Mike's Rant on the Media

The Rant Continues...

I hope you don't mind me taking this opportunity to let off a little steam about a few things. And, yes, I'm smiling as I type that sentence!

Today I'm going to rant about the media and the impact it makes on our lives each and every day. Before I get started on today's "rant" (yeah, I'm still smiling) I want you to try to figure out how much time each day - on average - you spend listening to and/or watching some sort of "news". Could there perhaps be a need for a change in your dose of "news" each day?

As I mentioned on today's podcast, think for a moment about all of the news outlets available to us each and every day. When I talk about this, I'm not even talking about newspapers and what's available on the Internet which would multiply the sources many times over!

How many 24 hour "news" channels can you think of? There are SEVERAL available to us out there each and every day to where, regardless of the time - day or night - you can turn the television on and get the "news".

In case you are wondering why I keep putting "news" in quotation marks it is because I believe that the majority of what is passed off as news is not really news. So, I'm using the term "news" in a very loose and general way.

Now, on top of all of the 24 hour "news" channels on a national level, you also have 24 hour "sports" (yeah, I'm using that one loosely and generally as well) networks as well that tend to try to get into the area of "news" quite often. Then, along with all of that you have the entertainment "news" shows that REALLY get into the "gossip" aspect of all of this.

Are you ready to go to the "local" level now? I can only speak of the way it is in Arkansas, so you will have to apply this to your local "news" market on this part. Most of our local news channels (the main networks - NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX) have an early morning "news" program that starts somewhere around 5 or 5:30 a.m. and goes until it's time for the national morning "news" programs. These generally run until 9:00 a.m. or, in the case of one network, 10 a.m. each day. In Arkansas, on the networks who's morning national program ends at 9:00 a.m. our local channels pick up with ANOTHER segment of morning "news" which ends at around 10:00 or 11:00 a.m. THEN several of them also have a noon "news" program that last for 30 minutes - and even one of them goes for a full hour. On top of all of that, each of these also has a "news" program from 5:00 - 5:30 p.m. (followed by the national "news" from 5:30 - 6:00 p.m.) and another from 6:00 - 6:30 p.m. and now a couple of these have extended this to an additional segment that goes from 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. We're not done yet! They hit us again with a 10:00 p.m. "news" segment that goes for another 30 minutes! However, the local FOX network has their evening "news" begin at 9:00 p.m. and again at 10:00 p.m.

CALGON TAKE ME AWAY!

Now, this is in ARKANSAS - there is just not THAT much to talk about around here!

But the truth is this: even nationally, there just really isn't THAT much to talk about! And, so, many times these networks must CREATE their own news by talking about things that aren't really news. Many of the things you will see talked about on these programs are full of controversy that rival the "entertainment news" (gossip shows) format.

Can you say OVER-KILL?

You could literally sit in front of your television ALL DAY and watch "news" from the time you get out of bed to the time you GO to bed and then, if you want, get up in the middle of the night and catch a peek at a little more. See why I asked you to determine your "dose" that YOU get each day? Might it be a little much? Could it be that you need to "wean" yourself off of this?

So, what does this have to do with what I ranted about yesterday? EVERYTHING!

When you consider the amount of time that is dedicated to "news" (again, for the most part the use of this word is a JOKE) then they have to fill that time with SOMETHING!

And, so, when a professional golfer crashes his SUV into a fire hydrant and tree at 3:00 a.m. and 911 is called - IT'S MAJOR NEWS that is shown over and over again and talked about to the point of redundancy!

Now, let me say this - I'm not letting Tiger Woods or so many of our "celebrities" off of the hook on this, o.k.? We'll be talking more about this tomorrow and on Thursday -- but right now I'm ranting about the media! (Yup, still smiling).

Really think about it - how many times did you see the SAME clip of his SUV crashed into that tree? Over and over again all day for several days!

Let's fast forward a few months to something that happened earlier this week - Tiger's "news conference" (Really? Are you kidding me?) for him to "apologize" to a few close friends PLUS a huge television audience! Was this something that REALLY merited all of those channels to "cut in" to their programming so that they could air this live?

And, because it was relatively short - 14 minutes, was it? - some channels (the so-called SPORTS channels...yeah, I'm talking about you, ESPN) decided it was worth showing in it's entirety more than once! If I had hair long enough to do it, I'd be pulling it out about now!

Wow, have I ranted long enough yet? (Smiling!)

Here's the thing that WE (those of you taking the time to read this) must think about --- IT'S ALL MOSTLY JUNK and NEGATIVE so we need to break away from it as much as possible!

Again, with as much time to fill as these "news" programs have to fill then they MUST find as much doom and gloom as possible. And, with today's technology it is now possible for them to get more and more often from ANYWHERE around the world!

I think it was the old ABC sports show called, "ABC's Wide World of Sports" that used a phrase along the lines of, "Spanning the globe..." Here's the thing - these "news" outlets are no longer just "spanning the globe" they are now scouring the globe to dig up anything that can to try to pass it off as "news".

Really think about that and how it impacts YOUR life and YOUR attitude each and every day.

Ahhhhhhh...now, I feel better!

Hey, seriously, thanks for joining me today and I do hope I've given you something to think about that can HELP YOU in your quest to live a POWERFUL and POSITIVE life!

And, as you do so, remember...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Mike's Rant on RESPONSIBILITY

Let me start off today acknowledging that I have not lived a perfect life. Let me say up front that I have made HUGE mistakes in my life that resulted in some hard things to work through. I am not perfect and I do not claim to be perfect.


That being said, I have to rant a little bit about some of the things that are "news" - especially in the sports world - during this time period.


You know, it wasn't very long ago that I had a series of discussions about recent events in the sports world that involved several "young" men who had made some very unwise decisions.


One of those involved an "unamed" (my choice) professional golfer that is still very much in the news even now as I type this article today.


I know that you figured out at the time that I was referring to Tiger Woods and I do mention him by name in the podcast that I did on this topic today.


HOWEVER, let me state something right up front - I am not venting about Tiger Woods today and here's the reason why: I have not listened to what he has had to say on the topic and I will not address "rumors" of what has or has not been said. I didn't even watch the "news conference" the other day when he "apologized" in front of a few close friends and relatives (and all of the T.V. audience, too???). Obviously, I can't have missed SOME of what has run across the bottom of some stations I have watched that have quoted some of the things he has said. For example, it has been reported on several occassions that he was being treated at a sex addiction clinic - although this has never been confirmed or admitted by Tiger Woods himself.

However, through the course of this "story" being addressed to the point of obsession another situation has come to light and I HAVE heard someone associated with this other situation talk about some things that have just not settled well with me.


So now my RANT begins!

One day I was watching ESPN (and, by the way, my next "rant" in this area is going to be on the media and how they have just gone overboard on so many things) they shared information about one of their former on-air commentators, Steve Phillips, having been fired from ESPN as well as a job as the New York Mets General Manager both due to him having affairs with people that he worked with. ESPN proceed to show a clip of an interview that Steve Phillips had done on the "Today" show earlier that week in which Mr. Phillips discussed the fact that he had been at a sex addicition clinic.

Now, this is not an EXACT quote, o.k.? However, he said something very similiar to this: "Here's when I knew that what I had was an addiction. When I knew that, continuing my behavior might cost me my job and even my marriage, I did it anyway."


Now, friend, I'm not sure how that strikes you - but that just "rubs me the wrong way" and I've been holding this in for a couple of weeks until I finished up on my other topics.

I guess I should place another "disclaimer" here for the moment before I continue:
I DO understand that an addict can be so wrapped up in their addiction (whatever that addiction may be) that they completely throw out any "common sense thinking" out the door and their main focus is to get their "drug" regardless of the cost. O.k.? I do understand that. I do know that to be true and know of situations where people have lost EVERYTHING due to such an addiction. Is it possible for someone to be a "sex addict"? I'm sure it is.

But - and this is just my opinion - I'm not buying this "addiction" thing for a moment in this situation. Let me share with you why I feel this way.

The reasoning. I'm sorry, but that "reasoning" that was used by Mr. Phillips is just LAME! If his reasoning is THE definition of an addiction then we are ALL addicts of some sort!

Think about it - anytime ANYONE does ANYTHING that is wrong, they could use this "reasoning" to claim an addiction. "Yeah, I knew that if I got caught I'd get punished, and I did it anyway. Hey! I must have an addiction!"

Pardon me, but I don't think so.

You can listen to the podcast and get more on my thoughts, but let me say this: (again, this is just MY opinion) Mr. Phillips (and countless others every day) did what he did because it is what he WANTED to do!

Pure and simple.

We are teaching our young people a TERRIBLE lesson and setting a TERRIBLE example by such thoughts and actions. Own up to your mistake, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY and don't fall back on such a weak argument and call it an addiction.

Yes, even by taking responsibility the fact remains that WRONG WAS DONE and OTHERS WERE HURT by these actions BUT...I have far more respect for someone that takes responsibility, don't you?

And, oh, by the way...in these situations, you will hear the phrase used, "I take full responsibility for my actions..." I beg to differ. If you take full responsibility for your actions then STOP FALLING BACK ON THE ADDICTION STORY and simply state: "I screwed up!"

As I stated in my podcast, you don't have to agree with my thoughts on this. I don't expect that everyone will. But, if nothing else, please help me in this area of helping us ALL see - and, by doing so, instilling this important principle into our young people - the need for taking responsibility for our mistakes.

Thanks for allowing me to rant. Be warned, I'm going to do some more tomorrow!

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"


Mike