It seems we are in the grips of media manipulation once again. The Coronavirus panic that has been created is now seeing supermarket shelves being cleared of things like hand sanitiser and toilet paper. The latter I am a little perplexed about, the hand sanitiser I can understand.
I am pretty confident that we are not being told the real story about what is happening in this space, however, true to form the media employs the scare tactics they have become experts at. Their aim is to create panic and fear by constantly talking about the worst possible scenario, how many people might die or how many might be infected and the devastation this will cause.
What saddens me is whilst many are focused on the Coronavirus and panic buying tinned beans and toilet paper, what is being overlooked right now that also impacts us significantly? How many people have been a victim of domestic violence this week, how many people committed suicide yesterday, how many people have been bullied and discriminated against and how many people became a victim of cancer? We don’t hear anything about that, unless it is a catastrophic situation. This matters too, right?
Yes, we need to be informed, yes, we should know what’s going on particularly where our health is involved and how we can take care of ourselves and our families, but being consumed by media manipulation isn’t smart. The stress this causes doesn’t allow us to see the bigger picture or look at things objectively, instead we move to survival mode and our behaviours and thinking reflect that.
It’s so important to be careful about what and how much media we are listening to. It’s easier than you think to get completely absorbed by their manipulative scare tactics. There are so many other issues that affect our lives and those around us every day that we can positively influence. I mentioned some before and there is still a huge bushfire recovery effort going on and communities that need our support that I haven’t heard much about in recent weeks? Have you?