Today I abandon the crafty update posts in the fact that I got frustrated at its' ill-fitting state, half unpicked the waist seam and threw it on my couch. I shall tackle it on another day when I have more motivation.
Instead, I write about something that's been on my mind as of late. The affects of media on the morale of the American people. Do I believe what is written reflects the nation's feelings as a whole? No way. Have I been caught in this trap before? Yup. I'm seeing a current trend in the media of using headlines that can project fear and doubt in the face of troubling economic times. In a sarcastic and cynical jab: Print media has nothing better to do than write doom and gloom headlines 'to sell papes'. The same ol' same ol':
"[Insert Company Name Here] to cut [significant number] jobs this month."
"[Significant Company] to have bailout."
"Unemployment at [significant percentage]low."
"[Name of State] government to cut [significant program] budget."
(Venting--->)Why do they keep writing these things and why, for the love of Pete, do they end up on the front pages?! So we're struggling, yeah, we know that. We've done it before, what's new? Put it on the back page. Write about something happy for once before I jab my eyes out(<-lol)! And make it be on the front page for goodness sake!
What I'm trying to say is that negative headlines don't help morale, they intensify negative feelings and complaints. People of the complaining ilk tend to do even more so in the face of adversity. I don't know about you, but I'm not such a fan of feeling weighted down by despair, are you? I understand that it's important to be realistic, but surely, not fatalistic. So why can't we be positive in the face of adversity? It makes it just a bit easier to endure.
Do you remember past history? In the earlier half of the 20th Century, in the 1920s, 30s, 40s and 50s, they dealt with similar struggles, but people didn't talk about it as much, they just survived. For most people in the middle class, we don't have to worry about whether we can pay our bills, where our next meal comes from or whether we'll have a place to sleep at night, it's not 1929-1930. Comparing ourselves with past history, so far, so good. In the past, each decade had their own set of problems and difficulties but one theme that remained constant throughout. It was using music to promote positive ideas and ideal happy times to help people forget about life for awhile and dispel feelings of gloom and despair. Is music used to promote those feelings now? Not as much. I'm not saying we all need to hold hands and sing Kumbaya, but realistic morale boosters always help. Don't ignore the problem, just be calm about it. The song "You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile" from Annie, the musical, came to my mind. The idea behind that song being, it's okay to be happy, even if life appears to stink hardcore. A favorite of mine is "Bare Necessities" from Jungle Book, but I just put that in here because I really like that song. I believe I'm writing this mainly for myself, as a reminder to stay positive and think about all the things I've been given and that make me happy and to not succumb to the doom-and-gloom-world's-gonna-end philosophy. Life is great, we are blessed. The end.
(P.S. I love that my opinion doesn't need to make sense. That's why it's called an opinion. ;D)
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