A dinosaur confesses

I'm never more aware of how out of touch I am with the entire ambiance and values of mainstream pop cultural life than when I listen to the news, either national or local. Fully 90%, maybe more, of the newscasters I hear drive me up the wall with the overt "friendliness" of their tone. As if I'm a friend of theirs. Guess what? I'm a stranger, and I just want the news, not intimacy, and I want it delivered straight and neutrally, ala Cronkite, Brinkley. I don't want any goddamn aw shucks news. I don't want to be told I'm going to really really like this story. I just want to know what's happening in the world. I don't want any TV personalities involved.

There's a partial solution. I mute the sound and try not to notice the beaming faces as I read the newswire at the bottom of the screen.