TV Shit

I will admit that I am not always on top of my game. I enjoy drinking from time to time; exercise is not on the top of my list of things to accomplish. My attention span is so short that it interferes with my dialectical thinking. I have failed more than one undergraduate course in Mathematics. As a reader, I give you the opportunity to ignore the words of such a untrustworthy speaker (because, I am becoming aware, some of you might not believe you have such a right).

I just finished this book, Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman. It's overarching assertion is that American culture, as seen through his lens in 1985, is experiencing the exact changes as described in A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. The basic idea is that our culture will shrivel with the advent of technologies which consistently make us more and more comfortable and complacent. The technological centerpiece, says Postman, is the television. Ever-present, always alluring, buzzing with both triviality and affirmations of triviality's goodness, the TV creates its own universe of discourse and relevance so that we may be completely distracted from reality. (Unrelated but analogous)

That's all well and good, though. We sit around and play board games, ride around in cars and drink beers and fall down. These sorts of things have happened for a long time in human history and we still manage to sober up and get serious when we need to. What is bad about this is that some TV can tend to replace the central reality of peoples lives- become their occupation. I think it's different for different people, some people like the soaps innocently while others feed off them-- TV series do a good job of encroaching on real life-- memorable characters and familiar music.

For me, CNN could be my life if I let it. The seriousness, the semi-attractive women and informed and discerning men in suits. It's like looking out your window while laying in bed-- carefully drawing conclusions about situations you'll never have to actually confront. You feel like you're actually learning something when you watch CNN. I sit in my boxers and knowingly agree with David Gergen with Raisin Bran and Almond Breeze dripping off my chin. Eternal third-party. That's when I gotta turn off the TV...

thanks
Ben