Victim of my Own News Snobbery

I decided to stop watching the news one confusing sunny afternoon when I was taking my golden retriever puppy for walk on the streets of Downtown Toronto, on Church Street, past all the cafes and my favorite cookie store. Toronto was under strict lockdown, but if you had a dog you had a free pass to walk around as much as you’d like, because dogs need to be outside more than humans I think?

I was stopped by two very beautiful young women who squeeeeeeed at the sight of Fudgy, and asked if they could pet him. I was just at the start of my divorce and so being around anyone that paid attention to me, even in proximity, was very well received. We chatted for a bit, and I connected with one of them, who had just lost her dog and she was crying with Fudge’s face in her hands. We parted ways and I felt such warmth, and I was smiling, until I walked by a cafe that had a TV outside, which was set to a 24 hour news channel that shows traffic reports in one corner of the screen, weather in another, and at the bottom of the screen is a ticker tape with news from around the world. It told me that there was a car bombing that killed three people, in Ireland I think it was, and that 240 some-odd people died from Covid today.

Much better to pet puppies than watch the news.

WTF was I supposed to do with this information? I’m not Batman. I’m not going to beat up the mafia in another country. I felt gross. My smile was gone, and the warmth faded, and I felt stressed and alone again. I stopped watching the news since then, and avert my eyes whenever some business flashes it at me.

I thought very highly of myself for avoiding the news for such a long time, until a month ago, when I started to notice how much I was paying attention to tech news. I thought it was important. This stuff does have an impact on my life. I need to know what tech company is in danger. How many people lost their careers when Vine folded? I’m on tech all the time, and creating for the tech overlords and algorithm gods. I should know what’s happening…right?

Right?

Or, does it not really have an impact on me. I have no card to play in the Musk vs Altman fight. All of these new AI models are coming out and I’m told everyday how AI is going to take everyone’s jobs and eat all of their dinners and fuck all of their wives, and…ah. I’m starting to feel the way I felt back in Covid Times, and I think it’s time to stop caring about tech news as well.