[NF] NFs and the Global Village

[heart]

Exactly. Before the information age, news was filtered a great deal more, to a greater degree the farther we go back in time.

People lived in far worse conditions with a lot more death in the past, if anything modern people become more sanitized, more seperated from such things. It's true that media distorts what happens in the real world. That's something television in particular had brought to the modern world, even tone of voice is used to put a specific slant on stories that we're given to make us react in different ways to news.

 

[Jack Flak]

Hmm. Well, on one hand, I hate that I hear about a rape/murder/severe car crash/abduction on the news every single day. I'm aware it happens, I just don't like being reminded of it so often. On the other hand, I like that I can hear about what's going on around the world, even if it is bad news. It keeps me driven to keep going and doing what I'm doing because I'm sure what I want to do (tell stories) will in some way, down the line, help someone who is having trouble--not that that is my primary goal, just seems like a happy incident. I suppose it also gives me a bit of perspective. No matter how bad my life might seem at the moment, someone else's life is just as bad if not worse, so I should probably get over whatever the issue is.

This is nice to hear from more than one person, because the good side of the issue hadn't occured to me.

 

[nolla]

I don't find it hard to shut it off. But I rarely consider the people they show on tv to even exist. It's like they are on a different dimension or something. Only people that exist are the people I have some contact with.

 

[violaine]

Exactly. Before the information age, news was filtered a great deal more, to a greater degree the farther we go back in time.

In that case, yes, I definitely used to have an issue with this. (gad I wish I could explain it without getting flowery or martyr-y sounding). Anyway, I used to feel like coming across awful tragedies was something thrust upon me and it felt wrong to me as a fellow human being to turn away from someone else's suffering. The least I could do was inform myself properly about such things. Not in a voyeuristic way. I couldn't stand being shielded and wanted to know precisely the reasons why bad things occurred. I was always interested in the 'darker' workings of things, trying to comprehend how and why such things occurred.

It was always done privately though. I wouldn't sit around talking about it, just observing and absorbing. I have a much better ability to filter things now.

 

[Jack Flak]

People lived in far worse conditions with a lot more death in the past, if anything modern people become more sanitized, more seperated from such things. It's true that media distorts what happens in the real world. That's something television in particular had brought to the modern world, even tone of voice is used to put a specific slant on stories that we're given to make us react in different ways to news.

What about the changes in the last twenty years or so? The amount of information available to the average Westerner has certainly increased exponentially.

 

[heart]

What about the changes in the last twenty years or so? The amount of information available to the average Westerner has certainly increased exponentially.

It's all so relative though. In the past people lived so differently than we do, might have burried several family members by mid-twenties, including some of their own children, having borne them at home and nursed them as they lay dying all on their own. So they lived with death much more initmately than we do. Life was far more raw and real to them.

What we deal with now is the manipulation and concentration of information and that creates distortion. It isn't so much the amount but how it is presented to us that creates the anxiety that people suffer.

 

[Jack Flak]

It's all so relative though. In the past people lived so differently than we do, might have burried several family members by mid-twenties, including some of their own children, having borne them at home and nursed them as they lay dying all on their own. So they lived with death much more initmately than we do. Life was far more raw and real to them.

I understand. I suppose it's only conjecture comparing our modern emotions with theirs.

What we deal with now is the manipulation and concentration of information and that creates distortion. It isn't so much the amount but how it is presented to us that creates the anxiety that people suffer.

If I take your meaning, it's deception which gets to you more than the news itself?

 

[heart]

I see it jerking the emotions of the people around me and it's really bothersome. Anyone who wants to won their own mind and thoughts (or at least work towards trying to own their own mind and thoughts) should read about TV and alpha states and how this can open up the primative parts of the brain and by-pass the higher parts. Also how tone and color and symbolism can communicate with these lower parts. News on TV seems to be so much about producing anxiety and a need to report in everyday to be told how to feel and what to think about issues.

 

[cascadeco]

It doesn't seem NFs are built for an environment in which news of the wicked can reach them from anywhere on the globe without hindrance.

I think this applies to me. Five years ago, after I was becoming too pessimestic/worked up, I ceased to read the news or watch the news. And actually that lasted until maybe a year ago; I was just much more at peace being ignorant.

Now I've started making it a point to keep up with world news, and am able to absorb it (for the most part) in more of a detached way, and I like being more informed.

In general though I kinda have a problem with the speed/ease at which news is available. I think much of it is too slanted/biased, and especially with local news, down to the minutia of tabulating daily murders/atrocities, I fail to see the 'point', if you will, of broadcasting that to all. I just don't think anything positive can really come of it. Could instead increase paranoia in the masses, or whatever. Or take the financial market the past few weeks...what impact does minute-to-minute stock snapshots have, compared to if it was only a 24hr snapshot, etc...other topics too. But, that's another discussion.

I don't think I'm to the point as a few others on here where I feel the knowledge empowers me and I feel like I can do something with it to enact change - because frankly, I don't think I can, with most things that I actually care about. I think nearly everything is out of my control, which can upset me. But yeah, the one positive thing the knowledge does is that it makes me realize how I am one of the elite few in the world who is as privileged as I am (and with that can sometimes come guilt..which, meh, isn't great either) - so yeah, it most definitely puts things in perspective.

And without a doubt, to echo what others have already said - I also know that I am totally empowered to be a positive influence (or whatever) with those around me...so that's good. So really, I'm not all doom and gloom about this topic, just trying to be honest too!

 

[nolla]

I see it jerking the emotions of the people around me and it's really bothersome. Anyone who wants to won their own mind and thoughts (or at least work towards trying to own their own mind and thoughts) should read about TV and alpha states and how this can open up the primative parts of the brain and by-pass the higher parts. Also how tone and color and symbolism can communicate with these lower parts. News on TV seems to be so much about producing anxiety and a need to report in everyday to be told how to feel and what to think about issues.

I don't think they manipulate the color tones to make you feel something. Not in the news at least. In the commercials, most definitely, but news.. nah... At least around here they are too busy making the news, it would be too big a bother to try giving it some hidden meaning.

 

[Jack Flak]

cascademn: I feel similarly disgusted by a lot of it, though it doesn't usually have a great effect on my emotional state.

 

[cascadeco]

cascademn: I feel similarly disgusted by a lot of it, though it doesn't usually have a great effect on my emotional state.

Yeah, I edited my original post a bit at the end to kinda cover this...

I'm not nearly as affected as I used to be, but yeah, part of it is a balancing act, as I do avoid certain news avenues (erm, that would be pretty much all tv news) that I know will just irritate the crap out of me.

 

[SuperFob]

I think that if you know someone is a feeler, something that he/she may say that is open to interpretation ends up being perceived to the extremes. I wasn't pissed off when I made my original post, even if its bluntness made it seem like that. I guess that when people see the 'INFJ' next to my name, every little sarcastic statement I make starts to stick out more, even if I was only fooling around when I made them. I just want to make it clear that I never wanted to look pissed off.

I don't have any problems with the question and I think its perfectly valid and rational. Personally, I'm not that effected by things I hear on the news, and I consider that a bad thing. Whenever I hear about rapes and murders etc., I try to feel sad about it, but I just can't bring myself to empathize, and that worries me. It makes me feel like an emotionless, selfish prick who's oblivious to everyone else's problems. I guess that part of it has to do with the post-traumatic stress disorder that I've been going through, which has kept me pretty numb to emotion over the past few years, but... I just don't know. I wish that I could start worrying about other people, but it's hard for me to do that. Maybe I'm just selfish.

 

[SillyGoose]

I identify with what you stated partially, Jack Flack.

It bothers me to hear about kids without homes, rapes, murders and whatnot. But it has motivated me to do something about it. I'm in the process of filming a documentary and have plans to adopt within the next few years.

It doesn't totally wreck my world, but it does cause me to ponder about what is important in life to me and how I can help others.

 

[Jack Flak]

I personally appreciate the replies, as I seem to have a better understanding already. I hope it benefits others as well. Thanks.

 

[LadyJaye]

I identify with what you stated partially, Jack Flack.

It bothers me to hear about kids without homes, rapes, murders and whatnot. But it has motivated me to do something about it. I'm in the process of filming a documentary and have plans to adopt within the next few years.

It doesn't totally wreck my world, but it does cause me to ponder about what is important in life to me and how I can help others.

This is how I feel about it too. Mostly, I find the constant stories about need/poverty/violence/corruption/disease draining because it never fails to trip my instinct to aid the victims. Sometimes my family and friends have to shield me a little from myself, because I can't stop myself from feeling jacked into humanity, even when I should step back from it some.

 

[Members Only]

It bothers me enough to try and attain a position in life where I can enact positive change.

However, when I say it "bothers me enough", by this I do not mean I cry every time I hear about the things that are wrong with the world. I just assume that at the moment, as I am incapable of enacting change in this current stage of my life, it would be completely illogical for me to form negative emotions around events that are outside my sphere of influence.

Therefore, I do not let events outside of my influence create negative emotions within me. I persuade them to create a positive spark within me, so eventually I can attain a position where I will be able to assert some kind of influence on negative circumstances. Creating negative emotions within myself, will only serve to inhibit me from reaching this goal.

 

[heart]

Katrina was particularly hard to process.

 

[SillyGoose]

This is how I feel about it too. Mostly, I find the constant stories about need/poverty/violence/corruption/disease draining because it never fails to trip my instinct to aid the victims. Sometimes my family and friends have to shield me a little from myself, because I can't stop myself from feeling jacked into humanity, even when I should step back from it some.

Yes, I had to learn to create some barriers within myself with help of family and friends. When I was younger I couldn't understand why some people would tell me not to help (their way of trying to help me help myself) when I couldn't fathom WHY!!! There's people suffering, kids need help...I HAVE to do something...and then fretting and worrying because I feel like I can't.

Getting older and gaining some maturity (hahaha) and having more resources to actually do something about just a few things has helped me overall and the whole wickedness of the world doesn't effect me nearly as much as it once did.

 

[Members Only]

Katrina was particularly hard to process.

How so?

To be honest, I found Katrina slightly more disconcerting than 9/11.

Whilst 9/11 did have an element of "Shock and Awe", it did not produce a fundamental, prolonged, break down in society.

What I found disconcerting about Katrina, was that it demonstrated how thin the line is, between civilization, and 'rule of the jungle'. Seeing the fabric of a civilized Western city tear so easily, and turn into a fairly Darwinian situation was very strange to observe. It just served to show how quickly what we all take for granted can unravel.