Does anyone agree that reading the papers has become a surreal experience? I find I only scroll through the headlines, skimming diagonally through a couple of pieces, before going on to the fringe articles such as book, film and art reviews, travel and some opinion essays.
Otherwise one has to toil through:
The minutiae of the trial of an ex (and perhaps, horrifyingly, future) president of the USA v. a porn star
The doings of an American Governor who shot her dog and her goat (I thought one called the vet in such cases, but she obviously thinks she’s in the Far West.)
A number of horrifying and endless wars, now fought in large part with drones. Fatigue has set in and no one can bear to read more awful stories of grief and atrocities.
Tales of Chinese spying and manipulation of elections in the West. Are these true or conspiracy theories?
The details of the Met Gala, which every year becomes more unreal, with fortunes being spent on mostly hideous and ungainly outfits.
The doings of Taylor Swift. OK, I’m probably too old to appreciate her, and she is certainly talented and very shrewd, but…is it literature? They’re actually, believe it or not, teaching a class about her at Harvard…
Teenage girls who are confronted with deepfake pornographic images of themselves posted on social media. The only relief here is that it’s getting so wide spread that in a while nobody will believe them or care anymore.
Regarding the above-mentioned book reviews, memoirs which can be very interesting are also getting weirder. They used to be accounts of exceptional lives full of adventures and tribulations, now many are about navel-gazing, real or imagined psychological trauma and ‘polyamorous’ relationships (see ‘Open’ by Rachel Kranz—not on my TBR list, I hasten to say.)
Inane studies about—for example—how to prolong your life by eating ten avocadoes a day or other theories. Who funds these and why should one believe them?
Prince Harry and Megan. Is there anyone who still cares?
OK, whinge over. I rest my case.
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Letters from Athens 
you forgot some of the Greek ones. like woman gets murdered outside s police station….
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Yes, Yes, Yes!
Is it any wonder that people’s mental health is suffering? All this depressing news of violence, hatred and the possible calamitous way the planet’s climate is heading?
Oh, and mental health. Yes, there are people suffering seriously from mental health problems. I have some in my family, and so I would not denigrate serious problems. But it seems nowadays that if you are feeling a bit of stress, or are a bit down, your mental health is suffering. We can’t be calm and happy all the time.
And the difficulty of telling what is true and what isn’t.
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I haven’t read newspapers for over 25 years. In the UK, most are owned by extreme right-wing people or corporations, and are simple propaganda. Even film and theatre reviews are politicised, with independent film directors often being described as ‘left-wing’. And being Britain, every newspaper is also obsessed with the parasitic Royal Family and their everyday antics.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Spot on!
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Surreal, yes. Also terrifying.
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