(People have names.)

I get pissed off when I witness an otherwise totally normal person blurt out something as stupid as “that’s the media’s fault.” I want to start out here with a dictionary version of the word, “media.” There were a lot of options. I’m not trying to get hung up on who defines the word best, I just picked google’s: “Media are the communication outlets or tools used to store and deliver information or data. The term refers to components of the mass media communications industry, such as print media, publishing, the news media, photography, cinema, broadcasting, and advertising” Even in that definition, you get the idea that we are talking about a bunch of people.

Some media is owned and run by billionaire assholes. Some reporters have agendas, some don’t. Some media is very truthful. If you think the entirety of the media you get is all run by one person, that says more about you than it does “the media.” There’s a lot out there. But sure enough, folks get on the ole’ social media and complain about “the media.”

If you want to be good at complaining about things, why not give us names of the folks that pissed you off? There’s no way we can avoid the entire media if we want to know what’s going on. If you read something untrue or hateful, why not learn who wrote it? Why not learn who pays for it? We used to say back in school, “follow the money.” I think that is still great advice when you come across news that throws you for a loop. It isn’t usually hard to do and you get to know the names of people you tend to avoid within the media. Not only that, when you post their names instead of “the media” on socials, other people are able to avoid them too.

Learn who makes this shit. Post who, not their shit. Thanks.