This may be my last comment for a while….perhaps permanently. Thank you Joe. I’ve been a more or less dedicated reader of JMG since around 2016, mainly due to the horror that is Donald Trump.
While I appreciate the up to date news and much of the reader commentary and humor as well as the sense of community, (like the unexpected and wonderful support I received after our beloved dog had to be euthanized) I am lately considering deleting my Disqus account and spending less time on JMG. It has become almost an addiction or obsession.
I am so fatigued by the daily news of the man who will not go away. I am also deeply depressed over stories about the growing hatred towards LGBTQ+ persons, women, racial and ethnic minorities, and others. While I appreciate and am enlightened by the educated and knowledgeable comments that often provide information in greater depth than I could ever imagine, I am sometimes dismayed when the line between humor and crudeness is crossed especially when personal, hateful insults comprise many of the responses to a story or comment.
Only a small percentage of comments are hateful and disrespectful but sufficiently so as to make me consider leaving this community. There is already too much negativity in our world; I would hope that members of our community would be more self aware at times.
I understand how many authority figures in our lives may have deeply hurt us or others and how a mere mention of a person or topic can renew one’s anger. But really. Can we not either let some of that go or channel it more creatively? That is something I am still working to do more consistently.
The other thing I would say about comments, including my own, is that we are generally “singing to the choir “ and I wonder if constantly reinforcing our own beliefs is, in retrospect, mostly nonproductive.
Anyhow I’m trying to make a conscientious choice about how to better spend my time and how to get the news without letting it get me into a state of depression and negativity.
It’s been interesting. Good night everyone.
4 comments:
I'm right there with ya. I was a reader of JMG from almost its inception, but over the past few years the constant deluge of depressing right-wing crazy has driven me away. I stepped away from JMG about a year ago, but on a lark I took a look yesterday. Lasted about 30 seconds before saying "Nope!" and swearing it off for good.
It's obviously not Joe's fault for all the rot that's happening in our world, and I appreciate his efforts to keep everyone informed, but there's just so much you can take before you HAVE to turn away for your own mental well-being. Frankly I don't know how he does it and stays sane.
Seems like a good move. More negativity and depression are not good things.
A lovely statement you made, Frank. Reasonable, humane, civilized - and so true. Even before social media, gay men were well known for being collectively bitchy, and the internet has only intensified that trait. Not all gay men, of course, but enough to make it overwhelming as you described. And when gays say hateful, nasty, untrue things about others, well, you're no better than the other side when you do that, are you? Even good old Joe often indulges in outrageous "scare headlines" just like the right-wing sites do. Being gay, or any other minority, does NOT mean you can do no wrong.
I gave up commenting on JMG many years ago, and on other sites as well for just the reasons you mentioned. I still scan the stories on JMG, as he is the one source that is sure to catch the little gay-interest stories that the MSM overlooks. But I've had my fill of stories about the orange idiot and all his followers. And stories about so much other stupidity and craziness in the modern world.
It does seem as if the whole world is building up to an enormous boil-over, or collapse, or whatever you want to call it. I have my own point of view on many things, but I can't allow all the bad news and horrors to fill my mind 24/7. I have to keep my own peace of mind intact; I'm very sorry for all the suffering people in the world, but this old man cannot solve all those problems or change the course of world events.
I do what I can to preserve the tranquility of my own household, and keep us in sane, sound working order. That's all I can do at this late age. As Voltaire famously said, "We must cultivate our own garden."
Sorry if I don’t get to your comments to approve them right away because for some reason, I am not getting notifications when comments are awaiting approval. I have gone into settings and reset and done whatever I can think of to get notifications but it’s not happening.
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