This week a friend called and told me they were going to vote Green due to the “disgusting” behaviour of MP’s and their expenses which is currently in the news 24/7. I asked why the Green vote and what their policies were to attract his attention. They didn’t know what they were and mumbled something about the environment. They had been hypnotised by the media to believe all Mp’s were all corrupt.
Yes the Mp’s that have been caught buying duck ponds or paying mortgages that no longer exist are silly folk who will pay for that but let us get into perspective that out of 600 MP’s only a small minority have broken any rules or using our money paid for something within the rules but is rather extravagant.
The media would have you think otherwise. Each with their own agenda and intention to manipulate the news so you the consumer buys in to their idea of what they would like you to think. Mp’s and anyone else in the public eye are constantly at the medias mercy and they can change someones career or life with just a headline.
Look at how much the credit crunch has been fuelled my irresponsible media speculation designed to get people emotionally fearful about the future. Presenters constantly asking people if they are worried and should they be worried. This in my opinion is causing people to be more cautious when it comes to spending. Business’s which rely on steady money flowing in suddenly are short as due to media speculation people hold back buying their goods. Jobs are lost and business’s close down which reinforces the speculation. Not fun at all for those who are without work.
It does seem rather odd that we rely on the media to be informed and yet if you ask most people they seem to be aware that most news is not even true. Anything speculating about the future is just that speculation and yet some people act as if it is fact. You can see it in the media today how they influence who is going to be in Government next or frighten people with the next big health scare with dodgy experts and science quoted as if it were reliable. (MMR Vaccine was a media invention and look at how people view child vaccinations these days).
Being aware how suggestable we all are can help to hold onto a more open view of what is being reported. There is no shame in being suggestable by the way, we all are influenced through various sights, sounds, feelings subconsciously and consciously. If a new craze begins think about how it can pull you to doing it even if it appears stupid and fruitless to you. (facebook, twitter, tamigotchi’s, iPhone apps).
The media doesn’t seem accountable to anyone and there is never a national outrage at the national newspapers or channels for circulation lies. Maybe there should be? Someone suggested promoting positive news sites but to me that is just as bad as its still glossing over the truth of what is happening and the different perspectives involved.
How often do you watch or read the news and how does that shape the way you see and experience the world?
Anxious clients can often be a “need to know” person. Watching a variety of newsbroadcasts during the day to keep up with what is going on. This feeds their anxiety as the world is often painted as a dangerous place with statistics on crime manipulated or headlines screaming danger week after week. This hypnotises them with powerful suggestions which at the end of the day does not feel nice at all and prevents them living the life they would like to live.
If it does not feel good to watch or read.
Do something else.
