News is bad for you. It leads to fear and aggression. It hinders your creativity and makes you sick. We should stop consuming it, says Rolf Dobelli, who's abstained for years
While I agree that news can be bad for you, especially when owned by the rich and in overabundance that makes doomscrolling a thing, I don’t think it’s without merit and should be avoided entirely.
News is irrelevant. Out of the approximately 10,000 news stories you have read in the last 12 months, name one that – because you consumed it – allowed you to make a better decision about a serious matter affecting your life, your career or your business.
One example, as a trans person, the news is is very valuable to me to know which areas are intentionally making themselves unsafe for me to exist in so I know where I must avoid for my safety. This is changing fast, not paying attention to the news for a few months could cause me to end up in a place where I can’t legally use the restroom.
As a cis gendered straight person, reading the news has shown to me that trans people need allies. I have trans friends, and they generally don’t talk about these sorts of experiences. Hearing others stories helps build empathy, and makes it easier for me to understand some of the subtext of the things my friends do say.
While I agree that news can be bad for you, especially when owned by the rich and in overabundance that makes doomscrolling a thing, I don’t think it’s without merit and should be avoided entirely.
One example, as a trans person, the news is is very valuable to me to know which areas are intentionally making themselves unsafe for me to exist in so I know where I must avoid for my safety. This is changing fast, not paying attention to the news for a few months could cause me to end up in a place where I can’t legally use the restroom.
As a cis gendered straight person, reading the news has shown to me that trans people need allies. I have trans friends, and they generally don’t talk about these sorts of experiences. Hearing others stories helps build empathy, and makes it easier for me to understand some of the subtext of the things my friends do say.
Nice!