How I Spend My Sunday Mornings

By Edward M. Bury, APR, MA (aka The PRDude)

Shortly after I hit the “publish” button for this post, I will spend 90 minutes of this Sunday morning doing the same thing I’ve done for seemingly decades.  And, thanks to social media, I can interact with others who do the same.

Like tens of thousands across the nation, I am a regular — make that a fanatic — for CBS Sunday Morning, the long-running program that delivers compelling stories on current news, the arts and culture, people famous and ordinary, unique parts of the world and much more.

With a cup of fresh-brewed coffee at hand, I switch on the television a few minutes before 8 a.m. to hear the dulcet trumpet performance of “Abblasen” by jazz great Wynton Marsalis then listen to current host Jane Pauley inform me and fellow Sunday Morning fans of what’s in store. From that short trumpet music to the closing “Moment of Nature” segment, I provide a captured audience.

If memory serves me correctly, I began watching the program some 30-plus years ago, when it was hosted by the late Charles Kuralt.  My interest continued through the years Charles Osgood welcomed viewers after the trumpet introduction.  (Note: Another music legend, Doc Severinsen, recorded an earlier version of “Abblasen.”)

But what has prompted this post is knowing that there are many, many fellow Sunday Morning fans, people from across the nation (and perhaps the world) who — like me — find enjoyment, gain insight, and perhaps find solace in the kind of programming presented.

Yes, the show tackles topics that are unquestionably controversial, such as the 2020 Presidential election and the attack on the U.S. Capitol January 6, 2021; life is not always the proverbial “sweetness and light.” Still, the majority of stories presented are uplifting and inspiring; viewers are presented with snapshots on the status of the famous as well as stories about how a neighbor gave back to the community.

The program’s Facebook page — where I have shared comments on a regular basis — is a reflection of the program itself. I find gratification in the number of likes and responses to my posts. 

Given the vitriol and troll-driven commentary one often finds on social media platforms today, the Sunday Morning Facebook site, like the program itself, is a virtual island of respect, decorum and good manners.

I could go on, but the 8 a.m. hour is approaching.

A Perspective Four Days After the Highland Park Horror

As noted here, the Webtoon site made the macabre claim to have launched a platform to perpetuate fear, uncertainty and misery.

By Edward M. Bury, APR, MA (aka The PRDude)

In the hours after learning about another mass shooting in the United States of America — this one having taken place on July 4, 2022, Independence Day, in Highland Park, an affluent community 27 miles from Chicago — I immediately considered the prospect of sharing thoughts in this space.

Like any rational human being, I was horrified by the news. As details were unveiled via television and online reports, the genesis of this latest massacre of innocents resembled previous scenarios: A young, white, very disturbed man had access to military-style firearms, planned an attack, and used the weapons to kill indiscriminately.

As I write this, authorities have charged the suspect with seven counts of murder; more changes are pending.

Now, four days following the horror, more on the suspect has surfaced, including his obsession with what can be clearly perceived as the dark and sinister sides of social media. That news prompted this post.

Yesterday, as I reached the CTA Logan Square Blue Line station to catch the el train for my commute to work, I was taken aback by the advertisements shown here for Webtoon, an online source of animated stories all available for free.  As noted on the site, Webtoon is “home to thousands of creator-owned content with amazing, diverse visions from all over the world.”

Clearly, these stories — with titles like “Grim Reaper in Training” — are not in the same genre as Mickey Mouse and Charlie Brown.  Some have been viewed and liked millions of times.

What grabbed me by the lapels was the advertisement claiming the site “basically invented doomscrolling.” As noted in this definition: “Doomscrolling and doomsurfing are new terms referring to the tendency to continue to surf or scroll through bad news, even though that news is saddening, disheartening, or depressing. Many people are finding themselves reading continuously bad news about COVID-19 without the ability to stop or step back.”

So, from another perspective, Webtoon is marketing itself to the younger demographic as a platform that perpetuates fear, uncertainty and misery.

Really?

The questions I have: How many other unhinged, disturbed, angry young men (or women) out there now are regularly doomscrolling or doomsurfing? Did this online practice have a concerted influence on the suspect in the Highland Park shootings? What can be done to prevent the unbridled viewing of disturbing animation from influencing others to commit horrific crimes?

I trust the people of Highland Park and other communities wracked by gun violence would ask the same questions.

Based on the images shown here, it’s readily apparent that this relationship will not turn out well.

Note the QR code to access “The World Before the Fall” saga.