Mornings, Media and Politics

I think all of us have a basic morning routine that we go through.  We become habituated to a particular sequence of events each day that serve to get our day off to a consistent, if not always good, start.  We are creatures of habit.

Writing a post each day is part of my morning routine.  It occurs after I have consumed the first cup of coffee, checked e-mail, read the news and worked a couple of puzzles on my phone.  It is a first step in transitioning from "waking up" to the work day.  It helps me to engage my mind.

You might think reading the news would engage my mind, but most days, there isn't much worthwhile to get it going.  It seems to be the same old things, just with slight variations.  The things that make the biggest headlines typically aren't the things that matter most or, have the greatest impact on our lives -- unless there is a major catastrophic event.  Instead, the media "entertains" their readers with things they think will increase readership and therefore draw advertising revenue.  It is sad when entertainers often draw the headlines for things as mundane as their comments about the President.

There truly are many things going on in the world that are important.  The media gods have just chosen to ignore them because the "dumbed down" population which comprises their customer base has been conditioned not to think, but merely to be entertained.  An "entertained" population is malleable -- able to be manipulated.

The "People's House" -- i.e. the U.S. House of Representatives -- seems to reflect both the "dumbing down" of the general population and the exercise of power in ways that are, quite frankly, embarrassing.  (Just witness the McCarthyesque treatment of AG Barr by the Senate Judiciary Committee and the demands imposed by the House Judiciary Committee)  People from other countries find the behavior of our elected representatives to be both appalling and laughable.  It is disheartening to realize that this land of opportunity and "freedom" is rapidly imploding.

How bad must it become before the people are "awakened" to how they are being duped and manipulated?  There are a few good people sprinkled throughout the government and the media, but it seems their number is shrinking.  The good ones can't seem to get elected, or promoted because they don't "toe the line" when it comes to those in positions of power.

It's kind of depressing....