Does your mom habitually share negative news?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or your dad?

I mean actual news stories, not updates from people you or your parent knows. And usually not about current events, like what's happening on the world stage, or in your or your parent's town.

I mean along the lines of, usually without context, a screenshot of a news story about a gory public suicide ten states over, or a whole family drowning while on vacation overseas, or really any freak accident that takes place anywhere between Indiana and Indonesia.

Perhaps sometimes the news is more... relevant, like when you're pregnant, so your mom starts to include news stories being sent about crazed women "befriending" a pregnant woman only to carve the fetus out of the womb to claim as her own. Or when your brother is on his honeymoon in Mexico, so the news stories hitting the family group chat switch to screenshots of a drowning at the very beach upon which the newlyweds now frolic, or cartel violence anywhere in Mexico.

If you have this kind of mom or dad, I'm wondering what they are like otherwise- are they generally kind and caring people? Or a narcissist? Or majorly anxious, but well meaning? Do you see it as an extension of his or her love for you ("once you become a parent, the worry never stops, even when they're grown!"), or something else?

I'm curious.

Good parents too can have anxiety and paranoia. Actually since they care too much about their kids, they are more likely to be afraid for them and sharing such news so kids can stay safe.

Yes, but also a truly good parent recognizes when their anxiety and paranoia is problematic and they get professional help rathern than dumping it onto a kid.

Omg we’re all adults here. If you can’t handle someone else talking about current events then I think you’re the one with the problem.

But a man being decapitated in a one-in-a-trillion freak powerline incident in Manitoba is not a current event. The kinds of "news" stories I and other posters hear about from their parents are very often not linked to any overarching political, social, or safety issue. Not anything that can be learned from, protected against. Just gory, rare stories.

If this makes up a significant portion of your conversational output, then perhaps your view is clouded on why others find this odd, off-putting, and potentially concerning as to the doom-obsessive's mental state.

[Anonymous]

My mom does this and I think it's because she doesn't have anything going on in her own life that she thinks is important enough to share. Also, she seems to enjoy the shock value. It's def hard to steer things back on track once the doom and gloom report starts!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yup. It's boredom and anxiety, but it's also an attention-seeking behavior. She feels she needs the "oomph" of something scary or important to get your attention.

This this this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. My mom does this.

And even worse, at family gatherings, the conversation will be rolling. Talking about one of the grand's soccer games or the HS play or just anything light and casual and then she jumps in:

"Two teens died in a car accident last weekend"

"Oh, wow, Mom, did they live in your neighborhood? I didn't hear of this"

"No, they were from West Virginia. Just so sad"

"Oh, yeah....that is sad"

I'm laughing so hard I'm crying bc my mom does this but once she gets the floor she will NOT stop talking. And she can't see everyone's jaws drop, especially the younger teens and kids in our family. The whole room is aghast and she's still yammering on about terrible things that happened to complete strangers. Sometimes the things happened ages ago, too. It's like she's storing up all these mini-horror stories to frighten people with at the holidays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Old people don't understand algorithms. They click on terrible news so they get more of it and then they think the End Times are here and vote Republican because they've terrorized themselves with their online habits.

Hahahahahahahahahava

[Anonymous]

I can’t speak to my mom without hearing a health update on all her friends. There’s cancer, dementia, more cancer and more dementia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I texted my adult DS yesterday to tell him I saw a story on the news (in my area) that an air fryer caught on fire. It was not baking anything at the time. The news story mentioned to keep it unplugged when not in use. Have I become the parent OP mentioned?? Give it to me straight, I can take it.

OMG my anxiety fueled mother told me this story several months ago and I rolled my eyes. Among many other stories.... LOL

[Anonymous]

This thread has me lmao. Yes, so much of this with my parents. I see it as a combination of factors (in no particular order).

1) Age - 80s, their days aren’t as full as they once were and they are physically more vulnerable

2) News sources - they’re fed a diet of things to be afraid of

3) Social media algorithms- not my dad, but certainly my mom, reinforces every fear through her social media views and then is fed more of the same

4) Anxiety - feeding this beast from all of the above

5) Religion - for my parents this is absolutely part and parcel to their views and feeds into their fears

A few years ago my mom would send me all the chain emails about why people should be afraid of this that or the other - and I’d send her the Snopes debunking link. Once she sent me something inflammatory about Muslims I told her to stop. Now it’s the occasional “news” link, but mostly its long rambling stories on the phone.

I see how a shrinking/small life can be a breeding ground for fear and hope to choose differently as I age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Old people don't understand algorithms. They click on terrible news so they get more of it and then they think the End Times are here and vote Republican because they've terrorized themselves with their online habits.

Yes, throw in some religion and you’re describing my mother, and a couple of my middle aged peers.