Junk News

"Wasn't there a kernel of truth in there?"

Listen to this episode here.

Just as there is ‘junk food’, there is junk news.

They have a lot in common.

Junk food is the Dysfunctional Family of Food. It looks like food, smells like food, and is unfortunately consumed as food. But you know it’s not really food food. It’s food you eat instead of real food. It fills the pie hole and empty spaces below. It staves off hunger pangs Most of it tastes OK – way better than Brussels sprouts-kale-okra-collard greens-turnip greens-soylant greens and other yuk stuff…

It’s fast food. None of these long, boring waits to produce something nourishing, good tasting, vital to our health and well-being. In the time it takes to produce a Big Mac, you couldn’t even make it home from the store. Fattening but satisfying. No real food value but – who cares! Damn the arteries! Pass the ketchup! More salt! Cheese! Mustard! Relish! Special Orders Don’t Upset Us! Have it your way!!

Junk News is just like Junk Food.

What is Junk News?

Everything about junk food can be said about junk news. Fast, easy to swallow, no real informational value – it’s not as if you’ll come away with a healthy understanding of current events. But you will feel as if you’ve packed away a lot of Good Stuff – Information that will sustain you!

Just like junk food, junk news is not produced and provided for your mental health or well- being either. Junk news only gives the illusion of healthy information, e.g., “wasn’t there a piece of lettuce in there”? vs. “wasn’t there a kernel of truth in there”? Yes, but the rest of Junk Food is surrounded with stuffing that clogs your arteries; the rest of Junk News is wrapped in lies and distortions that lead to the ignorance and prejudice that eventually kills inquiring minds and essential ‘common sense’ turning your brain and any residual intelligence into a blob of bloviated blividness. (you can look it up)

Junk Food tastes good while it leads to obesity, high blood pressure, hyper-activity, hyperglycemia, and other things that can kill you when consumed over time.

Junk News sounds good while it leads to aggressive ignorance, false security, dangerous decisions, contagious apathy, myopia, bias and prejudice.

Only the supremely deluded believe Junk Food is an excellent basis for a healthy diet and long life.. Similarly, reliance on Junk News will blind you to reality, truth, facts and information that can lead to a safe, secure future when properly applied in conscientious program of consistent consumption and informed analysis – none of which are ingredients fond in Junk News.

You can get addicted – to Junk Food; the same is true with Junk News.

It’s easy to tell if you’re a junk food addict. When was the last time you saw your toes? Or just ask your doctor.

Junk News is harder. With Aggressive Ignorance at epidemic levels, people addicted to Junk News will appear to be informed on current events and issues of national importance. But what they say and what they do proves otherwise.

Warning Signs of JNA (Junk News Addiction):

Daily viewing of each or all: ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, NPR News. (Certain FOX News programs– Special Repot, Outnumbered, The Five - are not exempt);

Daily reading of each or all: NYT, WaPo, LA Times, USA Today, Drudge Report, Time, Slate;

Discusses events/issues authoritatively – by quoting verbatim above sources;

Carries a copy of the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights but admits to never having read either one;

Believes the First Amendment protects Feelings;

Believes the Second Amendment guarantees the right to wear short-sleeve shirts;

Believes Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert are network news anchors;

Dashboard has Adam Schiff bobble-head doll; Spouse has Barak Obama;

Lifetime subscription to Atlantic Monthly;

Loss of sense of humor.

If you or someone you know has two or more of these symptoms, avoid like any other plague. When possible, subscribe them to the Blue State Conservative, the Babylon Bee and MAD Magazine.