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WEB EXCLUSIVE: First Person
A journey of 12 steps, or getting over my CNN addiction
By ELLEN SCHUR BROWN
Editor, Our Family
My name is Ellen Brown, and I am addicted to CNN.
It started innocently enough – watching TV news – something everybody does. Right?
Because of my moral weakness, in the past few months, my addiction has spread to near-obsessive tuning in to debates, conventions and election news, pre-debate coverage, post-debate analysis, ad analysis, talk shows, talk radio, talking back to the TV.
I spend more time talking to political websites and bloggers than I do talking to my family. I know the CNN schedule better than the activities at my children’s middle school. I notice when CNN’s Wolf Blitzer changes his glasses. I know where Anderson Cooper is on any given day. I wonder why Larry King wears those ridiculous suspenders.
There. I admit I have a problem, and that’s the first step of my personal 12-step program to stop following election-related news.
According to my research into addiction and recovery, I must make a decision to change my life. I must give myself over to a higher power and take positive steps toward overcoming my election obsession. I must reset my homepage from CNN.com.
Tomorrow. Right after I check my e-mail.
I pledge not to open any future e-mails with the words SARAH PALIN or NOBAMA in the subject line.
I won’t click on the links of any of the blogs I’ve signed up for. Not Daily Kos, not The Huffington Post, or even McCainBlogette. I won’t go to YouTube. I won’t click on any links to political sites. I won’t even read the CNN top 10 news stories that they send me twice a day.
I know it seems extreme, but consider how out-of-control my addiction has become.
Today is the day I stop thinking about politics. Today, I will not yell at the TV. I will not yell at Pat Buchanan or James Carville. I’m so used to yelling at pundits, I’m even yelling at Hannah Montana. (Don’t tell him your secret identity. Don’t, Hannah. Don’t.)
After admitting my weakness, the next step in my recovery is to make amends to the people who have been harmed or excluded by my election watching. I acknowledge that I have offended my friends with my vocal political views (RN, this means you).
I want to apologize to any of my Facebook friends, my book club buddies, my office colleagues, my neighbors, my acquaintances in the carpool line, or anyone on my e-mail lists. I hope you can forgive me if I forwarded e-mails that in any way offended you. I thought they were funny, and I’m sorry if you took them to be untrue or unkind. (And if you’re not on my political junkies mailing list and you missed my Debate Bingo Card, e-mail me … On second thought, don’t. I’m trying to quit.)
To my children, please forgive me for all the nights I made you eat Kraft Macaroni & Cheese for dinner. As atonement for ignoring you, I’ll make anything you want for dinner. (Even though I know when I ask, you’re going to say Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.)
I am ready to let go of the defects in my character.
I can overcome this addiction. I believe in myself.
I have the power to change the channel. (And not just to pretend to watch the Simpsons while I’m really just waiting for a rerun of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.”)
I’m going to find a distraction. Something constructive to do with my time. Get outside; get some exercise. I resolve that instead of watching CNN and checking political blogs every morning, I’m going to go for a bike ride.
I’ll just check the weather online, so I’ll know how to dress.
Here it is … www.CNN.com/weatherforecast. And just another click away is …
It started innocently enough – watching TV news – something everybody does. Right?
Because of my moral weakness, in the past few months, my addiction has spread to near-obsessive tuning in to debates, conventions and election news, pre-debate coverage, post-debate analysis, ad analysis, talk shows, talk radio, talking back to the TV.
I spend more time talking to political websites and bloggers than I do talking to my family. I know the CNN schedule better than the activities at my children’s middle school. I notice when CNN’s Wolf Blitzer changes his glasses. I know where Anderson Cooper is on any given day. I wonder why Larry King wears those ridiculous suspenders.
There. I admit I have a problem, and that’s the first step of my personal 12-step program to stop following election-related news.
According to my research into addiction and recovery, I must make a decision to change my life. I must give myself over to a higher power and take positive steps toward overcoming my election obsession. I must reset my homepage from CNN.com.
Tomorrow. Right after I check my e-mail.
I pledge not to open any future e-mails with the words SARAH PALIN or NOBAMA in the subject line.
I won’t click on the links of any of the blogs I’ve signed up for. Not Daily Kos, not The Huffington Post, or even McCainBlogette. I won’t go to YouTube. I won’t click on any links to political sites. I won’t even read the CNN top 10 news stories that they send me twice a day.
I know it seems extreme, but consider how out-of-control my addiction has become.
E-mail me … On second thought, don’t. I’m trying to quit.
Last night, I dreamt my family was on a fall hike with (vice presidential debate moderator) Gwen Ifill. (Or was it my mother?) After the hike, we stopped for snacks, and there was a TV in the snack bar. In the dream, I wondered what channel the TV was set to. Do you think they’d change it to 34 if I bought some chips?Today is the day I stop thinking about politics. Today, I will not yell at the TV. I will not yell at Pat Buchanan or James Carville. I’m so used to yelling at pundits, I’m even yelling at Hannah Montana. (Don’t tell him your secret identity. Don’t, Hannah. Don’t.)
After admitting my weakness, the next step in my recovery is to make amends to the people who have been harmed or excluded by my election watching. I acknowledge that I have offended my friends with my vocal political views (RN, this means you).
I want to apologize to any of my Facebook friends, my book club buddies, my office colleagues, my neighbors, my acquaintances in the carpool line, or anyone on my e-mail lists. I hope you can forgive me if I forwarded e-mails that in any way offended you. I thought they were funny, and I’m sorry if you took them to be untrue or unkind. (And if you’re not on my political junkies mailing list and you missed my Debate Bingo Card, e-mail me … On second thought, don’t. I’m trying to quit.)
To my children, please forgive me for all the nights I made you eat Kraft Macaroni & Cheese for dinner. As atonement for ignoring you, I’ll make anything you want for dinner. (Even though I know when I ask, you’re going to say Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.)
I am ready to let go of the defects in my character.
I can overcome this addiction. I believe in myself.
I have the power to change the channel. (And not just to pretend to watch the Simpsons while I’m really just waiting for a rerun of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.”)
I’m going to find a distraction. Something constructive to do with my time. Get outside; get some exercise. I resolve that instead of watching CNN and checking political blogs every morning, I’m going to go for a bike ride.
I’ll just check the weather online, so I’ll know how to dress.
Here it is … www.CNN.com/weatherforecast. And just another click away is …
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| WEB EXCLUSIVE: News Briefs How Jewish candidates fared in 2008 elections |
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