On Your Radar
In the olden times—thirty years ago—people read the newspaper in the morning and watched the news for an hour in the evening. They gained a grasp on what was going on in their community, their country, and around the world, and then they switched off their television, put down the paper, and went about their day. We are not afforded this same reprieve. We are constantly subjected to the 24-hour news cycle. The combination of social media and media efforts to fill too much air time has led to an excess of shallow news, ideological echo chambers, a dearth of true journalism, and exhaustion and apathy among audiences—among you and me.
Information overload makes it harder to care about the things going on in the world that really do matter. It can be difficult to summon the energy to look into the issues, or even to know which issues you should be looking into, but it is knowledge which cultivates our ability to behave as responsible, empathetic citizens and neighbors.
A disclaimer: Strike Magazines are not a news source, and the following issues are ever-evolving. This information is current only as of 10/12/23. Here are the Sparknotes versions of a few things happening around the world that should be on your radar:
Threat of US Government Shutdown on Pause until 11/17
Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy was ousted from his post last week after using Democratic support to pass a stopgap measure that helped us avert a government shutdown. That measure is set to expire on November 17th, and so a bipartisan budgeting agreement will need to be reached in the coming month.
McCarthy is the first Speaker of the House in US history to be forcibly removed from his post in the midst of a Congressional term. It took 15 votes to have McCarthy confirmed last January, and the House will soon begin the process all over, selecting one of two nominees for Speaker: Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) or Steve Scalise (R-LA). A nominee will need a majority of 217 votes to assume the role.
Israel-Hamas War
Decades of localized and often deadly conflict precede the latest in major world news: an attack launched from Gaza by Hamas, a Palestinian militant group that is deemed a terrorist organization by most Western nations, killed 1200 Israeli soldiers and civilians and took still more hostages in an attack launched early last Saturday morning. Israel declared war on Hamas in response and began launching airstrikes on Gaza, which have taken the lives of almost 1100 Palestinians. Palestine and Israel have remained in conflict for so long, in part due to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, including the very Gaza Strip from which the recent assault was launched.
Gaza is a strip of land situated between Israel, Egypt, and the Mediterranean Sea. The blockade now imposed by the Israeli military has cut off food and medical supplies, and hospitals are being overwhelmed by civilian and soldier injuries alike. Humanitarian groups are actively seeking safe paths into Gaza to provide aid and evacuate civilians. Casualties are expected to increase on both sides in the coming days and weeks of the conflict.
New Supreme Court Term
The new term for the US Supreme Court began last Monday, October 2nd. In our very recent memories, the Supreme Court has overturned long-standing legal precedents like those behind abortion access and affirmative action. The precedent on the chopping block this term is known as the Chevron deference, which is a complex legal issue that in effect allows governmental agencies—the Environmental Protection Agency, various agencies within the Department of Interior, etc., etc.—to interpret ambiguous facets of laws without the intervention of the Supreme Court. Watch out for the Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision from the Supreme Court this term.
Some things I try to keep in mind as I keep up with the news are:
Oftentimes, it isn’t the truth that goes viral on social media—it’s the thing with the most shock value. Vet sources; check facts.
Being educated about a topic or world event need not mean adopting a hardline, inflexible, black-and-white stance. Issues have gray areas. Opinions should have nuance.
It can be frustrating to read something that you feel is blatantly partisan or misinformed about a topic. However, fundamentally disagreeing with something—an article, a podcast, or an opinion piece—doesn’t necessarily mean you should stop reading or listening to it. You have to be exposed to opposing viewpoints in order to expand your own, or, at the very least, to effectively argue for your own position.
Sometimes issues impact us or those we love directly, and sometimes we are privy to them entirely secondhand. It can be immensely painful to constantly be exposed to a crisis, even if that exposure is occurring on your phone and many time zones away from the front lines of the issue. It’s not selfish of you to feel overwhelmed by world news, and it’s alright to take a break from consuming information once in a while.
Be safe, be informed, and be a good neighbor.
Strike Out,
Writer: Sarah Singleton
Editor: Jane Dodge
Chattanooga
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