The response of the human body to noise and loudness is very similar to the way it handles many drugs. The more the body is exposed to noise and loudness; the higher the dose is required to produce a desired effect. We seem to develop an immunity or resistance that requires a higher and higher level of stimulus.
Kids are no longer entertained by quiet board games but require action Nintendo videos. Explosions and crashes are the stars of TV and movies.
The high noise level addiction sure applies to news broadcast. Gone are the days when we had calm, straight-forward, relevant news reporting from folks like Huntley-Brinkley and Walter Cronkite. Delivering the news has become fast-paced entertainment with intense competition between the networks. There are panels of so-called experts interrupting and screaming at each other. All sorts of meaningless junk clutters the news. The local news is mostly about the killings, wrecks and sex abuse cases in a local area. The weather is a spectacular show of charts with lines and arrows pointing in different directions indicating highs, lows and other meteorological jargon. All I want to know is whether it’s going to rain or freeze tomorrow. Frequently, that pertinent piece of weather information is inaccurate. I have found the best piece of weather equipment to be the window.
The sportscast is delivered in a rapid fire, breathless manner and the newscast ends with the anchors laughing and giggling over some small talk. Of course, the biggest part of the news is the commercials. We are brainwashed about cars and pickups of every variety.
The only sensible newscast remaining is the News Hour with Jim Lehrer on PBS. That one is still great and the only one airing on the porch. You never hear names like, OJ, Lohan. Montana, Hilton or Nichole whatever. Jim Lehrer is part of my dull life but his great books are very exciting and some of my favorites. His latest, Eureka is fantastic. His books have nothing to do with the news and it’s hard to believe they come from Jim Lehrer. They are all very entertaining and worthwhile reads. So far, he has written about seventeen novels.