The Outrage Industry: How We're Being Hooked on a Drug.

The media and social media are using our emotions to get us to click, share, and stay engaged.

We live in a time of fake outrage. People are constantly getting worked up about things that don't matter, while ignoring the actual problems in the world. I mean, look at what is trending on Twitter a/k/a X, Jennifer Aniston and Jamie Foxx because people are upset about something or other on one of their stances. I can’t tell if they're upset about Aniston not having black friends or her stance on not having friends or being around people who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19. Either way, who cares? 

It's like they have hooked us on a drug. The drug is outrage. And the dealers are the media, the politicians, and the social media trolls. Are we in a deep CIA experiment going on…a modern-day Operation Mockingbird program. 

The media is always looking for new ways to get us outraged. They know that if they can get us angry enough, we'll share their stories and spread their message, and thereby they’ll get more and more clicks, which equals more ad revenue for them.

And it's working. We're a nation of outrage addicts. We're constantly scanning our social media feeds for the latest thing to be mad about. Not that this is anything new, “if it bleed it leads” is a famous quote attributed to William Randolph Hearst and how he ran his newspapers back in the day.

But what are we really getting out of all this outrage? Are we making the world a better place? Are we solving any real problems? No, not really, instead we are lost in a sea of angst. Now, there are plenty of things to be concerned about though one thing I can assure you friends, Jennifer Aniston’s stance on a COVID vaccine is not one of them. We could be heading into another Cold War, or worse, if we are not more careful, in ten years our U.S. Dollar could no longer be the reserve currency, service on our national debt (the interest alone) is rapidly taking up a larger piece of our expenditure pie. Instead of focusing on real problems, the media has diverted our attention to the unimportant.

We need to wake up and realize that we're being played. We're being manipulated by the outrage merchants. One thing we can all do, which is something I purposefully did this past January, is turn off the cable news. Like in the movie Network, Peter Finch, playing news anchor, Howard Beale said, “This is mass madness, you maniacs! In God's name, you people are the real thing. We are the illusion! So turn off your television sets" and “television is not the truth.”

And while the outrage merchants haven’t changed, it’s obviously been going on for decades, yet today it has gotten more intense with the ease of sharing the corporate manufactured outrage.

I certainly am not recommending the populace be ignorant of the goings on with our government or news in general, just be critical of what you consume and be more discerning with the news outlets you choose; and even then be careful. You’ve already taken one step, and that is subscribing to this Substack.

Lastly, we need to find ways to relax and de-stress. We need to take some time for ourselves and enjoy the good things in life.

We can't let the outrage merchants control our lives. We need to take back our power and focus on what's really important.