To whom this may concern, I for one, recently cancelled my subscription to a couple of publications. And here’s why.
I cannot understand why publications feel the need to put parents (and children who read too) into panic mode by detailing traumatic stories of sicknesses and illnesses on a weekly basis.
No, it’s not because I don’t care about what other people are going through. In fact, I’m a very sensitive person, and perhaps too sensitive. But I do feel that this is cause a lot of concern among mothers who I speak with, and even with my own children.
My neighbor tells me her daughter recently complained about an issue, and she began panicking that she had come down with a deadly issue R”L, similar to the one she had read about. It B”H turned out to be nothing, but calming her down was not easy.
Now I understand an awareness can and probably should be made with regards to health, but I firmly believe detailing (and with extra drama) about certain things are a bit over the top.
Thank you.
A Lakewood mother.
(TLS welcomes your letters by submitting them to letters@thelakewoodscoop.com)
Mama and Papa should screen reading material for the youngsters. There is important information that educated and responsible people should be aware of for the safety and protection of themselves and their families. That said, parents should still be vigilant and check magazines and fliers for their suitability before allowing children to peruse them.
Totally agree!
Totally agree and it bothers me allot as well.
I don’t think a normal person has the capacity to absorb all the horrific stories publicized in the media unless they are desensitized.
Who ever said we were meant to be digest a smorgasboard of the world’s saddest stories on a daily basis? Even more so on shabbos, when many read Jewish newspapers and magazines.
For this reason and others, I hardly read the news.
Nothing else is worth the read. Meaning they publish what buys readers, which equals gelt. Dont read it if you dont want to, but nothing is changing.
I think it’s time to take your head out of sand and face the facts. Its a crazy world out there with abusers, diseases, tragedies and the like. Reading these types of articles allows one to put whatever prevention strategies possible in place.
As for your friends daughter becoming nervous over a mild issue, won’t you say its preferable to be overly cautious than irresponsibly naive?
To “Your Shvigger” Those Chesed Mosdos pay to have those articles printed about them, Its not about reporting the news.
To wake up: that is not a valid argument. There is a difference between awareness and overexposure. The former is crucial. The latter dulls our sensitivity and draws us in with sensationalism which is the opposite of the toradike approach….
It is not something we can be proud of as thinking, sensitive, caring Jews. Ones mind is not a reshus harabim for anyone to expose it to whatever suits them. If we can’t avoid it, at least we ought to know that they are trying to influence us the same way levi’s Jeans or Coca Cola influence the non Jews, only it is in a “frum” package, and for a good cause. That does not make it right….
agree
I agree. While awareness is beneficial, we’re talking about dramatic articles that read like horror stories and cause unnecessary anxiety for grown adults. That’s a lot different than presenting dry facts. But I suppose dry facts don’t sell magazines.
I am happy to hear there are other people who think the way i do. we do not have to hear about everyone’s problems, emotional, medical, physical etc to be aware. I would say to close your eyes to whats going on in the world but unfortunately, we don’t need to read papers to know enough about tragedy and heartache as they are all around us but bringing everyones intimate struggles to the public is a real lack of tznius. that’s not even talking about the problems within these stories which a numerous…
@Ari Learning something through someone else’s experiences through a narrative helps relate to the emotional aspect and becomes a part of learners/readers psyche. I agree that if it is read in a manner that resembles gossip the gains can be easily lost. The ends always justify the means so if the stories do help certain segment of the population then they are all well worth it.
Fully agree. Not to mention any publications specifically but there is a consistent issue in most Jewish publications. The material is so crazy
wakeup! what about if it damages even a certain segment of the population? cuz that has happened…
Define “damage” desensitized maybe, but damage? Honestly?
“The ends always justify the means”?? Not in my religion. Chazal are replete with stories of otherwise big people who decided that the end justified the means- and they were roundly censured by Chazal.If the means ain’t kosher the end doesn’t justify it. More recently there were some well known personalities who shall remain nameless who seemed to feel that way, Their approach was rejected by virtually all of normative orthodox Jewry.
Okay not always if the means led to murder, further abuse etc I may agree. But exposure to real issues that lead to mental awareness and readiness at the expense of becoming slightly desensitized? To me that’s a no brainer.
so maskim!! its all tragedy tragedy and more tragedy. opened one of the cities publications and 5/5 of the stories in the news tidbits were all tragic and sad. yes tragedy sells, but let yidden smile and laugh especially on shabbos when most of these things are being reaqd
YES, AND THERE ARE ENORMOUS STUDIES about the health power of smiling and laughing – and the terrible detrimental effects that being unhappy or just too serious have on a person.
Even smiling or laughing for no reason, already has a positive effect! There is a place which is a natural healing center for cancer etc. One of the things they do there is to have a session of laughing – for five minutes straight! (The laughing itself gets others to laugh!). It is considered one of the fundamentals of healing!!!
There are humorous ways of saying things – without any laitzonus etc. Puns, rhyming lines, etc. (IOW not only a whole long poem, but even in normal speech, a few lines that rhyme. The Chazon ISH would write letters in poetry. The Shita Mekubetzes says that the the order of the wording in the first mishna in Bava kama (discussed by the Rishonim) is becasue it rhymes: שור בור, מבעה הבער
Around Yom Tov is especially egregious. Why should a Yom Tov supplement be full of sadness, tragedy, and disappointment. What makes such reading material appropriate for a Yom Tov?
As far as marketing goes, the root cause of all the marketing that is poor in taste is that we have become a consumer oriented society like the non Jewish world around us; always looking for the next best thing, trend, or experience. The marketing folks are only too happy to oblige, and even to condition us to be looking for it.
Don’t think for yourselves. Want to give tzedaka? We’ll condition you to expect over the top events, culinary experiences, “viral” campaigns, and strange videos in order to part with your money.
Want to dress your kids? We’ll condition you to expect surly looking non-Jewish models and buzz are props to know which clothes you should buy.
Want to feed your family? We’ll condition you to expect hyped up ads and exotic presentations to know what food you should buy, even if you are on shoestring budget.
Want to transport your family or furnish your home? We’ll condition you to expect a level of luxury you never thought you needed (yes the $650 stroller is just what you need) and we will even supply you with a ready answer to justify your fixation on high end things- “quality pays “.
We are being told how to think, what to wear, how to live, and what to value, and we let it just sink in and saturate us to the point that we are no longer in contact with our true selves and our core values.
The first step is to recognize the degree to which we are being influenced; only then can we decide to connect with our true selves, not what the frum media tells us we should value. To borrow the words of Shakespeare, “ This above all to thine own self be true”
Ari super comment!!!
Ari is 1000% correct. How about if these publications have a separate or pull out “Chesed” section so people have a choice instead of seeing a starving family campaign opposite a gold faucet ad or a sheitel that is so expensive that it needs license plates and insurance. Speaking of gold faucets and sheitels, here’s a billion dollar idea: The Bluetooth Sheitel.