Newspapers are the best way for me to get the gossip of the town. A fair majority of my customers probably don't even look at the newspaper anymore; but we do have a couple individuals (regulars at that) who read the news instead of watch television. They're the customers sitting in the store, ceramic mug left idle on the table, with their fingers massaging the leafs of the grey pages lined with opinionated jargon edited to the point of nostalgia. This is not what I consider news; nor do I consider the ramblings of media journalists who've placed themselves in the pockets of media outlets in order to procure their dream job (but this is beside the point). The most recent set of nostalgic articles has been about the legalization of marijuana in Colorado; and since I live in Colorado our newspapers LOVE dispensing the latest happenings in the ongoing struggle to secure recreational pot and figuring out a way to make it as free-flowing as alcohol, though I daresay that's still several years off.
I'm annoyed, to say the least, that the news continues to sensationalize something as innocuous as legalizing a plant... I understand the implications to society at large and the overall sensation, as well as the legal, political, and social aspects this occurrence has afforded, but when I see more important news through simple investigations of my own I get a little frazzled. For instance: Nederland just approved it's first recreational marijuana dispensary the other day. For those of you who don't know Nederland here in Colorado, it's a small town up Boulder Canyon that's known for it's hippie vibe, it's mountain man outlook on the world, and generally being a pretty relaxed place. Marijuana is no stranger to Nederland, nor are other recreational drugs that stimulate the mind in various ways. So this little factoid about Nederland approving a 'pot-shop' seemed a little less interesting. Granted, my customers typically felt the same way about this headline. This was not news to them. This was expected, foreseen, and known as an inevitability. Why then should it have been on the front page of a newspaper.
Ever since the major shift to the myriad of multi-media sources for news I had hoped print would figure a way into delivering the less known, the investigative, the deeper side of journalism; harkening to its roots in a flailing attempt to recover its integrity in the minds of the populace. Not be serial, popcorn news that blares readily and menially as visual stimuli. Good news, in my opinion, comes from random YouTube channels that I've become accustomed to; who deliver news deciphered from explicitly cited and explained evidence. We're lead to believe that the journalists are the honorable voices for the evidence and deliver such evidence in a clear voice. Now, however, the news presented in print prepares us for the simpler concerns in life. Remember: It's for this particular plant to exist on this planet again... In Colorado and Washington States...
When will print change? When will any media outlet change? ... When the masses change their viewpoint and ask for something new. That's the only way change will happen; and until that shift occurs I'll be stuck conversing over simple headlines about the community I live in. I'm glad it's an easy talking point and puts us somewhere to start off (I do appreciate that), but I dislike how simple it is. I've been learning so much about the dynamics of space, our sun, and the connections and trends we see all around us that aren't acknowledged in the news; but have such a huge impact on the way we're going to be living our lives in the near future. Unfortunately, it's all wrapped up in conspiracy because the news outlets won't put any airtime to these facts (yes, facts... observed and recorded and distributed by government funded agencies). This is where I lead conversations when I can: to the science. I live in Boulder... Science is our token money-maker.
I wonder how much of an impact I can make in my conversations with customers if I really rely on the science... That won't be very hard. It's all at my finger-tips thanks to the same multi-media that you're using to read this post. And hopefully, Marijuana won't be the main talking point for very long. I'm at work enough to really shift the concentration of ongoing conversations if I really work at it... I'll see what I can do.
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