To not know what's going on in the world. No news!

[OdinFlower]

I began to stop watching the news in 2020. It was an awful time. My elderly mum had a mental breakdown because of the lockdown loneliness. I so regret sticking to the guidance and not seeing her more. She died recently. She never recovered from the mental torment.

I was so sick of the news...COVID, Brexit, Trump, Putin etc. It was affecting my wellbeing. Endless political crap, useless celebrity rubbish. So I've not watched or read about the news for several years. Of course, I can't fully escape it. Other people discuss it but I can honestly say I feel so much better not knowing about world politics, the latest celebrity nonsense etc.

Now I know a lot of people will find my attitude rather uncaring. But this is how our ancestors would have lived. I know what's going on in my local neighbourhood but that's it. If there is a nuclear war or comet about to hit, I don't need to know about it. I'm living my life and the peace is lovely. Selfish? Maybe....but I don't care.

I went backpacking for two years when younger.

I didn't spend much time checking news

When I got home I started buying newspapers again and it was pretty much the same stuff as two years previous

I did the same.
Worked out that there is nothing you can do to stop the wind from blowing.
Its actually been really freeing.

You need to announce this. Why?

Just do whatever suits you.

If it works for you, it’s nothing to do with anyone else. I’m wondering why you feel the need to post though to ask if you’re being unreasonable or not when you say you don’t care.

I never watch the news and rarely read past the headlines. We’re not built to know what’s going on around the world, hence rising levels of anxiety, paranoia etc! I just focus on what’s going on around me. Doesn’t mean I don’t do good! I just keep it local and what’s before me.

It's a forum....you know where people can state their point of view 🙄

I was wondering if it was just me.....and it's a forum 🙄

Fair enough and an interesting discussion for a thread.

Couple of questions:

How do you decide who to vote for in elections?

Are there any issues that you care about, facing our country or a community that you get involved in? Eg women’s rights, homelessness, children, environment etc.

Ie do you do any volunteering, do you contribute to your local community in any way?

(edited as hit post too soon)

A lot of the "news" these days is which celebrity broke up with which. So YANBU.

This.

I like having an opinion and having my views challenged. But I don’t feel the need to ask for anyone else’s permission.

No need to be snippy. I was just asking. It seems a contradiction to say you don’t care, but then get people to vote on whether you are being unreasonable or not, so you must care a bit to be interested.

I went on a news site recently, thought ah ive not read the news for a bit let's take a look.

Story about someone cheating.
Story about someone kicking off on a tv programme
Story about someone wearing a bikini
Story about a celeb family feud
Story about Diddy
Story about Kanye

Mainstream media is more about celeb shit not news...

So what are you wanting us to say, congratulations? If you dont want to watch the news then don't no one is forcing you

I stated my point of view. You have queried it 😂😂

I mean why announce it, unless you are not sure of your decision. Why do you care what random people think about you not watching the news. So what. You do you.

Pretty sure I didn't say that.....

Adding Mumsnet to the Avoid List

Honestly..... can't people have a good discussion without point scoring.

👋

Oh dear. It’s one of those OPs. 😂

Flounced off.

Watch the news or don't watch the news. So what.

Maybe @OdinFlower expected a particular response and didn't get it? 🤔

Maybe try other news sources? I've read a daily newspaper and been on at least two other mainstream news sites today and didn't see any of those stories.

I'm similar. I began to realise that "news" or should I say the commentary and analysis of it depended on the affiliation or attitude of the reporting outlet. So right/left/middle, pro or anti this or that, woke or "asleep" etc. and so on. I also found a lot of the analysis was more about the so called analysts/commentators than the story.

So I gave up mostly and am all the better for it. There is absolutely zero I can do to change the trajectory of war, famine, disease, disasters, Heads of State, Royalty, and so on and on and on. I can inform myself of politics for elections, and I do that not from media outlets because they never give a balanced view it's either one is bad other good or vice versa, but from statements from party HQ and their policies. It takes time and an interest to do that, but it's the only way I can feel any empowerment.

I do get breaking news alerts. Most of them are inconsequential to me but awful for someone else, but again, nothing I can personally do about it. So I keep up with the latest domestic and global happenings, but delve no further than that.

It is so liberating not to listen to talking heads shouting over one another all day every day about things over which I have no control.

It seems some people don't understand what an online conversation looks like. I think it's a reasonable choice to make so long as as you are not completely ignorant of national events affecting electoral choices. I watch the news every day and hear it on the radio and it seems to be the Trump and Putin show with endless stream of upsetting violent crime and pointless so called celebrities.

I assumed that the dont care element was linked to being viewed as selfish.

Shame about the weirder replies as couldve been an interesting thread.
I think quite a few people have seen significant MH benefits from withdrawing themselves from the news cycle.
You can see its influence even on MN with people posting that theyre "terrified" and anxious of WW3/Trump/Putin etc.

You can do what you want, of course, and needing a break from the 24/7 rolling media churn is sensible, but I don't think I could have someone with their head constantly in the sand in my social circle. To me, being interested in current affairs is to be interested in humanity and the world.

Obviously you need a level of privilege to be able to that and still exist in a reliably comfortable bubble, too. Some people need to pay attention to how much things will cost and whose rights are under threat because it will fundamentally affect their lives.

This

I don’t think I could do this -but I don’t follow any celebrity stuff - listen to radio4 and a few podcasts.
am trying to get into Substack but not sure if it’s worth it.