When Obama ruins your life ...

Sometimes news and politics play too big of a role in our moods and collective psyche.

Perhaps that's a counterproductive thing for a newspaper editor to say. I understand more than most what content interests people. Our online analytics are quite clear on what people like to read. And you like to read about crime, death and, when it comes to politics, controversy.

When people say they want more positive news, they don't really mean it. The overwhelming majority of people like their content violent or juicy. And if they consume too much bad news, the negativity can make them miserable. Anecdotally, I've seen this happen in my own life, with people I care about. The red-and-blue gamesmanship, played by politically fueled commentators and candidates who capitalize on it, can make people think our world is falling apart.

The politicians and pundits, talk show hosts, columnists and bloggers can sour even the sweetest souls. Every journalist knows the stories that will generate interest. We all are guilty of feeding the beast. It's a competitive world in the content universe. A constant effort is being made to capture your attention.

Headlines are written and talking points are chosen to focus on conflict and invoke your passions. It's the formula for audience and advertising. It's a formula for votes.

Last week, Cape Girardeau attorney and nationally syndicated columnist David Limbaugh wrote a column, simply listing dozens of headlines he found in his normal places that showed our world is inside out. I thought the column was innovative and insightful. His column intro was Orwellian.

"The world is upside down," Limbaugh wrote, "sideways, crazy, nutso. Bad is good; up is down. Left is right; right is wrong. Evil is good; insanity is sanity." And so on.

My take is this: If people are politically motivated and seek out political news on a daily basis, they had better plan on being offended, scared and angry. Just as if you go to a bar, your chances of getting drunk are much higher. If you eat a triple bacon cheeseburger every night, you can expect to gain weight. If you smoke two packs a day, you can expect to have lung problems. What you consume affects you. The same applies to frequent drinking of politics. The more you feed from the trough -- whether from the right or left side -- the more likely you will become cranky and pessimistic.

It's easy to do what Limbaugh did, if you cherry pick political and news sites. You'll find headlines there every day that will make your blood boil. Because that's what moves the needle, that's what media companies and personalities offer as bait to hook your eyeballs and emotions. If information seekers go to liberal news sources, they're going to be reminded that the world is stacked against them, that all conservatives are racist and greedy, and that crazy, flag-toting, gun-waving Neanderthals are ruining this country. Conservatives drinking from the Fox News faucet are likely going to think that President Obama is the worst leader in world history, that liberals are cramming things down their throats, stripping them of freedom and that Barack Hussein Obama is the anti-Christ, hoping that Iran will flametorch America's heartland.

That's supply meeting your demand. But here's the hard part: Much of the commentary you hear and read make legitimate points. Merit can be found even from the side you don't like. But parsing out the garbage from the good is getting harder.

In reality, Limbaugh's headlines about same-sex marriage, racism, climate change and President Obama are only a small slice of American life. That said, let me offer some headlines most people probably never saw, because they're not seeking out the real stories of America:

• Photographer allows soldiers to get a glimpse of home
• New U.S. citizens mark July 4 celebration
• Central alum rises in ranks at Fort Benning
• Known for music and volunteerism, Jerry Ford wins 2015 Spirit of America Award
• Local student chosen to attend event in Boston
• Scott City church to host men's breakfast
• Benefit fish fry July 17 in Scott City
• New Hamburg picnic July 17 and 18
• River City Players try to figure out whodunit in 'Sleuth'
• Members of two churches join to answer call for help after Oklahoma tornado
• Catfish: Bringing families together on the river and at the table
• Lesser known roads of the Shawnee Forest
• Comedy theater set at Sikeston Little Theater
• Woman's pink flamingo puts the fun in fundraiser
• Miner church's mission team making difference in El Salvador communities
• Sikeston Jaycees prep for upcoming rodeo
• Poplar Bluff family attends ceremony where POW medal awarded 70 years later
• Blackberry pickin' time is here
• Tulsa woman donates 1928 yearbook to Poplar Bluff R-1
• Deana Carter to headline Peach Fair Concert
• Girls' nature camp a success
• Upcycling and recycling are becoming increasingly popular
• Stop The Violence march held
• Harvest underway at Community Garden

These headlines can be found quickly just here at the Southeast Missourian and our sister newspapers in Sikeston, Dexter, Poplar Bluff and Kennett over the past week or so. This is the rural Midwest. People in our mostly rural and suburban region of the country are doing good things, healthy things, fun things on a pretty big scale. Imagine how many towns across the country like ours are raising money for the sick, holding fish fries, camping with their families, fishing at the river, picking blackberries and celebrating accomplishments. Multiply this list times hundreds of thousands and you will find America's primary ingredients.

Same-sex marriage can't undo your love for your family and community. Obama can't do a darn thing to affect the New Hamburg picnic or the Peach Fair Concert. The overwhelming majority of real-life Americans aren't out there burning down black churches, shooting people or cramming anything down anyone's throats. They are going to Little League games and hosting barbecues.

In my view, America is not upside down and crazy. Unless we decide that sensational headlines trump, pun intended, the somewhat boring reality of the masses. That's illogical. This isn't to say that we don't have problems, and serious ones. But don't let the tail wag you.

The news and the politics people are most attracted to are the exceptions of our society. Three people among 319 million want to obtain a polygamous marriage license and it serves as a falling-sky moment. Sensationalism and divisiveness rule the day on social media, on talk radio and on the cable news outlets. The true norms are represented by the local newspapers and the headlines people say they want but actually don't read. The norms are represented by the people around your dinner table, your friends, colleagues and your community.

Don't let the national news and commentary needlessly scare you. Let those stories inform. Let them present ways for you to get involved. Let them guide you on how to vote and for whom to pray.

But, please, for everyone's sake, don't let them cast shadows on your life. Don't let the news and flamboyant politics harden your heart and pilfer your optimism.

We live in a great country and during a great time in history.

Bob Miller is editor of the Southeast Missourian.