I remember that May 2011 night when President Barack Obama addressed the nation announcing the death of terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden. After a decade of relentless searching, tracking, and pursuing him into the darkest caves and loneliest deserts of the Middle East, Navy SEAL Team Six executed him in his compound and discarded his body at sea.
I was doing a radio show at the time and tuned in closely to the conservative commentariat. I can't think of one that wasn't celebrating the victory despite their personal opposition to Obama's leadership. That type of unified celebration of national victories has been a bit of an American tradition, until recently it seems.
After the United States conducted what reportedly was an exceptionally successful bombing raid on Iranian nuclear facilities, Democrat activists and their voices in media have been anything but enthused. First came this ridiculous beauty:
Thankfully, social media humiliated this narrative:
Not to be outdone, the always pleasant Jen Psaki was less than impressed with American achievement, spending the balance of her program downplaying the success and promoting the now discredited Defense Intelligence Agency report that the airstrikes were ineffective. Psaki, who built a career obfuscating facts and distorting reality on behalf of both John Kerry and Joe Biden, quoted "journalist" Natasha Bertrand in her rant.
If that name sounds familiar, Bertrand became famous in 2020 as the reporter who worked diligently at Politico to downplay the Hunter Biden laptop story.
So, in one sense, it is worthwhile to note the leftist media's lack of credibility and unrepentant dishonesty. But, as I alluded to earlier, there's something else that really sticks with me watching Psaki, et al.
It's more than "Blame America First." It's not just a lack of joy. It's something more, something I can only describe as a palpable sense of disinterest in the success, prosperity, and flourishing of the country at large.
Always on the lookout for a reason to be disgusted.
Always finding an angle to downplay victories.
Always discovering new ways to be unhappy, dissatisfied, and discontent.
I'm not naïve enough that I misunderstand how media's bread is buttered. I know that bad news and negativity sells, and that networks, anchors, reporters, and everyone involved in the operation can spend a career thriving on fear, outrage, and despair. But - and maybe this is because I'm a Christian and am wired differently - I just don't understand the desire to be miserable.
While I'm glad that, as polls reflect, the majority of Americans have grown tired and distrustful of major media, a more balanced, resilient society must commit to do more than tune out the drumbeat of negativity. We have to find better voices, happier people, and those who recognize this axiom:
If the news is always depressing, the problem isn't the world as much as it's what we're being told about it.
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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Not the Bee or any of its affiliates.
