The most recent phenomenon in the news cycle has been the rebranding of Cracker Barrel. The company announced that it would be dropping its old logo in favor of a new one, sparking outrage from many. In true modern fashion, media outlets of all kinds pounced on the story and pushed it into the dominant water-cooler topic of the week. I believe this speaks to a larger issue: we are addicted to outrage, and the media feeds that addiction. We are spoon-fed the latest morsel to find fault in. While I don’t like the change myself, and I can find plenty to criticize in daily life, we should take a step back and view the world through the naked eye, not through a microscope. There are bigger, more important issues that deserve our focus.
The controversy surrounding Cracker Barrel isn’t really about mid-tier country cooking. It reflects the ongoing sense that any tradition, however small, is being uprooted in the name of “new.” That being said, we as a society are addicted to short bursts of uproar. I fully believe this is by design. This week, more people are worried about surface-level distractions than about the national debt. An artist topping the charts has an old insensitive tweet resurface, and we focus on that instead of federal agencies selling weapons to Mexican cartels. We laugh at countless memes about a rap mogul and baby oil in the same way we once laughed at a president who was clearly unfit for office for an unspecified period of time. We jump on the latest Hollywood drama as elites fight among themselves, all while the NSA quietly strips away another layer of privacy under the guise of security. The daily encroachment on freedom by our bloated government often ends up as third-page filler, while front-page headlines scream about two pop stars trading insults on social media.
I enjoy a good tussle as much as anyone, probably more than most, but we must make a conscious effort to pay attention to what isn’t being shown to us. The sleight of hand gets us all at times. Spend that energy and outrage on causes that are truly worthy. Think nationally, act locally. The big picture, which may very well include Cracker Barrel, is where meaningful change is made. Vote at the ballot box, with your wallet, and with your actions. And maybe, every now and then, go fishing and let yourself be happy for a day while minding your own business. The world can often be as good as you allow it to be.
As Mr. Harvey used to say: Page two.
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