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Well, the news is mostly about things that go wrong, right? It's about sensationalist incidents that happened today, instead of things that happen every day. So if you watch and follow a lot of the news, at the end of the day, you know exactly how the world is not working.
Rutger Bregman
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Interpretation

What this quote means

News often focuses on negative events, overshadowing the positive aspects of daily life.

Rutger Bregman's quote highlights the tendency of news media to emphasize sensational events and failures rather than the ordinary, positive occurrences that define our everyday lives. This focus can lead people to develop a skewed perception of reality, where they become overly aware of societal problems and neglect the continuous efforts and successes that contribute to a functioning world.

Themes

NewsNegativityPerceptionSensationalismReality

In practice

Example use cases

During a discussion about media influence, someone might quote this to emphasize the importance of balanced reporting.

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If we assume the best in people, we can radically redesign our democracy and welfare states.
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My hope is that the corona crisis will help bring us into a new age of cooperation and solidarity and a realization that we're in this together.
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While it won't solve all the world's ills - and ideas such as a rent cap and more social housing are necessary in places where housing is scarce - a basic income would work like venture capital for the people.
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Believing in the good of humanity is a revolutionary act - it means that we don't need all those managers and CEO's, kings and generals. That we can trust people to govern themselves and make their own decisions.
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