The kids call it doomscrolling—that endless, glazed-eyed spin through terrible headline after terrible headline. And let’s be honest: content from today’s political circus is built for it. It’s so absurd, so extreme, that you find yourself muttering, “This can’t be real.”
But that’s the trap. The worse it gets, the harder it is to look away. And somewhere along the way, outrage starts to replace action. I know—because I caught myself doing it.
The Guardian. Axios. CNN. Social media. I’d bounce between them like I was looking for an emergency exit. Twenty minutes later, I’d be furious and discouraged—but no more informed, and no closer to doing anything about it. Just more adrenaline. And a little less hope.
And I came of age when activism mattered—when organizing, speaking up, marching, and writing letters could actually change things. I still believe that. But somewhere along the way, the energy that used to go into action started going into…scrolling.
That’s when I realized I needed a new focus. I needed to do something.
So I built something that could help me focus on what really matters—and tune out the rest.
For me, that meant building a small project called Idiots & Charlatans, not as a reaction website or think piece factory but as a tool to help me stay anchored in a few big values: democracy, truth, equity, climate, justice, and free speech. I call them my non-negotiables.
At first, I didn’t know where to start. Every headline felt catastrophic, and every issue felt urgent. But then I asked myself: which battles, if lost, will be the hardest to undo? That question helped me cut through the noise.
I made a short list—my non-negotiables:
🗳️ Democracy, because once it slips, getting it back is nearly impossible.
🌍 Climate, because the clock doesn’t reset.
🧑🏽🤝🧑🏼 Equity and justice, because the rollback is real and the pain is personal.
📢 Free speech and truth, because without them, we lose the ability to fight for anything else.
When a headline touches one of those, I pay attention. When it doesn’t, I don’t. And that shift alone has made all the difference.
That’s what helped me, but the bigger question is:
What will help you?
Because this isn’t just about how we cope with the news.
It’s about how we respond to it.
Reclaim that time—the time you’d normally spend doomscrolling—and do something. Anything.
- Call your representative.
- Volunteer at a voter registration event.
- Donate $10 to a trusted cause or candidate.
- Talk to a friend who’s tuned out.
Because let’s be honest: we’re not going to doomscroll our way out of this mess.
And as older Americans—people who’ve lived through enough to know what’s at stake—we can still show others what serious civic responsibility looks like.
We don’t need more commentary. We need more courage.
We don’t need more dread. We need more doing.
So if you find yourself scrolling tonight, just ask:
What else could I be doing instead?
Brent McKenzie is a writer and educator based in the United States. He is the creator of Idiots & Charlatans, a watchdog-style website focused on democratic values and climate change. He previously taught in Brussels and has spent the majority of his professional career in educational publishing.
