With perpetual bad news, why shouldn’t I be pessimistic?
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In most of my Newhouse classes, the professors insist that we watch, read or listen to the news on a daily basis and with each broadcast or article, I remember how increasingly difficult it is to maintain a positive attitude towards the state of America.
In the middle of last month, every news channel I watched was focused on the Michigan State University shooting that claimed the lives of three students. Not only did the shooting shake the United States to its core, but it hit me on a personal level. My own mother attended MSU, and I have multiple friends in East Lansing, the location of the shooting. Anticipating any of your loved ones falling victim to an event like this is a reality exclusive to Americans. An NPR article stated that “children (in the United States) are more likely to die from gun violence than in any other high-income country.”
It’s no secret that these incidents of gun violence are a mainstay nationwide, but their frequency is somehow getting worse as years go on. As of Feb. 19, there have been over 70 mass shootings in 2023 alone, with MSU being just the tip of the iceberg. At this point in the year, that figure is a new high. This begs the question: how are we supposed to have hope that there will be palpable change?
The same can be asked about other events I saw covered. A few weeks prior to the MSU shooting, every broadcast in the nation led with news surrounding Tyre Nichols’ death at the hands of Memphis Police. I saw the videos of Nichols being relentlessly beaten as he called for mercy and his mother. I found myself casually watching from a screen as this man’s human rights were violated by brute force at what was supposed to be a routine traffic stop.
The bodycam video was not just horrifying in a vacuum, but even more so when considering how we’ve all seen it before. We watched it in 2020 with the murder of George Floyd, the year before that with Elijah McClain and in 2014 with Eric Garner. We can even go back 32 years to the footage of Rodney King’s death from 1991. Hearing about law enforcement murdering Black Americans is nothing new. When Tyre Nichols’ death hit the news, I was reminded of yet another problem that exists primarily in our country with little to no signs of improvement.
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As for last week’s news, the center of attention was East Palestine, Ohio. The small village in the Buckeye State fell victim to a train derailment that resulted in chemical spillage. Thousands of fish have turned up dead in the oil-sheened waters surrounding East Palestine. And while the immediate damage doesn’t look to be too fatal for the residents of the area, it highlights America’s trend of providing vague information regarding its environmental destruction.
Residents of East Palestine were assured by government officials that much of the risk has faded, yet, the Center for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability has stated that they cannot use the word ‘safe’ and that “the people of East Palestine may face low levels of exposure to some of the dangerous chemicals from the derailment, with uncertain health effects.” These disasters are obviously detrimental, but the U.S. doubles down by covering up as many details as possible. By minimizing these catastrophes to a spectacle, policymakers avoid blame while simultaneously distracting the public from actions they do control, such as investments in big oil and excess carbon dioxide emissions.
These three events occurred in the month of February alone. Yet, each one is a continuation of nasty motifs we seldom see in other nations. We are so often told to have hope when faced with these developments, but that hope is hard to maintain when the ugliest sides of the U.S. are the most recurring. Meanwhile, people in positions of power — regardless of partisanship — haven’t proven themselves trustworthy to stop calamities, let alone contain them. And whether that is by choice or not, the outcome is the same.
I’ve started to understand that pessimism is more productive. Abandoning all belief in America gets us absolutely nowhere, but on the other end of the spectrum, seeing bad news and wishing for betterment is equally futile. I’ve found my own sweet spot in dissatisfaction-fueled motivation.
It’s the very reason I decided to write about this subject: I wanted to air my grievances but remind readers to maintain cautious efficacy. People don’t need to ditch their yearning for change, but also shouldn’t wait for it to come without action. With headlines like those mentioned above, it could be easy to resort to these rationalizations and complete hopelessness. But while I wish there wasn’t a root of my negativity in the first place, I’m happy to say I’m a pessimist — because I’d rather vouch for improvement than hope for it.
Jonah Weintraub is a sophomore broadcast and digital journalism major. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at jsweintr@syr.edu.
