Egregoros

@fluffy @phnt
It's only as negative upon you as much as you let it be negative upon you, it's not as if being updated on current events is a mental harm unto itself, so long as you understand your own power in the situation (very little).

If you're talking about guys who argue over politics constantly, or spend all day being dripfed clips of propoganda/agitprop, then I'm inclined to agree.

That being said, I hold in equal contempt people who 'don't care about politics' or people who 'don't vote because it doesn't matter anyway'. I despise pride in ignorance.

@phnt @fluffy
I don't mean to be antagonistic, but this strikes me as a very superficial interpretation of news and it's consumption.

'Negativity sells'? Perhaps, but I'm not talking about reading tabloids, I'm talking about reading *actual* news sites. Go look at the front page of BBC News, is it 'sensationalism'? You can argue there is the regular western bias, but that's about it. Otherwise, it really is merely reporting events that have happened.

Again, this 'negativity sells' is an accurate description of much of Twitter as well, but it's kind of throwing the baby out with the bath water to say that it's either 'cut reading news out of your life' or to scroll 8 hours a day on Twitter.

And "people want to feel enraged at text on screen for whatever reason beyond my understanding." feels downright dishonest, you know damn well why, being angry is fun. People like to have an enemy, this goes for both sides of the politcal spectrum, and honestly just for anything. How many times have you seen an old movie or show and the guy sitting next you says gleefully "They couldn't make that anymore!"

I agree it's a bad behaviour, and one that should be avoided, as well as something you should always be wary of, but I shan't pretend not to understand why it is the case, it's basic human psychology.