Sunday, November 20, 2016

LEFT BRAIN, RIGHT BRAIN

I have learned a lot from the 2016 election.



First of all, it's good to know I'm not to old to learn!  I believe social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) caused the results that we now have.  Misinformation and mudslinging galore.  "Fake" news sites with misleading/inflammatory headlines.  Individual comments agitating others who voted a different way.  It is so much easier to be mean and hateful when you are hiding behind a screen.  





This week I signed up for digital access to The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.  I'm hoping most of their news has been researched prior to publication.  So far, I'm impressed with the NEWS they report ... and a bit of lifestyle articles as well.

Facebook will now be where I look at photos of my family (few and far between), especially my cousins with whom I reunited in the summer of 2015.  I love seeing kids I met when Kate was in preschool now having their children.  

It's always a great place for immediate local situations ... traffic, road closures, school lockdowns, etc. although I bet a local news station has the same benefits.  I'm going to check into that.

I hope to present myself in a more balanced way in 2017.  I think I am a political agnostic.

One who is a registered voter and politically informed, but is basically indifferent and non-committal toward the popular political parties (Democrat or Republican in the US). Probably believes that the political parties are so ideologically similar and so mired in their own bureaucracy that they have outlived their usefulness. Voting straight-ticket out of allegiance to a political party would be considered heresy.




9 comments:

  1. Hey! We're in the same choir - the New York Times choir. I very much enjoy its lifestyle articles as well.

    I hope the conflict between the right of free speech and fake news will sort itself out. I sure agree that social media needs to be held to a higher standard. I still have faith in our judicial system to determine facts and ascertain truth (more often than not). Maybe we will see more cases arising from the investigative journalism of the New York Times or Washington Post or other reputable sources. Hope so!

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    1. I'm enjoying both sources. SO much more balanced. And I don't have to waste any time researching if it is true, partially true, false or unproven. And so many more topics.

      I look forward to investigative journalism

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  2. Okay, you've both got me interested in subscribing to the Times or Post.

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  3. NYT has a special going on ... $0.99 for the first month. Then $25/month. WSJ had 6 months for $100. It's expensive to be a thinking girl ...

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  4. I wonder what the definition would be of a person who leaves the top part of the ballot blank and just votes for the people of her party, on down the ballot?

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    Replies
    1. Well, I don't know about leaving off the top part ... but the rest is just plain SMART!

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  5. One thing for sure, I think it's important to insure we keep a strong Press, have transparent government officials, keep a separation between U.S. politics and business forces beginning with Pres., insure our election system is as sound as possible. I think it would be detrimental to maintaining our constitutional democratic republic if credibility in these areas is undermined so should not trust anyone attempting to do so. I think sole control of our government by those with extremist views at either end of the political spectrum is not what our nation is about, will endanger our freedoms. I appreciate the value of a party system but thought when I was in my twenties the electoral college system could be an impediment to reflecting the true wishes of citizens and has proven so. Incredible to me that over 45% of our population didn't even bother to vote, but then if they didn't make an effort to educate themselves on the issues maybe it was just as well.

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  6. Strong press? Maybe less biased more investigative reporting. It seems that most press merely accepts a handout page and just states it as fact. I don't want instant information I want truth and research.

    Anyone who did not vote ... does not get to complain or compliment. Unbelievable to have that much apathy in our government.

    It will be interesting getting some recounts. Red AND blue, in my humble opinion.

    I'm not sure how we can convince Trump to not choose government officials who think the way he does. I'm beginning to think Lincoln was the only president who chose opponents to serve on his cabinet.

    Thanks for commenting! I'm loving reading WSJ and NYT.

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  7. First, I don't know how I missed this when you posted it. Things get by me sometimes.
    Newspapers and good journalism in general need our support. I agree that "fake" news sites and misleading and sometimes hateful information on social media is a huge problem. The genie is out of the bottle on that, I'm afraid. We live in changing times.

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