IslandMix

Looking at the evidence, Harvard's polymath professor Steven Pinker has ventured to speculate that we are probably living "in the most peaceful time of our species' existence."Why does it not feel that way? Why do we think we live in scary times? Part of the problem is that as violence has been ebbing, information has been exploding. The last 20 years have produced an information revolution that brings us news and, most crucially, images from around the world all the time. The immediacy of the images and the intensity of the 24-hour news cycle combine to produce constant hype. Every weather disturbance is the "storm of the decade." Every bomb that explodes is BREAKING NEWS. Because the information revolution is so new, we—reporters, writers, readers, viewers—are all just now figuring out how to put everything in context.

We didn't watch daily footage of the two million people who died in Indochina in the 1970s, or the million who perished in the sands of the Iran-Iraq war ten years later. We saw little of the civil war in the Congo in the 1990s, where millions died. But today any bomb that goes off, any rocket that is fired, any death that results, is documented by someone, somewhere and ricochets instantly across the world. Add to this terrorist attacks, which are random and brutal. "That could have been me," you think. Actually, your chances of being killed in a terrorist attack are tiny—for an American, smaller than drowning in your bathtub. But it doesn't feel like that.

Fareed Zakaria "The Post American World"


This is not the focus of the article, jus one of the things that made me think..read the entire article

Excerpt: Zakaria’s ‘The Post-American World’ | Newsweek International | Newsweek.com

Why do people flock to the U.S when there are other countries where they can prosper?

Yep information overload.

As for your question:

People flock here because here is more known and many of us feel the US have more opportunities or it is because they know somebody here so they will go by somebody in the US because they could transition easier.

If some people did more research they might go to those other countries but incorrect perceptions or misinformation or fear might prevent them from finding opportunities in other countries.

Thank you!!

I been telling people this for a while now......especially those super religious people who are always complaining that the world is going to end after hearing a bad event reported on the news.

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"They made us many promises , but they only kept one. They promised to take our land and they took it." - -Chief Red Cloud

What you say here have me thinking. I getting bombarded with negative news here, the Caribbean etc. I don't get bombarded with positive. Sometimes I have to ignore the negative to search for the positive to get ah ease up.

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"They made us many promises , but they only kept one. They promised to take our land and they took it." - -Chief Red Cloud

yeah is true.. This is how Society expands it's by documenting it's history..if our great grands n so didn't do it we wouldn't be here.. but now it has become to much that ppl documenting every single lil ting.. anylil thing that happens they go look back at the archives to see if it ever happened b4 if it didint then it' sumn to talk or worry about..just like that time a tornado touch down in new york last year ppl was worrying saying that never happened it's a sing of the end..little did they know it was recorded a few decades back that tornadoes have been known to touch down on new york soil in the days..With this we either gonna strive more or give in n break.

pastors always say we are getting "less godly" (whatever the heck that means)

with each passing year. I suppose the ancient middle east was the pinnacle of mans loving kindness, i cant wait till its like the bible days again.

You know I was thinking about this same thing. If it wasn't for the news would we really feel like that world is ending. Weren't there worst things that our ancetors faced compared to what we are facing? Don't they say world without end? You can go in so many directions in thoughts, but I really don't feel the world would end, maybe mankind at the rate we are going. My worst fear is nuclear attacks, but still the world wouldn't end but civilization as we know it might. But we should dwell on more positive things and less negative. I always hear the worst news about Trini and I'm sure it's not that bad, and people must say the same thing about Brooklyn, its just life we have to learn to deal with the negative and the positive and make the best of it.

For every negative story in the news there are hundreds if not thousands
of positive things people do for their fellow human beings. Those who are
brought up to give back to society and to treat others with respect and
dignity go about their lives in a positive way without seeking any attention
for what they consider to be ordinary acts.

When it comes to the news remember if it bleeds, it leads.

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President Obama...Get Used To It!!!

you don't really hear too much about the good things that happen, which is a shame. Just the way the world works.