Why feed the beast that feeds us nonsense?

 

I recognize that television is fun.

But it's more than that . . . and less.

The late cultural critic, educator, social scientist, and futurist Neil Postman,
a renowned professor in the Department of Culture and Communication at
NYU, wrote a book in 1985 that changed my life. This truly groundbreaking 
work, Amusing Ourselves To Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business 
I read  in 2000. I was so inspired, moved, appalled and frightened, that I turned off 
my TV. For good!

Postman argues that television presents us information as graphic-based
montages, as opposed to hierarchical conceptual ordering. Hierarchical
organization is the basis for language and literature, and has been
responsible for what we credit the progress of many centuries, producing
civilization, industrialization, modernity. Juxtaposition of imagery on
TV and computer screens is not necessarily a bad thing. Just different,
one offering not only a different world view but creating a totally new
untested mental environment for solving problems. We don't know what
kind of future associative image-based "reasoning" will produce, if it
becomes the prevalent vehicle for shaping our social and political
interactions, our economic relationships, our future. It's easy to be
pessimistic, considering how "uncritical" thinking is and how impotent
we as individuals seem to be now, in the deluge of pre-packaged
information and propagandistic blather.

But the more frightening prospects comes from a more sinister aspect of the medium.

Postman argues very persuasively __ enough to get me to turn my TV off forever
__ that television doesn't just feed the brain with a different menu of
highly delectable treats. It actually REWIRES the brain. Excessive
television changes the neurology of the human mind __ the way we process
ALL information, not just what we're viewing.

I don't want to carry on for another 800,000 words going into all of the
research that backs this up. I will say, this sure goes a long way
toward explaining why I can't carry on the most basic conversation with a
lot __ maybe the vast majority __ of people these days.

And by theway, his thesis would appear to apply to much of what is being weaved
into our lives as convenience, then necessity. Smart phone, iPads, Google Glasses, 
smart tablets __ note that these are all image-based technologies.

So it's not just television. But TV is the gateway drug. It is more addictive
than heroin, and if Dr. Postman is correct, more onerous.

By the way, I'm not a Luddite. I am not writing this blog on the back of a
shovel with a chunk of coal. I own three computers, sophisticated
electronic recording technology, and living in Japan am surrounded by
more gadgets and remotes than I know what to do with. And I truly love
the wondrous things that complex and powerful software applications are
capable of.

So I too have to fight it. This stuff can suck you in more thoroughly, more
bewitchingly than watching Angelina's lips on the big screen. I catch
myself checking my email too often, looking at the stat calculator on
this website more frequently than is necessary or healthy, just taking a
"quick peek" at FB way too much, scanning the news aggregator websites
with serious intentions but being subjected to a lot of celebrity gossip
and salacious pseudo-journalism, and generally tending to be more OCD
about all this marvelous gadgetry than I prefer. It's really really addictive 
stuff!

This hypnotic enslavement is a predictable side effect for all of this
flashing, dazzling junk. It's what is termed "contraindications" on
prescription drugs. I think they should print on the side of most of
these devices something to the effect of: May cause obsessive behavior
and other forms of neurosis, enslave unsuspecting individuals to living
life inside the tiny confines of a high-resolution screen, break up
relationships, decimate entire generations of families, encourage
delusional fantasies of epic escape into totally non-existent and
unproductive artificial worlds, and produce numbness in anterior parts
of the human anatomy and critical areas of the cerebral cortex.

Truth in advertising, even if the print is very very small.

So . . .


Turn off your television now!

Get out a sledgehammer!

You know what to do.




[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

Bullies Can’t Be Domesticated

 

We all love our cats, dogs, birds, gerbils.

However, regardless of how cuddly other members the animal kingdom might seem, some just can't be domesticated.

We can go into all sorts of reasons for why this is. It's instinct. It's part of their wiring. They had a bad time in school (I guess that would only apply to fish).

We can find countless stories which confirm this. Here is one extremely gruesome one about a wolf hybrid which killed a 5-year-old in Cincinnati.

There's a lesson in this for all of us. If something bites your head off, then proceeds to eat you, best not make a cozy place for it in front of the fireplace.

There are certain animals in our society who have made it very clear they aren't hanging around to be cute and fill our lives with canoodles and love. They have bitten off the head of our government by destroying democracy, and are now proceeding to eat the decaying corpse by strip mining our nation and its citizens of all of the wealth.

These predators are leaving a trail of carcasses. Towns like Detroit, Camden, New Orleans, Scranton, Buffalo, Youngstown, Cleveland, Flint, and St. Louis have been gutted of their capacity to survive and offer any kind of life for their residents.

These sociopathic bullies are literally ripping America to shreds and sending the choice morsels off someplace else __ the money to offshore tax havens and our jobs to miserable impoverished countries so they can treat their workers like animals.

These are vicious, self-serving, rapacious individuals who by sneering at our appeals to their humanity make it clear they don't have any humanity.

What to do? Should we try to sit down and have a nice talk with them about what kind of country America is suppose to be and how we all need to do our part? How about some new slap-on-the-wrist tax code regulations which create the illusion that we're requiring them to contribute to rebuilding a strong and just America? How about some new laws which guarantee equal opportunities for everyone, protections of the vulnerable against the predations of the powerful?

Naw! Waste of time. We've tried that. Doesn't work.

How about if we drop them off in some jungle where they can fight for survival with their own kind __ other undomesticable beasts with no conscience, no morals, no noble values, nothing driving them but kill or be killed?

Ah yes . . . the law of the jungle . . . or the free market system as it's sometimes called.

The problem is we're the ones in the jungle. They're in their plush mansions, exclusive club houses, gated communities, yachts and resort spas. We're the ones, who ill-equipped and at enormous disadvantage, are forced to try to survive undomesticable beasts with no conscience, no morals, no noble values, nothing driving them but kill or be killed.

THEM!

There's only one way to defeat a bully.

Isolation.

Ignore, avoid, shun, ostracize, exile, quarantine the thug.

Starve the beast!

There's no secret to any of this. It's no mystery.

We actually know what we have to do to stop the rampage on America. We know exactly who is behind the systematic destruction. We know that even though they like to portray themselves as all cuddly and concerned about the rest of us, they can't be trusted. We know they are insatiable and will attack and devour everything and everyone they can get their claws on. We know that there's been a class war going on in this nation and the rich bullies, who now own our government and the vast majority of America's wealth, will not slow down until every last shred and morsel of our once great country has been carted off.

Some people say, "Live and let live." Or, "Turn the other cheek." Noble sentiments which have a lovely ring to them, for sure.

I prefer, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Coming from a family of pretty decent people who taught me that I am my brother's keeper, I'm more than happy to share the wealth with everyone. There's plenty to go around. Plenty!!

For those rich elite who feel no responsibility for their fellow citizens, who regard hunger, poverty, educational opportunity, a livable wage, justice, peace, fairness in the work place and the voting booth, equality, good affordable health care for everyone, personal privacy and freedom, as someone else's problems, for those bullies who use America's resources, its government, its people, its military, its institutions, only for their own enrichment and aggrandizement, I used to feel pity.

Now I only feel contempt and loathing.

It's just not America to be so selfish.

It's not America to be so insatiably greedy.

It's not America to game the system.

It's not America to buy the politicians, bully the public.

At least it's not the America I grew up believing in.

It's not the America you and I know is possible.

We didn't start this class war. These folks are extremely dangerous.

We can't just let them wander around the house.

Bullies can't be domesticated.


[ This originated at the author's personal website . . . http://jdrachel.com ]