Bad over good

Dear editor:

I only write to you every decade or so. I recently read one of your enjoyable Sunday columns, "The disease of daytime TV." I observed that you found such TV terrible. Quote: "To say it is a sign of the apocalypse may be an overstatement, but I doubt it. ... Everyone is fighting or screaming, or looking for someone to eventually fight or scream at. ... Lots of folks finding contention with each other evidently is what people want to watch during the day," as well as commercials reminding you of death, etc. You concluded, "I did leave daytime television with a fairly severe and hopefully nonterminal case of brain rot."

As usual, I enjoyed your observations. My first inclination was to ask rhetorically -- had you watched nighttime TV recently? However, as I perused the rest of your editorial section, I noticed the letters to the editor segment. The first three on the same first page were entitled "Gun violence," "The real problem" and "Makes no sense." They were from the same old male writers who appear to amuse themselves by continually lecturing each other, and us, on some topic or the other.

But, the interesting thing to me about these self-congratulatory letters was their word choices: "lack of understanding" "bizarre attitudes," "suffering the consequences," "women who were spat on and put in jail," "suffered even more ... even to the point of death," "horrors," "hearts ache," "psycho," "pain and sorrow," "disparages by insinuation" and "just too stupid." -- Eloquent! Then, I read the only two letters on the last page and very last column of the section; by two women, using words like: "Kudos" and "God bless America and all His creations."

Over the next week or so, I counted the positive and negative stories in our newspaper. Almost every day, on just the first two pages alone, there appeared to be at least over a dozen stories and references -- often with multiple pictures -- of alleged or convicted criminals. If I were visiting as a tourist, I might think that this was an extremely crime-ridden community. There were good uplifting stories as well, but these more often seemed not to be given as much prominence as the aforementioned negative stories.

Do you see the incongruity? The juxtaposition of negative over positive. The prominence of bad over good. Possibly like your perception of TV, as well as, coincidentally, the number and placement of the letters to the editor that very same Sunday. I hope that most people and most people's lives are good.

And, is good being given the prominence it may deserve in our society? Just an observation. You never know -- it might just help make a difference.

Oh yes, regardless of any negative comments that may come in response to my aforesaid letter, from your usual suspects -- I will not respond. As this letter portends, there is already far too much negative in our world -- and I, my family and my extended family, thank God, have good lives.

Byron C. Rhodes

Hot Springs