Thoughts on Getting Real

Getting Real is a Post on Treehugger that I read today, and it made me think... go off on several tangents and eventually write the following post/rant. Read the article and comments first as it will make much more sense once you do.

My first thought was about the media and how they really really do influence how we feel towards anything, I never used to think they had there marketing powers over me, however I realize that watching the news in the first place allows them to tell me what the news is, not whats really going on, but what they decide to tell me and how they decide to tell me it.

If people realize that the media is deceitful, misleading, misdirecting etc. would people watch news based solely on the truth, could they handle it, or would it even be good for us to be aware of how horrible life really is. Would it make us rise to action? or would it make us sink into despair?

Why do I actually wish in the back of my mind that the world just come to a crashing end? It seems somewhat comforting that all my woes may finally be over, even if that means that billions die and the second coming is upon us. I would for some reason deal with all the trials that we know of during the second coming, then willfully deal with global warming. I imagine that many people feel this way, even though there is much more proof that global warming will be a problem before the second coming (that is to say that there is proof of when the second coming will happen).

Then there's marching down to city hall, which probably wouldn't accomplish much anyway, all that time and energy should be focused elsewhere, pull up your bootstraps (myself included) and do what you know you can, since really what would be written on your banner anyway?

People have the power, how we use, or don't use that power ultimately decides the outcome of our society. Sometimes I think we just forget that the world revolves around money and wherever we put our money is how it revolves. Businesses cannot succeed if no one buys there product, the Hummer after all, would still be a military vehicle if no one bought it.

Since banging down the political doorway is not the answer, what is? I think there's not an answer per say, but that if we want change then we can drive that change from our pocketbooks.

In fact an interesting quote from "The Corporation" a movie I think very interesting and should be watched by all, says "the corporation is legally bound to put its bottom line ahead of everything else, even the public good". besides the public good thing (which is an entirely different topic), its important to note that if we, can change the bottom line, than legally the corporation must change in order to improve its bottom line.