J. Ojanpera

There are probably hundreds of people and things vying for my attention today. Some of these things will turn my head, others will be ignored. Every morning is another chance to shake the things that don't matter. I have a tendency to work too much on jobs that could easily be done another time, or are completely unnecessary, but sometimes the distinction is impossible to make. The worst distraction I have faced recently has to do with social media. I hear all the time that writers should be using at least two forms of social networking in order to build a following that should one day lead to more success. The problem is that I can't stand it; especially Facebook. There are a few people that I talk to, and those I consider to be actual friends, but overall it is an annoyance and a huge distraction. I liken it to television. After a few minutes of watching, your brain kind of turns off and goes into something like auto pilot. Most of the input you are receiving is going straig...

Every time I read a news story, I have to activate my "political agenda filters" to make sure I get the information and not the ridiculous spin from the source. This is not a new phenomenon.  I like to think that most journalists try really hard to make their work great, but the corporations they work for -the people who are sleeping with this party or that party- have lost the point of disseminating information and exchanged facts for political agendas. It seems to be a giant ass-kiss, and we are left to sort through it. Hopefully someone is sorting through it. The truth is that Americans have taken passive reading to the stratosphere, and just want to be entertained. Southpark is a great example of this. It is more informational to watch an episode of a raunchy cartoon than it is to sit down and read a well thought political report. That's what America has been begging for; please make it easy. Unfortunately, some things cannot be dumbed down enough to reach the passiv...