no news is what?

"no news is good news."

i have a problem with that idea. it dismisses the validity of gratitude and celebration. the expectation that things are supposed to be good, and only noteworthy if things go wrong, is a tragic -- and sometimes dangerous -- state of mind.

tragic: when parents dont praise their kids for doing something right, but only berate them when they do something wrong.

dangerous: the mainstream media. destruction and failure makes a good news story. success and accomplishment is boring. controversy for the sake of controversy. it stops being merely annoying and becomes dangerous when they deliberately influence public opinion on major situations (wars, etc.) by only showing the downsides and ignoring the good that is being accomplished and what is at stake if things go one way or the other.

all news should be presented, be it good or bad. "no news" is not an option.

again with the scapegoat

"gotta blame him. gotta blame her. gotta blame this. gotta blame that. dont blame me."

that's all i hear when i hear about fast food politics and trans fat news stories. the same people who rally behind so-called documentaries like super size me are the same people who protest the banning of trans fats in restaurants. am i the only one who sees the contradiction there?

"it's mcdonald's fault that i'm fat. they shouldn't be so careless with how unhealthy they make their food. why is the government telling restaurants that they cant put trans fats in their food? we should be able to eat what we want."

i made a post on my livejournal a while back about a story about some folks who blamed the federal government for holding them down socially and financially, then refused to take advantage of federally-provided free transportation to a job fair. it's the same mentality.