I have two Twitter accounts. One for attempting to recruit the film industry to my community. The other is a group of us wacky fans of the Jaws, Jaws II, Jaws III & IV movie series. We have chosen characters from those movies and amazingly stay in character almost the entire time. It's great fun to be around others who have a sense of humor and don't take themselves seriously. Most people like Star Wars. I left that series behind as a child. Us Jaws fans are just as serious about our love for our movie and characters.
On my 'Jaws' profile I intentionally set the perspective of my news feed, the know the one you are not given a choice to delete, to Australia so that I'd get to avoid all the banal, idiotic celebrity gossip from America. It has usually worked. Just the other day I saw where one singer had just gotten married and some model was having their first child. Tried as I might, I was confronted with garbage I'd worked so hard to avoid. Welcome to what I've labeled intrusive TURD culture. Now, more than ever, we live in times where it is not enough for tabloid publishers, bloggers and news sources just to be read by morons who want their junk. Now, they want their news to be read by everybody. Even people, like me, who detest their product, and want nothing to do with it. They are the proverbial protester at a rally who wants to stick their sign in your face as you happen to walk by. The bottom line..............................as you'd expect- MONEY. Clicks mean advertisement sales and more for them. I also surmise it must be an ego thing as well. What journalist, even if they are yellow, doesn't want their name up in lights? What owner, or publisher doesn't want to be the 'big dog' on turd street. Whether it is reality t.v. or Facebook or some politician making an ass of themselves for votes WE HAVE BECOME A 'LOOK AT ME' culture. People with no skill or training are wanting to get in front of viewers/voters to get attention while attempting to call it art or policy. People are posting what they think are clever memes on social media to make someone laugh or make someone mad. They just want to tell the world what they think, as if they are important..............just to get attention.
Back in the early 2000's with the confluence of the internet taking off and a work stoppage for writers and actors in Hollywood, reality t.v. helped fill a void. Soon enough, social media like MySpace and Facebook and Youtube birthed. Pretty soon, everyone thought they could become notorious. Forget the fact that they had no talent or training or commitment to craft. And then before long intrusive, turd look at me culture came out. Now, it's not uncommon for reality t.v. 'stars' to be more popular than actual artists.
Each election cycle we get dumber and dumber, unqualified candidates not only running for office, but actually winning elections. This should horrifying for people! Yet, it makes perfect sense.......... an idiot electorate will usually lead to an idiot legislator. It's like we vote for the most flamboyant person because we are too lazy and ignorant to do research and vet information out. We want the biggest circus because are lives are too mundane and we strive to entertained. Forget that usually the losing candidate is superior in experience, debate and intelligence. This is a direct result of intrusive turd look at me culture....................................................SO WHAT CAN WE DO PERSONALLY TO SHIFT THE PARADIGM IN OUR OWN LIVES TO LIVE MORE FULFILLED, MEANINGFUL AND PEACEFUL LIVES?
(1) LIMIT TIME ON THE INTERNET
I can't say this enough. How often have you been watching your favorite movie only to have to multitask and read e-mail or sports. There is no good reason to do it. You just do it. I do it too. It's called addiction and it needs to be stopped. I set my phone in another room and turn it off after 7:00 unless I know someone wants to call or text and has indicated so hours prior. I leave my laptop at work.
(2) AVOID MOST NEWS FEEDS AT ALL COST
Here's the thing about news feeds. They are usually propaganda backed by ultra wealthy families who want you to see things their way. They want you to vote for legislatures who pass policy that favors their bottom line AT THE EXPENSE OF YOURS. Fox News is the perfect example of this. Even more mainstream broadcasts like CNN and MSNBC are slanting more to a propaganda paradigm instead of just plain journalism. Broadcasting companies, magazines, advertisers and all media in general don't care whether they cause you to get an eating disorder, a heart attack due to anger, commit a crime out of hate, gain low esteem from comparing your life to someone else or waste your time...................because they don't know you exist individually and they are making money with each click or view. They care nothing about your wellbeing. The sooner you realize this the better off you will be.
(3) LIMIT TIME ON SOCIAL MEDIA & AVOID ONLINE MEETUP AND DATING
It still amazes me, and it shouldn't, just how socially inept so many people are in person. I think it has everything to do with the amount of time we spend cultivating relationships online instead of in person. I'm like everybody in that I make a comment on something, send a cute message to someone and think I'm having some sort of relationship. I'm not! And neither are you. It's partly fantasy and we all need to get out and meet people in person. I see this in dating so much. I can remember living in an apartment complex in Birmingham, AL back in 2013. Myself and some others in the complex would work hard to have tennis and pool socials. A lot of us guys would hope it would be an avenue to meet some of the single women who lived in our community. We quit doing it because no one would show up. We'd joke and say people are hanging out online instead because they can control their surroundings better. Sadly, this was probably true. READER, there are people like that out there. That being, they are too insecure, selfish to face the world on it's own terms so they hide behind the computer all the time. Don't spend a lot of time investing in these types of people. Spend more time with people who are fully self - actualized who see importance in real interaction.
I also limit making comments on anything online such as videos, Facebook posts or articles I've read. You know how it goes. You say something, someone disagrees and there you go. You are off to a wimpy fight where more than likely you never meet each other in person. I made a comment on a click bait article three years ago. Someone challenged me on it as the article was linked to Facebook for comments. I challenged him back. Our fight/argument started on my laptop at work and went all the way into my car and into my house. Two hours of wasted time had passed. A girl who I was communicating with long distance and who was much younger than me, flatly stated why did you engage him in the first place? It took someone with a little less life experience to make me realize just how much of a fool I'd been. He lived in Miami, I live in Alabama I doubt we'll ever meet each other like men.
MAKE ART.
I joined Joseph Gordon Levitt's art production company HitRecord.org in 2017. There, you can meet others who are always wanting to post visual, sound, script or literary art and have you work with them. This is a great way hobnob with a collection of positive people. You play your cards right you may even get paid and get to work with some people you'd recognize from t.v. or the big screen. Also, for you humor types Adam McKay's and Will Ferrell's funnyordie.com is a decent medium to ply your trade. Three years ago, it became more celebrity/staff driven and it's harder for community art to be seen. It is still permitted, though, so give it a shot. I've had fun producing articles on there and people gave positive feedback.
IF YOU HAVE TO READ/HEAR NEWS GO 'BAREBONES'
We all need some news. How would we know if certain policies we lobbied for were passed into law? Stay away from news that tries to evoke emotion or give banal information that adds up to nothing. Go to sources that only want to report reality that discusses law, art or events that effect your family. NPR is a good source. As is PolitiFact.org Annenberg.org (Factcheck.org)
IMMERSE IN ART
Find a trusted source......please be careful going online........and find someone to write a production together. Write comedy sketches, plays, stories and poetry. Better yet, register with a casting agency, if you're near communities where productions are frequent and do back ground work and small role pieces. Try out for local productions in community theaters. Help support local theaters: ticket booth, preparation, advertisement, props and ushering. Just attend a play in person. We have also become a culture of emasculated spectators. GET OFF OF THE SIDELINE AND PRODUCE!
TAKE AN ONLINE CLASS
If you can't stay off of the computer fill the time, you'd be wasting reading drivel and take a class. I use ed.2.go.com There are amazing courses I've even found to supplement my Master's of Counseling Education degree I received in '04. I've taken some lately to supplement my life coaching endeavor I'm about to start. Even if you are not aiming to supplement a degree there are still classes you can take on this site for just self-fulfillment and personal growth. Through ed.2.go.com your are connected to most any college in America to take your choice course from. Most all colleges are legitimate, state supported universities. Classes are affordable as most are no more than $100
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
So you are mad about something. You want to see change. Spend your time signing petitions, contacting your elected officials, participating in peaceful demonstrations or better yet. running for office. I've done most all of these before and more than likely will run for office soon. This beats the hell out of sending off an angry Facebook meme thinking your the junk when only about 5 people have actually viewed it. It's better than getting angry and committing a crime like storming Congress, getting arrested and fretting your life away in prison. People who whine and complain and act bitter tend to not be taken seriously by society. They are viewed over time as low status people.
Happy Summer Everyone - See You At The Lake
JCB
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