Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Marshall McLuhan, reality T.V. & why The price of eternal vigilance is indifference.

Ok I'm gonna take the risk of sounding like some flipped out media student here but I have a few things to say about Television.
Yes... That's Television with a capital "T".
First make no mistake I love my T.V. in fact I have a few of them and I love them all equally and unconditionally, but I don't trust them!
Only a fool would!
Television brings entertainment, Information and even info-tainment (if you let it) into our lives. Television can do good things but we as watchers shouldn't let ourselves believe that it or the people that control it "care" about us!
Television should not only be watched but observed, for it has the potential to do us great harm. These days we seem to be so willing to give over so much of our belief to "The Box" and all those that find themselves on it, it is starting to become common belief that there is something special about our celebrities.
Nothing could be further from the truth!
They are made up of the same stuff as all humans, this is something to bear in mind when we are watching.
Yes... "The medium is the Message" but is it a message we should trust?
Of course not!
If recent history has taught us anything it is that we can't trust the people that have the awesome responsibility of presenting news, current event or even "reality" to us, we have now well & truly entered another age of the personal agenda.
Every bit of content is now subject to the point of view of those that present it, or those that control them.
We can't even be sure that what we are being shown is in our best interest in, fact we can be sure it is not.
For example now that we are at war and Michael Jackson's trial has started what has become of the millions dying in Africa?
What's going on in Bosnia?
These questions and so many more beg to be answered but somehow go unanswered how is this with news media budget rising to incredible new highs?
Why are we seeing the same stories aired at 11, 4, 5 & 11 again?
And why is the media leading us like lemmings to the precipice of vengeance in so many cases?
But most importantly why are we sitting on our fat asses and taking it?
Television could finally put the trouble between the races to bed, inspire us to really embrace "Personal Responsibility" for our world and it's people or even simply make us realize that we all share the same lives and the same fate.
Yes all that and more could happen...
If only we could just get real!
So if you do happen to find yourself on T.V. or working in it, start your day by remembering all the people you love and reminding yourself of how they are, in a very real and tangible way connected to the rest of us... and then behave the only way you can baring those facts in mind.

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