I don’t look at the news.
Perhaps it was because for years and years I was with the human filter of the news, my own newspaper man. And one of our daily conversation pieces--- back when we used to talk--- was the news that would be uploaded for the day. There was no need for the newspaper for the newspaper was picking me up everyday from school or from wherever I was. My newspaper got tired of the news and they simply became the 5 W’s and How of factoids.
I remember though one instance wherein we were somewhere--- probably dinner in some restaurant or my house--- when 9/11 happened. There we were speeding back to the newspaper headquarters…I fell asleep in the car while waiting. It was hours, after midnight, almost dawn, there was class the next day.
I hated the news. It was a mistress of some sort that could take my daily newspaper man away from me. And the news took almost 8 years of his life, a life that he was only vicariously living even as life was happening and he was only reporting it.
And for 2.5 years I did not have time to even skim through the news online or whatever else people were goggling online. They were all like bullets just bouncing off an exhausted body that had become impervious to “news”:
Who:
What:
When: PING!
Where: PING!
Why: PING!
How: PING!
I would instead ask randomly the people I was teaching the top 3 national and international news for yesterday or the day (which was part of their daily assignment). I listened. I was just tired of the same shit of news on a different day of news.
Weeks ago while it was Father’s turn to be my companion, I would ask him if he was going to watch the 6:OO news on TV everyday while I would be preparing dinner. He would just say no and continue to read whatever book while lying down on the brown couch. One night he said, “What’s the point? It’s the same thing.”
I had laughed, “Exactly my point.”
The same point I had raised when my own Flower Man had berated me about being ignorant of the news months ago. Everyday for years I would see Father, Mother, and then Brother reading the newspaper. When I was younger I would automatically pick up the newspaper when Father’s done reading it. Nowadays the news is only for weekends. It’s still Brother who would read it cover to cover, including The Economist.
Yesterday while waiting for the affidavit of loss to be done I had asked the girl by the counter if they had a newspaper. She handed me one in Filipino. I sat down and read it:
P-NOY and the new ship for the
The girl was wondering if Madam could actually understand the language. I said, “Tang ina naman oo.” Yes, Madam was not in a good mood obviously. Yes, because Madam could not be away from her Mother’s side for so long, reduced again to a child, fretting.
So what’s in the news?
One of my little brothers happily relayed with an exclamation mark that he finally has a job and that we will see each other on his payday with an exclamation mark…
Most, if not all, husbands are really philandering bastards…
My devout Catholic Mother has said, “There should be divorce in this country…”
We are so grateful that I did not get married…
There are still a lot of asshole thesis advisers in the University of the
How did a girl survive elementary, high school, and life with a last name such as Supsup…
And in Barili thin ropes are effective:
13-year-old honor pupil hangs self
I slept to that opened tab.
I woke to that opened tab.
Look at that.
That’s just fucked up.
And that’s the trending news.
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