When I talk about “weather bias in the media” it isn’t about global warming or climate change. It’s about TV meteorologists who characterize “warm and clear” as good, and “cold and cloudy” as bad. Big time important stuff!
It would never have occurred to me except that I’ve always preferred “bad” weather. I’ll take a gorgeous chilly downpour over a gloomy blue sky any time. When a meteorologist smiles and says, “The clouds will clear, it will warm up, and the rest of the day will be NICE,” it rents a lot of otherwise empty space in my cranium.
Why the bias?
It could be related to survival, simply because farming is so dependent on the right weather. That would make it evolutionary and deeply ingrained in our psyche. Can’t argue with that.
Or maybe it’s because driving to work in the rain is just plain hard. And staying dry when getting out of the car requires the awkward deployment of a contraption with a weird name (“umbrella”) that can sometimes be turned inside-out by the wind, making you look silly as hell. But I would argue that having to concentrate on all this rain-related activity helps keep us rooted in the present moment. And also, don’t we all agree that doing the harder thing makes us better people? Aren’t these good things? Yes. Yes. I think so.
Or maybe–just maybe–it’s some sort of loosely organized conspiracy that we haven’t uncovered yet. Maybe there’s some kind of financial impetus for TV stations, or a political party, or (gasp) the Illuminati! Could be a business trick devised by the Florida Dept. of Tourism, or even Speedo International. Dicks.
Or maybe I’m just a rebel. A weather gangsta in squeaky galoshes and a bright red toboggan cap.
(Originally posted here for day 3 of the YourTurnChallenge)
