Published on February 11, 2025 2:59 PM GMT
Dear Lsusr,
I am inspired by your stories about Effective Evil. My teachers at school told me I should watch the news as a civic responsibility. Should I reverse this advice? Or should I watch the news like everyone else, except use what I learn for evil?
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Dear [redacted],
If you want to make an impact on the world, then you should put your effort into solving problems that are important, neglected and tractable.
- Mainstream news often reports on events that are important.Mainstream news sometimes reports on events that are tractable.But mainstream news approximately never reports on events that are neglected. Why? Just think about it for ten seconds. It's practically a tautology; events in the mainstream news are the events getting massive attention.
Whenever a major news outlet claims "nobody is talking about <whatever>", the mainstream news is lying. Here's a snapshot of The New York Times website right now, as I write these words. It's mostly news about the current war in the Middle East. The current war in the Middle East is many things, but it is not neglected.
News hurts your agency because it sucks your attention. Every minute you're thinking about the current war in the Middle East is a minute you're not thinking about a problem that is getting insufficient attention.
How can you find information about things that aren't getting massive attention? Focus on expert specialists writing for niche audiences. What's that weird thing you're into which nobody else cares about? It might be more important than normies currently appreciate.
Search your feelings; you know them to be quirky.
Sincerely,
Lsusr
PS: Why do your teachers, parents and other adult authorities tell you to listen to a propaganda machine? Because the propaganda machine is working.
Discuss
