I am done watching Rachel, and I swear to gawd I never thought i'd say that but.......

[a kennedy]

my husband and I are done watching ALL POLITICAL SHOWS. Can’t handle it. We were holding on for one small tid bit of hope for this administration to fry, or be call out for obstruction, or contempt, or to just be called out on ALL THE LIES THEY’VE ALL TOLD, but it’s not going to happen in the next two years. So.....we’re done.

[UTUSN]

1. Um... O.K. ...

[Baltimike]

78. This was my exact reaction too. nt

[DasMadchen]

85. Well I, for one, am simply beside myself...

[NurseJackie]

2. Sometimes I envy low information voters.

It's very depressing and discouraging to be informed and aware.

[hlthe2b]

3. Yes, for sure. I've always been irritated by the apathetic and those totally ignorant, politically.

If my daily anger and frustration is any signal, they'll outlive me by years...

[moonscape]

10. I had to do a news blackout before Helsinki because

I was overloaded, stressed, and seriously sinking. Did not watch any news, told friends to tell me nothing unless there was some positive news. Needed to clear my head.

So, when Manafort was indicted I got 3 calls to tune in! Not sure how long the blackout went but think it was about 6 weeks. It felt wonderful, if weird (have been a news junkie since the mid-60's). The hard part was, I couldn't even get any local/state news because being 100% unplugged is the only way to accomplish it.

Finding the balance these days between being an informed citizen and protecting our spirit is mighty tough.

[hunter]

41. Television is a low information medium.

A large percentage of it is raw propaganda.

My wife and I quit traditional television a little over ten years ago. Our television is a movie player, that's all it does. No news, no opinion, and best of all, no advertising.

We read all our news.

I've got to say it's much better for my mental health.

[pbmus]

65. Reading is becoming like the calculator, rarely utilized ...🔛

And Being force fed a constant barrage of propaganda, whether left, right or center is mind numbingly debilitating...not to mention mentally exhausting.

Either side considers the other inferior, either thru ignorance or stupidity....

We must break this cycle to bring radical change which is desperately needed to save this planet from becoming another extinct red planet...

We the people(generally speaking) bit hard on a corrupt person with corrupt intent...and we must rid ourselves of the monster inside of each one of us before we can rid ourselves of him.

🌀

[Fiendish Thingy]

53. Eating from the Tree of Knowledge carries with it risks and consequences

That being said, we all have to take care of ourselves in our own way, but rigid, all or nothing approach is rarely healthy.

[PatrickforO]

61. It is.

I have experienced a constant current of anxiety since his election.

I mean, look at what the jerk did today. He's decided we don't need the Endangered Species Act.

He just...doesn't...care, and if you do care, it's torture to watch.

[samnsara]

4. i started watching all the old westerns about a year ago...

..it helps

[rusty quoin]

35. Yeah, I love the old westerns to the point I ran out.

Let me give you a newer one, “Godless” on Netflix. There are 7 episodes and it is awesome. It is so good I watched it twice.

[True Dough]

77. I can vouch for Godless being spectacular

Like you, my wife and I watched it twice. Discovered it ourselves and then played it for her father several months later. We wound up sitting through it again and enjoyed it just as much the second time (and we don't make a habit of watching programs/movies more than once).

[notdarkyet]

40. I watch the old westerns. The only news I watch is Rachel.

[csziggy]

50. I've been watching British mysteries

Mostly on BritBox, Acorn, and Amazon Prime. Also, some science fiction - the last one each night is Eureka since it has a lot of humor.

[emmaverybo]

52. Brit mysteries cheer me up and provide a nice challenge to the amateur sleuth in me nt

[leftieNanner]

59. Miss Fisher?

Don't know if she's on Britbox but they are wonderful.

[csziggy]

63. Yes! And I've noticed a new Miss Fisher series

Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries, "The new series will follow Phryne Fisher's niece, Peregrine Fisher, in mid-sixties mod-era Melbourne, as she becomes a private detective in her own right." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Fisher%27s_Murder_Mysteries#Television_spin-off I haven't started that one, but probably will if I have time before we leave for Britain.

Right now I'm watching Happy Valley - in a strange way it reminds me of Fargo. I loved Case Files - very off beat and fun. I was disappointed the series wasn't longer.

Oh - I am still working my way through the Classic Doctor Who series on Britbox. I've made it to the Fifth Doctor.

[SoCalDem]

87. I recommend "Modus" ..It's subtitled, but excellent..

If you have netflix...Sneaky Pete...Bosch...Tin Star...Ozark

[csziggy]

88. Unfortunately I am always doing something else with the TV on

Needlework, cooking, on the computer, etc. So subtitled stuff just does not work for me. I've tried, but I just can't sit with my eyes glued to the TV to catch every line and I miss too much "dialog" when I look away to whatever else I am doing.

I'm on Season 2 of Bosch - great show. I'll have to check out the others.

[SoCalDem]

89. I always binge Bosch on day one, and then hate myself

[csziggy]

90. I have a half dozen or so shows I am working my way through

Rather than binge on one program, I watch one or two (for those with two episode stories) of each a night.

Right now I am working my way through:
(Britbox)
Waking the Dead
Doctor Who
Time Team (or maybe this is on Acorn?)

(Amazon Prime)
Silent Witness
Bosch
Farscape
Babylon 5
Eureka

Some odds and ends of other stuff - mostly documentary shows like David Attenborough's latest show. I've tried some sitcoms but the only ones I made it through were People of Earth, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and Detectorists.

[onetexan]

68. Likewise

[PatrickforO]

62. We quite watching political TV.

Now, we binge on British detective shows like Midsomer Murders, Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes. Great stuff.

[Dave Starsky]

84. I was on a Have Gun Will Travel binge last year.

Great show. Really demonstrates how uncreative and illiterate TV dramas are today. There was a time when a popular show featured an Old West gun-for-hire who quoted Goethe, spoke several languages, and who was well-versed, in general, in the arts and sciences. And audiences loved it.

[dem4decades]

5. Watch some Conan. Like Conan in Cuba or Conan in Italy. Have some laughs.

[BeyondGeography]

6. Time for a little quality Beethoven

Yeah, the pianist is Russian, but that’s consoling in its way, too.

[Poiuyt]

24. Classical music is ALWAYS good for the soul.

Well, maybe not Charles Ives, but that's just my taste!

[BeyondGeography]

28. Ives, yes, that can be very rough going

Central Park in the Dark is pretty cool though.

Always thrilled to meet another classical fan.

[Chipper Chat]

83. I am awed at Ives.

In college choir we sang one of his choral works where the women were in g minor and the men's part was in C major. It was challenging to learn but it worked.

[defacto7]

47. When I'm feeling anxious and upset

I listen to Schoenberg.

Or is it the other way around?

[lordsummerisle]

7. Just wondering why you singled out Rachel

in a comment about "all political shows"...?

[a kennedy]

14. Because she was one show we ALWAYS watched.......and then when

the White House, or tRumps attorneys said they would not comply with anything.....we thought what can Rachel talk about when the buck stops with THEM. She’s got nothing, can talk all she wants but nothing will come of it. We’re just tired of all the talk.

[gldstwmn]

22. I fear that your feelings are going to be the same

of many voters come 2020. Money talks and bullshit walks as they say.

[lordsummerisle]

23. But you're still going to read about it on message boards...? n/t

[thewhollytoast]

39. Trump has not said "Rachel Maddow" even once.

Because, he's afraid of her, and people that like her. Don't eat the fish, unless you want to end up landing the plane by yourself.

Toast

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

44. Yes, wake me they start arresting tRump administration officials.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[RandySF]

58. What did you expect her to accomplish?

She's a journalist. All she can do is report the truth, but she can't control what 45% of the country chooses to believe.

[Pachamama]

8. Whatever....

I find her AMAZING and you couldn't get me to stop watching....

To each his own...

[blueinredohio]

42. Me too that's the only show I try not to miss. I love Rachel.

[elfin]

9. I space them rather than following every day or all day

Was getting too revved up and worried and hating pretty much everything in general.
Rather than Xanax (which was prescribed when I vented to the GP about my extreme anxiety about our current peril), I skim the headlines on NYT and WP and DU, then catch up on local news and weather trends etc.

Then if I have time in the morning before leaving, switch to comedic takes ala Colbert and Myers that I have DVR'd the night before for just the monologues. Then switch to music or public radio or absolutely nothing.

Since those changes, the Xanax is very rarely taken. Just helps to know it is there for some reason.

I now DVR Nicole and Rachel and sometimes Jake Tapper. But don't always watch them. But good to know they are there on those heavy alert days, which are apparent by checking into DU.

I give thanks for DU for being an outlet for venting among good folk whilst residing in a nest of Trumpers.

[triron]

33. And I thought my recent bouts with anxiety were bad. Wow! Xanax. That's strong stuff.

[shanti]

34. I know, right?

I asked for Xanax once due to extreme anxiety (the first time ever asking), and she said no and gave me Ativan instead. They didn't work.

[pnwmom]

11. Too bad you didn't watch to the end of her show today.

What Katyal had to say was encouraging. Among other things, he pointed out that 3 of the Watergate SCOTUS justices were appointed by Nixon, and they all ruled against him. And the time from the subpoena to the SCOTUS decision was from April to July.

[a kennedy]

15. That does sound encouraging......but, will it be enough to get the orange piece of shit

out of office, or off the ballot in 2020?? Just asking, because with ALL the Repubs falling in line or standing up with the piece of shit in the White House it sounds to me like the Democrats are screwed with whatever they try to do.

[pnwmom]

17. One thing that will be different than the Clinton impeachment

is that during the Clinton impeachment they didn't even bother to hold hearings in the House. They just voted the articles and sent them to the Senate, which gave them a quickie trial (more than the charges deserved.) So Clinton was viewed as a victim and it didn't really hurt him.

However, this time the House, if it impeaches, will hold LOTS of hearings and expose lots of evidence. That's what all the subpoenas are for now -- to get their hands on the evidence.

Once these hearings start it will be more like Watergate. Seeing everything live on TV will have a much bigger impact than just reading the 448 page book, which of course most people haven't done.

If the Senate votes against conviction, in the face of overwhelming evidence, they have to worry that the public will turn against THEM.

[a kennedy]

19. Thank you, thank you, thank you, I NEED SOME BETTER NEWS.

[pnwmom]

26. Me, too. I know how easy it is to get discouraged.

I felt better when I read about the Clinton impeachment, and realized how different it had been than what is ahead of us now.

I really think Nancy Pelosi, Jerry Nadler, and the rest of the House leadership know what they're doing.

And they must hate Trump at least as much as we do. They've given their lives to a Democracy the orange one wants to destroy.

[brush]

29. Oh ye of little faith. They're not going to get away with this dictatorship.

Even if we have to go all the way to the Supreme, co-equal branches of government is the point of the Constitution. It was written in there to make sure the president couldn't become a king.

Patience, Grasshopper.

[not_the_one]

54. With this supreme court?

Don't bank on it.

[brush]

60. Even with this one. They surely don't want their legacy to be they okayed dictatorship

[Silver Gaia]

64. +1

[TomSlick]

12. Yes, it is emotionally trying to keep up with all the "stuff" going on.

Most Americans simply do not try. Fortunately, there are some of us who try to keep up. Someone has to do it and we can.

[malaise]

13. One of my sisters and her hubby were done after the Barr letter

but they're back

[Gothmog]

16. I enjoyed the TRMS tonight

[gldstwmn]

18. I understand. I've had to step away from

it all a times recently. Watching the decline of the republic is stressful and can leave you feeling hopeless.

[a kennedy]

21. Yes....

[yortsed snacilbuper]

20. Your concern is duly noted.

[Poiuyt]

25. I know how you feel. I periodically avoid politics when things look bleak.

I even avoid DU at times, but I always come back.

[wroberts189]

27. Your mental health is priority... unplug it all. We got your back...

Those of us that have not lost it yet either... yea we all are being tested.

[lordsummerisle]

31. I get the sentiment

of wanting to unplug, but if enough people do this over the next year it will only work in Trump's favor...

[underthematrix]

30. I watched Rachel tonight and thought it was excellent.

I always watch Lawrence too because Rachel usually scares the shit out of me and Uncle Lawrence always gives me a hopeful info pck me up.

What bothered you and your hubby about tonight's episode?

I have the same feeling now every time I watch AM JOy but I keep watching because when the shit totally hits the fan, I need her to be on the air to cover it. I dislike most of Joy's show so much now that I watch most of it on mute. But I will stop watching until we get ThatMuthaPhucka and his criminal cabal out of our government.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

32. Whatever will happen is going to happen, whether or not you know about it.

As for me, I guess I'd rather know what's going on since I'm not about to give up. You can't fight back if you don't know what's happening.

[rusty quoin]

36. Don't give up on any Democrat now.

[nini]

37. I cut them all off election night

I can't anymore.. I read what I need to know now. No major TV news other than an occasional something if a big non political story hits etc.

I just can't listen to it anymore. Reading allows me to filter things better.

I admire anyone who can do it.. I just can't.

[Iggo]

38. Welcome.

[herding cats]

43. I get it. No trashing from me here.

It's hard, I know. If we're being honest, we all know it's not easy being aware of everything at this moment in history. I take sabbaticals when I have to. It's the only way I can balance my family and their current needs and my need to be involved. If I don't step away from time to time I'd lose my sanity in our current environment. Which I'm suspicious is some on the Rights goal. They're trying to overload us and we can't let them succeed in their task.

Life is complicated. We're all different and have different responsibilities, burdens and breaking points. Recognize yours and respect where your boundaries are. Never neglect you, your family and/or loved ones because you're too overwhelmed with our current bad situation. Always stay well and strong to come back and fight again when you're recharged.

If it matters I'm just now putting my toe back in after a family moment and a personal recharge. I really do understand.

[a kennedy]

51. Thank you, and you've said it better then I did.

and thanks again.

[KentuckyWoman]

45. I started a TV "news fast" about 3 weeks ago.

I still read internet news. Got to where I was not sleeping... I'm just now starting to settle down a little.

[Bev54]

46. Really???

I sure hope that the rest of the citizens don't give up as easily. Take a break yes but you have a country and democracy to fight for. Find a way to help instead of sticking your head in the sand.

[kimbutgar]

48. I gave it up watching avidly after the election in 2016

I can watch these shows in small doses 15 minutes max then I get depressed or angry . I watch Joy on the weekend sometimes but even then I skip them. The news is do damn scary and depressing.

My hubby and I were 3 solid hours type of viewers nightly now only 15 minutes max.

[saljr1]

49. I miss the old shows, Bonanza, Man from UNCLE, Ed Sullivan Show, Twilight Zone, I Love Lucy

and even use to sit with my parents on the weekend when I was 9 years old and liked The Laurence Welk Show. lol liked the two dancers Bobby and ? can't remember the girls name.

[trackfan]

56. Bobby danced with Cissy in the earlier shows,

Elaine later on.

[saljr1]

66. Thanks yes it was Elaine I remembered lol

[sharedvalues]

55. Go to Indivisible- take action

Don’t just watch news. Take action!

[RandySF]

57. The Executive Branch wields the Power of the Sword.

And it is extremely difficult to overcome. Nixon would have served a full two terms if not for the tapes.

[orleans]

67. i did that when obama was pres.

through the course of that time i had a lot of loss (death) to deal with
my mom, a couple other family members, a couple neighbors, a couple friends, and two of my furbabies. and i lost the house i'd grown up in and lived in for fifty years! i couldn't deal with politics or focus on anything--my world got very small.

my mom & i used to watch olbermann and then rachel every night. i made the effort to keep doing it but i couldn't focus -- instead i'd end up crying b/c my mom wasn't there to watch with me.

i was grateful that obama was in the white house. and while he wasn't as liberal as i would have liked, i felt i could trust him to make sure everything was okay (and therefore i didn't have to worry about political matters). it was a relief.

go ahead and take a break. hopefully that bit of respite will help

[JonLP24]

69. I'm sick of all the 24/7 news channels

I still watch Rachel Maddow but that is about all I can tolerate.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

70. I haven't had a TV in over a decade now.

And this is the third or fourth time in my life I've gone without TV for a significant length of time, although this is definitely the longest. I'm 70 now, so forgive me if I've lost track of certain details.

I used to really like Rachel. I could watch her on line and I liked it. But after a while I noticed she'd repeat herself and not really get to the point of things until 18 minutes in. Really? Why?

While I do miss certain details of various stories, I find I'm actually better informed than a lot of people specifically because I don't have a TV. I can depend on the folks here at DU to keep me up to date on a lot of stuff. But more importantly is that I don't get sucked into watching some bullshit, trapped in an endless black hole of some repetitive, story, learning nothing new while I watch the same three factoids repeated over and over.

I read my local newspaper. I read a lot of books. I pay attention to what is happening. And when some horrific breaking news happens, such as the shooting in Las Vegas, local TV stations go to live streaming which is usually far more informative than watching the major networks' broadcast.

Plus, I keep my sanity. Double plus, I have time for a lot of other things.

So my advice is don't just stop watching the political shows. Turn off your TV entirely. It can be difficult, I know.

Here's the saga of my most recent excursion into no TV. Nearly 11 years ago I relocated some 800 miles after a divorce. I didn't have a lot of money, and decided not to buy a regular TV for several reasons. Number 1, I couldn't really afford a TV. Number 2, if I have a TV I want cable, and I couldn't really afford cable. Number 3 (and while this might seem trivial it was the overall deciding factor) the only place to put a TV in the apartment I'd rented was in front of the only window in the living room. I'm in New Mexico. The light here is very strong. The only way to watch a TV that's in front of the window is to close the blinds completely. Leaving the room dark all the time. It seemed to me not to be a good idea.

It was 2008, an election year. The various networks did live streaming of the conventions, and on election day did live streaming of their coverage of the returns. So I wasn't missing anything.

Here's the very best part of not having regular TV. No commercials. Dear lord, that's wonderful. If for no other reason than a show is a whole lot shorter without the stupid commercials which means you can actually watch more shows. Plus, no commercials means you're not subjected to the constant bombardment to BUY! CONSUME! SPEND MONEY! USE YOUR CREDIT CARD! BUY! BUY! BUY! That's especially useful when you don't have much money. If you watch regular TV it's easy to feel deprived, to think that everyone else can buy everything you see offered for sale, and you're the only one who can't. Without TV you just don't see those ads and don't feel deprived at all.

And when your income is not much above your basic expenses, as was the case with me, after a while you just don't feel as if you're missing out on anything.

For a long time, whenever I was in a hotel, I'd turn on the TV and watch this or that. After a while, the commercials made me bat-shit crazy, and in recent years the TV is essentially invisible to me when I'm in a hotel room.

Anyway, that's my case for getting rid of your TV.

[sarabelle]

71. We are not "done" if we lick our wounds and go after those corrupt Senators. We must

contest every Senatorial race, even in the most gerrymandered areas even if it means running a Dem as a GOP contender. We must learn the art of deceit as well as the GOP. Without the Senate, no GOP President will be able to do us much harm. Understand that and get out the vote for down tickets and ALL state and local elections.

[Vinca]

72. I try to block it out for most of the day, but I never miss Rachel.

She always has a new take on things and people breaking news seem to send it her way. Ignorance might be bliss, but I want to be the first one who hears Don just keeled over and died after devouring a bucket of chicken.

[a kennedy]

74. That's the first thought I hope for every morning I wake up.....

[magicarpet]

80. Let's all take our $5 off KFC bucket of chicken coupons....

.... and mail them to the White Power - White House. Maybe we can hasten donnie's departure from this realm and get him to park his ass in some other realm where we can fully and absolutely ignore him.

[Baclava]

73. Well first off Rachel doesn't report "headline news", she is a political commentator

With an informed perspective. And some of her stories take days of research to compile so if she doesn't seem to be talking to YOU about current events or the latest twitter storm there's a good reason.

Oh and ignore all the "BOMBSHELL ALERTS" on DU too, they will really make you go crazy

[a kennedy]

75. I know, I guess it's so overwhelming at times, and we do love Rachel.....she IS the best.

[SayItLoud]

76. Don't look until they kick down your door and take you to a concentration camp. NT

[nini]

86. A bit harsh isn't this?

There are other ways to get news etc.. Reading Rachel works too. I agree with the OP that sometimes for our mental health you have to step back a bit. Doesn't mean you put your head in the sand either.

[Corgigal]

79. Then read a newspaper online,

I listen to Stephanie Miller because it's done with a comedic touch. So I can get the info without my heart rate going up. I listen to a few podcasts, Mueller She Wrote because all the info is there and the ladies are wicked smart. When I need some heat to get me engaged then I listen to Gaslit Nation. I also listen to Historian Timothy Synder on YouTube. I also read his books.

Then I listen to music, under a headset and take it all away. However, at the same time this is when I do my logistics for our home. I have some plans, so I monitor world events. This is how I stay aware, but don't cause undue harm to my central nervous system.

[tavernier]

81. I play audible books whenever I'm a lone and thinking too much

about the bullshit that is going on. The Martian is an excellent read... will take you light years away. Outlander series is highly addictive, and you will travel in a most unusual vehicle. The Harry Potter series is a delightful fantasy that can soothe the soul, and reader Jim Dale holds the Guinness world title of number of voices in one audio book, all done with amazing delight.

Then twice a day I skim through breaking and general topics at DU, and if they don’t say “Trump indicted”... I go back to my books. My voice will be heard in the next election, but until then, there is little I can do to change the craziness, and I realize that I am responsible for my mental health.

[Wounded Bear]

82. I've had to slow down a bit on how much I watch...

but I can't completely cut myself off. Rachel is usually very informative, and if I watch one show, it is generally her.

YMMV

[GusBob]

91. I stopped watching all TV in 2003

I personally feel my life in immeasurably better because of it. Books, music, work, hobbies, sports on the radio, the great outdoors. I have shit tons of time for all. Not living life confined to the false reality of time slots or ratings

So I have never seen one minute of the RM show. I see that to DUers she is a sacred cow. To each their own, I get it. I think its that stovepipe/silo thing of insulating information.

For those of us out here in a world without the remote control stuck in our hand, kindergarten teachers have more impact in life than TV entertainment.

I think you are being knocked today for being hopeless, a kennedy, just 'cuz you turned off some TV show?