Dear Poor Lucky Me,
I’m mad. I am a loyal NPR listener and supporter. Lately every time I tune in, it’s wall to wall bad news. It’s bullshit! I KNOW that there are some good things happening in the world. I’ve had it up to here with the bad economy and stupid Korean launching “satellites” and hippies protesting the Olympics. How is knowing this stuff going to help me be a confident consumer and a positive contributor to society? The way it is now, I feel like hiding in my basement and eating the supplies I stocked up on before New Years Eve 1999.
What should I do to avoid the crushing depression brought on by the media? Don’t say ‘stop watching tv’ because that’s just not an option.
Love,
Betrayed By Steve Insky For the Last Time
Dear Betrayed by Steve Insky,
I felt the same way! I donate $20 a month to NPR, which I think is more than fair considering how much I listen. It helps me seem smart. Anyway, last week I got sick and tired of all the gloom. It was like listening to an Evangelical service about hell. Even when they do personal interest stories now it’s about people who lost their jobs and have to scrounge around to pay their kid’s college tuition. Or worse: reports from the unemployment office where they interview the people who have been standing in six hour long lines. I was fed up and tried to find something else to listen to. After fifteen minutes of Eric and Kathy in the Morning, I stormed into my office and pounded out an angry email to membership@chicagopublicradio.org.
I told them I would give them one week to start plugging in a little good news, or I’d be revoking my monthly pledge. I explained that if I wanted to hear bad news bullshit all day I could tune in to Rush Limbaugh or Bill O’Reilly. I challenged the notion that things were completely shit in this country, and accused them of getting on the bad-news-good-rating band wagon. I tried to be polite, but I was mad.
The next day I got in my car and turned on the radio. The first story on Morning Edition: “Has Spring Sprung for the Economy”. It was a report on how consumer confidence was up, auto sales and home sales were creeping up, and maybe things were on the mend. I think I beat the system people.
I think this is the time that we must put our pride aside and be the squeakiest wheels we can be. We must make demands of the people who ask for our money. “Spending power” is a very real notion and for the first time, even people like me- who have $163 in their checking accounts- can stand up and say we want it done this way or we’ll take our money elsewhere.
I would never suggest you stop watching tv, that’s crazy.
Sincerely,
Poor Lucky Me
