TV has made nation complacent, Gore says - This could be the most sensible thing I've ever heard Al Gore postulate. "The 'quasi-hypnotic influence' of television in America has fostered a complacent nation that is a danger to democracy, former Vice President Al Gore said Tuesday."
Al Gore, however, loses me with these statements.
"Gore [said the] decline of newspapers as the country's dominant method of communication leaves average Americans without an outlet for scholarly debate."
" "Our democracy is suffering in an age when the dominant medium is not accessible to the average person and does not lend itself most readily to the conveyance of complex ideas about self-governance," Gore said. "Instead it pushes toward a lowest common denominator." "
I don't understand what Al Gore is inferring with those remarks.
I would say radio is more accessible and more wide-reaching than newspapers. Radio has been around for more than a couple of years. Does Al Gore have something against radio?
The decline of the newspaper is partly due to so many mediums available today for information: network TV, cable TV, magazines, radio, the Internet. I would say there are more options available today for people to be informed.
If Al Gore is saying that Americans are watching too much crap TV that provides no benefit and is simply turning minds to mush, then I agree with him. The mind is more active asleep than watching TV.
More from Gore ...
"Gore said democracy in America flourished at the height of the newspaper era, which "empowered the one to influence the many." That changed with the advent and subsequent popularity of television, he said, noting that the average American watches four hours of television a day."
" "What does it do to us that has relevance to democracy? Does it encourage passivity? Is it connected to the obesity epidemic? ... If people are just staring at a little box four hours a day, it has a big impact on democracy," he said."
"Gore said a remedy to television's dominance may the Internet, a "print-based medium that is extremely accessible to the average person." "
Well, the Internet could also be a remedy or replacement for newspapers that have alienated subscribers.
I don't think people are watching four hours of TV every day to be educated. They watch to be entertained. TV viewers don't want to think much. This causes people to not be informed completely.
People who watch four hours of TV every day may glance at the front page of a newspaper or catch five minutes of network news and think they are informed. But if that's how people prefer to spend their time, then so be it. It's their right to watch tons of TV. In my opinion, TV is the biggest waste of life, but I'm not going to tell people to watch less. It's an individual's choice.
Wait a minute. I'm not smelling some kind of Big Government intervention plan by Al Gore to force Americans to watch less TV, am I?
Gore's remarks about too much TV possibly causing passivity and wondering what it means to democracy reminded me of chapter 3 in the novel Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk who also wrote Fight Club.
"Old George Orwell got it backward.
Big Brother isn't watching. He's singing and dancing. He's pulling rabbits out of a hat. Big Brother's busy holding your attention every moment you're awake. He's making sure you're always distracted. He's making sure you're fully absorbed.
He's making sure your imagination withers. Until it's as useful as your appendix. He's making sure your attention is always filled.
And this being fed, it's worse than being watched. With the world always filling you, no one has to worry about what's in your mind. With everyone's imagination atrophied, no one will ever be a threat to the world."
posted by jr to media at 11:11 P.M. EST
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