R: Tune Out the News

As people living in the 2020s, we see our peers constantly consuming news. Whether it be through social media, digital newspapers, or word of mouth, a great number of people want to stay on top of current events. What end does this serve? Keeping up with the news is the status quo, but as conservatives, we are in a position to scrutinize the status quo by holding it up to loftier ideals. Some of us have met those happy few who do not have a clue what is going on in the wider world. Perhaps theirs is the best way to live?

Those in the affirmative, who seek to tune out the news, may find themselves there for a few reasons. Keeping up with current events can be detrimental to your mental and spiritual health. Why do we need to know about the tragedies that take place halfway across the country? All this kind of information does is stress people out. With the amount of information available at our fingertips, it can be hard to know what is important and what is not. Some may even argue that keeping up with friends on social media is a waste of time. If something is important enough, we will hear about it. Tuning out the news does not mean running off into the woods and severing all ties to society. It means making a conscious effort to avoid “news.” The uninformed life is not the unexamined life: Being “uninformed” can result in a certain bliss.

Those in the negative, on the other hand, believe that, if you are to live in the world, you must be informed. One can consume the news in moderation. By staying informed, one can be better prepared to make decisions that are well thought out. Remaining tuned in to the news can allow one to be more proactive in his or her own community. There are good, virtuous people out there in the world whose deeds and stories have the potential to inspire us, and likewise, there are vicious, evil people and causes who we must learn about so that they may be thwarted. Tuning out the news does not result in bliss. It results in ignorance. We are not of this world, but we do live in it. In order to fight for what is good, true, and beautiful, we must know what we are up against.

How does staying informed about current events benefit individuals and society? What role does social media play in our understanding of current events? How important is it to stay informed about international news? How much consideration should we give to the prevalence of misinformation?