verizon wireless salesman giving you the most important information of the day.

Would you trust a salesman to tell you the whole truth about his or her product? Would you expect him or her to try to cut you the best deal, or would you expect the clerk and the counter help and the corporate hustler to look out for themselves and their corporate masters first and foremost?

And why the hell would you let these twits determine what's important in your life and on your planet?

I have no answer to these questions, but I know millions of people expect salesmen and saleswomen to deliver the truth. And they buy whatever shit the rats offer for sale.

The constant barrage of being told by the industrial complex what is important, we can't figure it out for ourselves anymore. As a nation, we have an extreme case of ADHD.

Have you driven a car lately? There is no anger shortage.

They seem to have an endless supply for gays, women, atheists and other non-christians, peaceful protestors, and some nebulous category they call "liberals."

like chasing the money changers out of the temple as opposed to complaining about healing a blind man on the Sabbath.

You can't be righteous if you're not one of them. But you can purchase some righteousness for 3 easy payments of $49.99. And they'll even throw in some sanctimony.

I've been thinking alot lately about what's so wrong with us and our country today. Why aren't we more shocked and concerned about the poverty, homelessness, lack of food and health care not just for children in the US but also adults?

Why do we let politicians and churches tell us what we SHOULD be concerned about? Why do we care if our neighbor sleeps with someone of the same sex or the opposite sex, as long as they aren't hurting or forcing themselves on unconsenting adults or any children, regardless of their sex? Why do we care if a pregnant woman makes a personal decision to not continue a pregnancy? How does her decision impact any of us but herself? Why aren't we concerned about the children who are already on this earth or who will be born in the future instead of the relatively few fetuses who are aborted?

Why do we continue to stand by and do nothing while our government wages war, costing thousands of US lives and tens of thousands of Iraqi lives and over a Trillion Dollars so far? Why do we allow our Congress and President to rob social service programs to continue to pay for their wars?

Just thinking of what a Trillion Dollars spent legitimately would mean to end the sufffering of so many American men, women and children makes me sick at the thought of the suffering it is causing to so many.

Why do we allow any President to break our laws and flaunt doing so? Why is freedom so important in the Middle East when it means the loss of freedom in the United States? The terrorists have already won when it means the freedoms and values we've long enjoyed and stood for are eroded and so quickly in the name of freedom elsewhere or safety here.

Why do we allow politicians to spend time and money on protecting marriage and legislating moral issues instead of solving problems that impact every American? Since when did marriage need "protection"? Either folks elect to do so or not - who cares?

Why do so many Americans refuse or not bother to vote? Saying elections are rigged or whatever is not the answer.

What will it take to get us to wake up, stand up for what's truly important and do something about it?

Sorry about the rant but it's really eating at me.

I agree with you on that point. Things that, years ago, would have caused outrage only get passing mention now by the media. We also have a problem with misplaced anger. Subjects such as gay marriage and adoption, abortion, breaking down the wall between church and state, all of those things generate a lot of anger by the right wingers. Remember Terry Schaivo, and how pissed off right wingers acted, as though taking a brain dead person off of life support was the same as murdering a healthy person.

The right wingers show a constant state of rage, simmering beneath the surface at times, and boiling over at others. For me, though, the anger is misplaced. Instead of getting angry because the idiot prez lied us into an illegal war, the anger is directed at the same media which refuses to report issues which, as you pointed out, refuses to thoroughly report missing children, secret torture chambers, and the lack of action along the devastated Gulf Coast. These subjects have been reported, but are not followed up on.

I believe you have a valid point when you point out, later on in this thread, that race might be a factor in the lack of reporting children missing for months, bodies found in debris, and the other huge problems that still are facing residents of New Orleans. America, as a whole, can be brought to anger, but the right-wing is skilled at directing the wrath toward certain subjects. Remember the coverage that ridiculous "War on Christmas" generated?

The minute any of us who are progressive expresses justified anger at some of the blatant injustices which should be explored, some screeching right winger howls about how ANGRY we Dems are, and rather than stand strong and just as loudly, explain why we are angry, we of often apologize instead. So the problem...or part of it...that I see, is that we do not express enough righteous anger, and the pukes bellow in rage at things which should be left up to the individual, as in the case of gay marriage.

We're going to have to figure out how to get things reported and followed up on, such as illegal wiretapping, and the garnering of more and more power by the executive branch of our country, and stop letting the other side misdirect the news on bogus issues.