We have a dog.
He is a little dog… a Malti-poo; these intentionally mixed breeds are also called “designer mutts”. They are certainly nothing that a reasonable process nor a rational God would design.
In an effort to be kind, I will say that he has many annoying traits and a few good ones. One of his most annoying is his barking addiction/obsession/compulsion. He barks when any person or animal comes to our house or yard…or wanders into his imagination.
When he goes outside, he quickly begins to bark without any reference to the presence of a threat. There might be something out there or there may not. If something is out there, it might be a threat or it might not.
Once when I reference how annoying his barking was, my wife defending his continued existence by saying “but he is a good guard dog.”
I disagreed; I think he is actually the worst kind of guard dog. His barking has no predictive value at all.
We live in a small cul-de-sac. The entire circle is less than 1/10th of a mile. One night, as I ran around this circle, Trooper (yes, his name may have set him up for a tough-dog syndrome issue) was hanging out near the end of our driveway. Each time I came around the circle toward our driveway, he would jump up and begin to bark at me. When I got to him, he would realize it was just me and stop… until, when less than a minute later, I came back around the circle again… when he would jump up, bark and repeat the pattern.
I assume that when, after spending 15 minutes barking incessantly into the darkness, Trooper is let back inside, he feels justified and satisfied. After all, he has successfully scared all the threats away!
I think if he could speak, the conversation would go something like this:
Trooper: “Sorry about the barking guys, but I was diligently monster-proofing the yard, so it was necessary.”
Us: “But there are no monsters, you stupid mutt.”
Trooper: “You’re welcome.”
He just barks. This is what he does. It is a self-substantiating pattern. Are there threats imminent? All I know how to do is bark. No threat? All I know how to do is bark. Nothing at all? All I know how to do is bark.
This is all true and accurate and it is also my metaphor for modern media.
In the end, what does his shrill, explosive, panicked bark signify? That there might be something or not; there might be a threat or not; but his barking doesn’t help us know. When it happens, no one in our family thinks or says anything except some version of “shut up Trooper!” No one says “Quick! Go check and evaluate the approaching danger!” Regardless, all of us who were sitting peacefully are now dealing with the racing heart, adrenaline pumping and stress response that comes from the sudden shock of the shattered peace.
The main difference is that I am not allowed to shut off or get rid of the dog. I can switch my format for getting information to more rational, peaceful, careful sources for news… or at least one that has a fundamentally Christian foundation – like Al Mohler or Jim Denison. I may not always agree even with these men, but I can count on their take of the news of the day to be much more than merely shrill meaningless barking.
Chris, we also have a Malti-poo. Shrill meaningless barking must be in all of their genes. Our Samantha, like Trooper, barks at everything and everyone. It definitely irritates Don and me, however like Trooper, she is a great guard dog. Not to mention she is so cute! I mean really cute. Her personality is way beyond very good and happy, but oh the barking!