Why does everything look so bleak, or is it the media/news fixation on it???

[Sallygoround631]

And if you live in a pretty quiet area you may never see it with your own eyes, that's for sure!

This week already -
Grieving parents told to take their dead child home and put him/her in the fridge as no room in hospital.
A plethora of new attacks involving youths.
Women reporting sexual assaults having intrusive data collected, which puts them off reporting.
Gov supporting corruption and lies and changing laws to suit it.
Everything seems to have increased at a fast pace, from stabbings to crowd behaviour, gangs of youths everywhere (in my town especially) taking over previously sake beauty spots and nice areas.

All things that make one feel hopeless, furious. And realising there's nothing you can do. It just creates a feeling of impotence, despair, as if the news media even intend it.

There's war, yes, poverty, so many dreadful issues, this is life on earth, I know : But although I only check headlines once every few days so don't even expose myself to this stuff much, it's like with each passing week people's behaviour or mental health is worsening, more services are either not functioning or collapsing, and I swear to god as someone at nearly 50 years old the world NEVER fucking looked like this even 15 years ago. I was comfortable but far from living in a bubble! Even if you factor in global 24-7 information coming in thanks to the net, it still looks so hopeless and grim.

Believe it or not I am usually a glass half full person, but recently this has really got to me, it just doesn't feel like the place i grew up in at all.
I accept that this is tough shit, I can only play my own part to the best of my ability in this world, but sometimes I wonder if the media and news is making it worse, pulling the over all state of things out of proportion for it's own ends - we know people notice bad news quicker than good news!

But it all seems so hopeless, with living standards plummeting for so many, and how male violence at least seems to be either accepted as 'normal' or results in lenient repercussions for the aggressors.

Just one of those weeks i think..

@MarshaBradyo so you live in an area where you have seen no deterioration locally at all?

They always focus on the negative stories because they gain more attention/clicks and in turn, the news outlets earn more money. People don’t want to read happy stories, they actively seek out gory tales and just pure misery.

It’s the media. Turn it off and you’ll find the world isn’t so bad.

My Aga is relevant to me. It’s the only heating we have at the moment and it warms my soul.

I try and be grateful for something every day, and take joy in the simple things in life.

It’s my coping strategy.

We are all going to hell in a handcart do might as well be comfy.

The old women in Ukraine on the news last night, being moved from their care home, were having a laugh together.

It’s getting worse. It’s not just the media.

or I could qualify that and say that many of us lived in a world largely shielded from the worst of humanity for a very long time and that world is starting to creep into ours more often.

there was a point in time a couple of decades back that it really looked like the safe bubble was going to expand slowly and spread, but it failed.

Frances I know this is not everywhere but it seems the area has changed a fair bit due to wfh becoming more likely now, but also throughout pandemic. People seem more likely to shop or eat locally and quite a few new places have opened including open plan cafe/work spaces which are busy

I’ve also had chats where people say they can’t believe how much easier life is as they can do pick up at decent time without 45 min etc commute so they are around more for their dc. Which also saves money on cc and commute cost. It’s a high area of two working parents that now have new flexibility so I guess it’s strongly felt.

Bad news sells - and we do have a particular corrupt tone with current government and lack luster opposition.

Locally the city center in a slight upswing - pre covid town was full of rough sleeper some aggressivbe beggers and tent cities - that's gone last visit one rough sleeper and one big issue seller. They have lost shops but have recently spent some money and done bit up - so have few more. There are problems - it's just shops but it's been worse.

There is a looming worry about cost of living - there worry now for some and many are anxious about autumn and next winter and rising bills and possible recession.

@MercurialMonday I am really interested to know which city centre is on a bit of an upswing? Is it a tourist area?

Everyone I know is worried about rising prices. Petrol keeps going up and up and the cheaper petrol stations here still regularly run out of petrol.

Being honest I don't see much in the media about the reality I see on the ground. There is not much in the media about the state of town and city centres and I read nothing even locally about petrol stations still running out of petrol. The cost of living crisis only featured on the news once everyone had been talking about it for a while. Maybe it takes time for these issues to filter through to well off people who then write about it?

The media have always talked about negative things that are happening that is not new. But when things are good in Britain those negative things are more far away such as school shootings. Now there is far more about Britain.

Anyway people can keep talking about the media being to blame if they want. If you live somewhere with new cafes and restaurants opening because everyone is working from home then you are just not seeing what is happening in a lot of the country. The rest of us will use our eyes and can see things are getting worse.

I’m aware it’s specific to my area but you did ask directly

I know how you are feeling OP I thought the same this morning when I got the rundown on my local FB page. It’s not kids here though it’s grown ass adults knifing strangers they bumped into in a bar or car park. So desperately sad. Nothing to do with cost of living crisis either.

@MarshaBradyo I was curious where you lived as all city centres I have been to are more run down now although good yours is bucking the trend. But where is it?

So Aga... boiling kettle... dog... beautiful garden... (just jotting all of this down) in that order? I'm just trying to get the ingredients right before I conjure the force field itself. Though I think a force field needs dark matter... the media. Oh, I'm confused. And I only have a Smeg.

I'm with you, OP. I'm finding the increased stabbings/violence a real worry. I think lockdown put a halt to certain things, i.e. you can't start wars in lockdown. There's no one to go out and stab in lockdown. Hospitals... well, when do they EVER function (Covid highlighted this reality)? I think we're just witnessing the world going back to its normal/usual/relentless shitstorm self. And actually, there is a lot of truth to the fact that hanging out by the Aga, waiting for the kettle to boil while the dog jogs into the garden is not a bad way of just hanging onto that moment of Zen for a little while. You do sort of have to somehow create your own mental force field in order to function. It doesn't require an Aga, though Rishi should give every family one. Just because.

I am really interested to know which city centre is on a bit of an upswing? Is it a tourist area?

No there's no tourist stuff - it's has had a private investment re-doing up a very poorly used and delipated shopping center and market also doing renovating flats above shops for younger people and a new hotel complex also being done.

I don't think it's increased footfall or brought much more spending money in and suspect long term it won't "save" the center - but it looks very plush in some area's at the minute with most of the center being fairly new - less than a decade old.

There are many many empty shops many from last time money was spent though that was council mainly that time doing up others shopping area - but shops have closed others have opened.

Mainly it feels slightly better - as frankly the tent cities and door sleepers and the agressive beggers of pre covid aren't in center - no idea why if they've been pushed elswhere or pandemic getting homelss off streets has made long term improvement for that population.

I still think the center long term is in massive trouble - there's just shopping there entertainment is increasingly in out of town locations - but it feel less threatening and people less frequently state they are avoiding center.

Maybe I'm mislead with upswing - but at minute it feel okay place to be while pre pandemic it often didn't.

It’s SE London so that’s probably why there’s a difference. The pandemic, increased flexibility and wfh in an area with two working parents has brought about change. It was typical for everyone to do quite long hours, in work places with high presenteeism so extra time plus savings probably mitigate other impacts a bit. What central London lacked in the pandemic ended up here

Was this story about grieving parents being told to take dead child home and put in fridge in UK? I watch news everyday and never saw this. Why would dead child not go to a mortuary? Towns have several not just one.

I think it was a miscarriage? So wouldn't go to the mortuary.