Why I Disappeared – My week with minimal internet in a remote island chain

Privilege, Class, and the Ability to “Opt Out”

• Many see a Galapagos trip as something only the wealthy (or at least upper-middle class) can do; framing it as “escape from political conflict” is read as privilege.
• Others argue ignoring the news isn’t inherently privileged—many poor people tune it out because they’re overworked or feel powerless.
• Counterpoint: even if you ignore politics, its consequences (ICE, healthcare, housing, war, climate policy) still hit you; the ability to feel that “90% of news is irrelevant” is itself a form of insulation.
• Debate over the usefulness of “privilege” as a term: some see it as a necessary lens, others as a conversation-stopper used to delegitimize arguments by who makes them.

News, Democracy, and Mental Health

• Several claim most daily news is noise: emotionally draining, dramatic, and rarely affecting real decisions; important events “find you anyway.”
• Others insist an informed citizenry is essential to democracy and that tuning out enables bad policy, especially for vulnerable groups.
• Proposed systemic fixes: stronger education in critical thinking and civics, breaking up media conglomerates, publicly funded but independent journalism, and limits on media concentration.
• Individual strategies: weekly or print-focused news (e.g., Economist/Sunday paper), grayscale phones, heavy ad/tracker blocking, app blockers, command-line workflows, or quitting social media.

Polarization vs Everyday Civility

• Some agree with the article’s implication that in-person interactions outside the online outrage cycle reveal common ground and undercut “civil war” narratives.
• Critics argue that pleasant small talk on a luxury trip doesn’t erase deep conflicts over rights, immigration, energy, healthcare, or rising authoritarianism.
• One view: persuasion works better through friendly relationships than constant argument; another: avoiding hard topics may feel good but leaves injustices unchallenged.

Authenticity of “Disappearing” and Alternatives

• Several feel a weeklong, partially connected vacation marketed as “disappearing” is overblown and contradictory, especially when turned into content.
• Others share similar breaks (weeks to months off news/Twitter) and report lasting happiness gains and little practical downside.
• Some push for more radical or routine disconnection (e.g., three months offline yearly) and suggest that not documenting everything can be an act of resistance.
• Non‑US commenters are struck by how quickly even a foreign nature trip is narrated through U.S. partisan identity (Republican/Democrat).