The News Today Is More 'Exciting' Than It Was

I tell myself not to watch the news all the time. The news has always been depressing but it has become especally so in recent years.

I was born in the mid-1960s and started paying attention to the world around me during the 1970s. Back then, some group or other was always protesting something. Whether it was women with the Equal Rights Amendment, people wanting civil rights, or to end the war, in Vietnam or nuclear weapons or rights at work (be they white, black, latino, Native American, gay, straight or bi) or others wanting to save nature or animals or some particular animal (e.g. the manitee or whales), the news was not the news without someone protesting someone, some thing, some company, the government or some civil organization or other. Television watchers were conditioned to be OK with people protesting.

I liked watching protests, whatever they were. A part of me has always loved parades and a protest is a parade with a focus, which is fine. Back then, it was even patriotic to protest; it was an exercise of freedom of speech and good citizenship. There is a big difference between peaceful, acceptable and parade-like protests and violent protests. Violent protests amount to crime, in my opinion. There is nothing about good citizenship in crime. Crime is crime.

Nowdays, protests become violent more often than not. During the 'Good Old Days,' which I characterize as anything that happened during the time Johnny Carson was on television, the world was a different place. Yes, there were horrible atrocities being done to peoples' rights and there were wars and terrible things going on. But, people were nicer. The world was nicer.

During the 1970s, the presidents were Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. They were all professional. Any of them came off as guys who might own an insurance brokerage. They were camera-ready, poised, gracious and said very little to the public about anything. And, I liked it that way. These guys were all sane and I never did see the big deal about the whole Nixon thing. Political parties spying on each other is like professional wrestlers snapping one another's tights in the locker room.

The local news in New Jersey and New York could put me to sleep. Some company wants to rezone someplace to build something, some governing body is raising taxes, someone was getting fired and someone was getting appointed to something. There was a "hot new toy" for kids coming out for Christmas. Whatever. Fine.

Nowadays, it's not the same. There are mass shootings in the news every month. People with guns shooting one another over nothing. Nothing at all. People called Liberals are trying to limit the guns in peoples' hands so there are fewer (hopefully, none) shootings. People called Conservatives are trying to arm absolutely everyone so, when shootings happen, there can be a larger firefight to repulse the mass shooters. It's insanity. This whole mass shootings thing makes the Cold War look downright reasonable. I don't want to 'weigh in' on this insanity, other than to say I do not and do not wish to own a gun and do not now, nor have I ever, wanted to get shot.

I hear about what is happening with President Trump in the White House and it's insanity. It's bad theater. He is nothing like the calm, reassuring (if not boring) presidents of yester-year. Boring is OK. Through the years, I have learned to love all things boring. I do not need anything that raises my blood pressure. Maybe that is why I am a Mets and Jets fan. I can always count on a reliable stream of under-achieving and disappointment among my sports teams. If the Mets win 100 games in a year it's exciting, but I don't know what to do. Thank goodness that doesn't happen much. As for the Jets, if they win eight games a season it's like we won the Super Bowl. If the team wins 10 or more games then everyone goes nuts about what happens next. First, that doesn't happen too often either and, second, I don't think that the players ever plan for a post-season on the team. It gets in the way of vacations and their home life.

Even horror movies have taken horror to never-before seen heights of frightening. In the warly '70s, the big thing was "The Exorcist." Actress Linda Blair spun her head once and puked pea soup and people were fainting in theater aisles. Nowadays...a lot more happens. People used to think zombie movies were terrifying. Now being a zombie is a career ambition for some kids.

I am in my 50s now, and I thank God for it. If I were a little older that would be fine too. People today are very interesting, even exciting. 'Interesting' and 'exciting' are catch-words for 'insane' and 'crazy.' When I was in my 20s through 40s, I was a journalist. And, I got involved with causes and wanted to help change things for the better. Such an attitude was ridiculous. Sure, things can change with enough people getting upset. Mostly, though, people are herd creatures and move that way. Trying to be a part of a cause is like being in a little herd that is trying to help motivate the larger herd to the hay instead of the water. In the end, who cares if a cow eats hay or drinks water? Well, maybe the cows. Everyone else...not so much.

Then there is the toughest six-letter word in existance: Family. It's rough. It's tough. It's not for the weak of heart. Heck, when I was a kid it was a blood sport. In the end, though, it teaches people the need to pick their battles and learn to love the mild sedative experience that is binge-watching television show seasons on Netflix. Thank God for Netflix. It's quiet. It kills time. It's boring. It's the 21st century's answer for comfort food.

Back in the 1970s, people got freaked out about the Vietnam War lasting 16 years (1959-1975). They protested night and day. These days, America has fought two wars for 16 years, are no closer to leaving either Iraq or Afghanistan than the first day U.S. troops arrived and no one cares. People are working very hard to ignore things like war today. Rather than get upset, I guess most people are just binge-watching their Netflix.

There is a ton of stuff wrong today, one thing more upsetting than the next. I am retired from work, retired from having a point-of-view and definitely retired from causes. Now, the most excitement I can handle is if and maybe when the Mets win 100 games and the Jets do better than win eight games. Aside from that, it's all about home improvement, sensible shoes and fighting off collecting weird 'old man' smells.