Not to sidetrack Trollheart's interesting thread, but I thought CNN had a pretty good reputation and I often visit their website. Is there a more unbiased news outlet I should be using for American news ?

CNN is fine. They were just under fire by Trump and some on the right as being "Fake News". It is a b.s. claim. The only thing I would stay away from is the shows that have guests come on. They barely let them speak and end up talking over each other and it just turns into a **** show. It is like they don't know how to be adults and let people speak before jumping in.

Can't it be both?
Fox News :laughing:

CNN isn't so bad you can't tell whether it's satire or not, but its far from a good or reliable source. As news sources, NPR, Forbes, Reuters, BBC, and Way Street Journal are all top notch.

Avoid every publication's editorial pages like the plague.

^ Thanks, dj - I had the impression that it gave pretty reasonable news coverage. :) I briefly watched one program called "Hardball" which was exactly as you describe, with the host interupting and talking across the poor invited guest.

EDIT: thanks, Frownland
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On topic, I was reminded of a dialogue in a book by C.S.Lewis, which went something like:-

"What do you enjoy in life?"
"I enjoy weather."
"Yes, I like nice weather too."
"No, I like weather. I don't mind what sort of weather it is; I just like any kind of weather. Every day is a little different, you see."

Not many of us are so even-handed about our likes, especially as we are encouraged to choose favourites from an early age; favourite color, favourite food, favourite tv prog. And of course by choosing a favourite, by implication you are finding fault with the other options.

Some people are content just to celebrate their favourites, but others take a lot of pleasure from criticising their non-favourites too. Why that is, I'm not sure though. So my answer to Trollheart's intriguing question is "Don't know." :o:

I don't know, why does anyone do anything? Overall I agree with what LoathsomePete said.

My perspective on all this partly depends upon the thing being criticized; I feel it's perfectly fine and good to be able to analyze and criticize art, media and one's aesthetic tastes without also automatically criticizing those (their entire being and character, even) who enjoy the things you're criticizing in such a dismissive way. As for why..? I don't know, I'm sure it varies quite a bit. I'm sure many just like to demonstrate their supposedly superior taste, but I doubt that's the case for most; I don't think most of us have one specific reason or motive when we express criticism of any given thing in our day-to-day life. (If I'm going on and on about a movie I like for instance, usually it's just expressing my love of it for the sake of it, but other times I do it in hopes of someone else reading it and relating to it/offering other different perspectives.)
But there are those condescending types who act as though they're giving a TED talk to a completely clueless audience whenever they present even a minor criticism or opinion of anything. (There's usually one of them at every party or social gathering. If someone mentions liking something they have to one-up them immediately, as opposed to just being genuinely enthusiastic about sharing something they think others would like.)

I'm glad that I can enjoy a wide spectrum of less than stellar media while being aware of its glaring flaws. I try not to allow my entire identity/self-worth to hinge solely upon what I consume, but others do exactly that, (and might be more likely to severely criticize things which are different than the ones they're passionate about) and are proud of it even, which I don't fault them for, seeing as we all develop our identities and self-confidence in different ways.

Regarding politics, societal norms and religion, (and also literature) I think criticism is good and healthy (though I think many can overboard when it comes to demonizing religious people) seeing as our daily lives are majorly affected by such things-- it makes sense to criticize and question them. Obviously, if I encounter a neo-nazi, or someone who goes out of their way to excuse, coddle and defend those people and systems which directly or indirectly exploit or harm others, I'm going to be a bit critical of them as a person.

When it comes to criticizing another person's physical appearance, though... Even though it's often done in a joking way, I still hate it (especially when it's done with that awful, patronizing type of faux concern)-- that is, when it's a criticism of some aspect of their appearance that they have no control over, or their weight. When someone does that frequently and relentlessly to just about everyone, I'm sure it's just due to their own festering self-hatred. People tend to think horrible things about their own looks in their head all the time, after all, which I guess can make them feel it's okay to talk to others in the same way. (And yes obviously there's a difference between a lazy joke and real actual criticism.)

There's no problem with editorials as long as one knows that that is what it is. I like editorials as a genre of writing. They can be interesting and thought provoking, even if frustrating.

As a reply to the original question, I'd say we often critizise simply because we, as humans, want to express ourselves. If I just saw a bad movie, I want to tell someone about it. If there's no friend nearby, it might end up as a whiny Youtube comment. Then someone who likes the movie will read that comment and take it as a personal attack and the whole cycle of silly internet mud slinging commences.


Criticism isn't really inherently negative in my opinion. It's just that some people can't seem to play along and have fun with the conversation.

NPR and WSJ are notorious for the false equivalency of opinions.

I didn't realize you were specifically talking about CNN. You're totally right.