When “Everybody” Has to Say Nothing about Something…

I want to write a cogent and intelligent 500-word essay every week. The difficulty in choosing a subject is remarkable. Nonetheless, I aspire to express my talent!

There are weeks when, as eager as I am to observe and critique North American current events, I have few novel or special thoughts to contribute. I feel like the writing would be for nought.

While experts opine on or condemn current events among podcasts, TV and similar screens, social media users feel driven to say anything about something. It often amounts shallowness; nothing. The ubiquity of social media has convinced a generation of youngsters and adults that they “need” to opine on or criticize what they see as they scroll.

Consider an excerpt of research from “Science Daily,” “sharing articles on social media, even when we haven’t read them, can lead us to believe we are experts on a topic”.

Being older than Millennials, I remember a modest era. That era preceded narcissism of the digital-first and World-Wide-Web-oriented culture. The culture has changed how too many people think and think about themselves. Web-centric life has socialized digital natives to expect affirmations and dopamine hits from social media and blog traffic.

My essays exist as artistic exercises which maintain my artistic writing skills and habits. Few international and domestic matters need to have my input. This is part of the challenge of finding comment-worthy material.

When neither stories from daily life, headlines from CNN or NPR, dates of observances or holidays at www.Today.com, nor the rest offer fodder for an artistic 500-word essay, there ought be no new essay for that week.

What’s more, I’m not film-maker Spike Lee. From the 1980s, he made provocative films about racial and current affairs, and in-turn quotations for reporters. I have neither a body of high-profile national media work nor a reputation for giving incendiary quotations in the news.

Too many people, with neither credentials nor experience feel “called” to say nothing about something. A blog item at “Psychology Today” indicates that “sharing an article – even if you haven’t read it”…”sharing a post on social media increases your belief about how knowledgeable you are on a topic.”

For example, The Combover, revered by some for starring in “The Apprentice,” is blitzing North America, and the mediascape with its ego, executive orders, lies, ill-informed thoughts and worse. That person’s misdeeds deserve to be exposed by journalism, and considered by criticism.

I know too little about the president’s gravely ill psyche, or domestic affairs to be qualified to observe or critique them.

Stoic philosopher Zeno observed “nature gave us one tongue but two ears so that we may listen twice as much as we speak”. Unlike The Combover and its sycophants and acolytes, I can live off-stage and without a steady diet of others’ praise

Thirty years of social media culture has rewired how we think and relate to one another. But astute commentary needs less respect and attention than diligent and competent journalism.