I say it is a way to give into the self-absorbed world that has been created by the powers that be. Does there need to be another American Idol? And whose idol are they anyway? Does anyone need to see another desperate housewife get run over by a car or killed in her kitchen? Are housewives that desperate? Why watch shows that are "real" when living is as real as it gets?
What happened to game night with the kids? Bike riding, nights at the park, rollerblading, batting cages, walking and talking, the list is practically endless if one can switch off the magic little box in the middle of the living room and put some thought to it. I know it is difficult to manage time, especially with kids; I have found this out the hard way recently, but turning away from the shiny cable and gravitating towards activities that will enrich your mind instead of killing brain cells is the way to go.
I would rather take the time out of my already crazy schedule to play a game of Phase 10 or read a book or help Zach spell "unique" on Bookworm than I would allow him to watch programs that parallel teenage angst with fashion trends and the like.
I have recently been introduced to American Idol, as you all know, and last night I found myself looking for the newest performances on my computer. When that wasn't there, I switched to watch Glee. Then I thought, now I am transferring that same addiction to my computer. Ugh! It is the plight of our society to be taken over by technology. And I am guilty of that acquiescence.
Pretty soon the TV sets in our homes will be walls of plasma screens, screeching how we should live and who we should talk to. Small "seashells" which resemble Bluetooth devices, will be inserted in our ears so as to never miss any part of the "programming." Intellectuals and "subversives" like professors and scientists will be jailed or set on fire. Bradbury was not far off with his prediction of how the world would change.
We had better wake up as a society before we are all forced to live a life of complete conformity.
Believe as they do or burn!
We were just discussing this very thing last night. I think it has been leading to my mental collapse - along with everything else;) I have been discussing with friends and writing things that I have been far too afraid to submit or publish for fear of being called a heretic and jailed on an island somewhere.
ReplyDeleteWell you can submit them here sista' because I say just about anything that pops into my brain.
ReplyDeleteHello there. I don't know if you still run this blog as I just typed a phrase into google and it led me here. I also don't have a google account so please forgive the anonymity. I totally agree with you by the way. I just finished reading Fahrenheit 451 today and what scared me the most is how we as a race are already mirroring the behaviours displayed in Bradbury's novel. Just the other day I was on the train reading and something made me decide to look up. I looked at everyone sitting around me. Silent. Absorbed in their smart phones. I put down my book for the rest of the trip and just watched everyone tapping away at their phones with their earphones in blocking out the rest of the world. Completely oblivious. That wasn't a good day. Now wherever I go I can't help but notice people walled up in their own little 'parlours'. I guess some people could argue that books have the same effect as on more than one occasion I have become completely absorbed in the book I was reading and forgotten to get off at my stop or nearly bumped into someone. There is however a subtle difference. Books open your mind to imagination. Sitting on laptops, on phones, staring blankly at the TV, the mind is just absorbing countless little bits of information. It comes to a point where people can't differentiate between information that is actually important or, as in Fahrenheit 451, meaningless factoids. There's a new reality tv show in Australia called The Shire. Although I do understand that this is an actual suburb in Sydney it just gets me depressed that the majority of the people on this show probably have never even heard of J.R.R. Tolkien. I can't help but also notice the subtle change in the way advertising has changed. It's become quick and snappy trying to grab your attention straight away before you get distracted by something else. In your face constantly. Even websites such as twitter have word limits. Facebook sums up a person in one page. One page that can be browsed in under 15 minutes. Peoples lives shortened and summed up. Nothing more to see. I'm sorry for ranting this little speech to you but I feel there is no one I can really talk to. I feel a bit like Guy Montag. My friends would rather watch Big Brother, go to the movies, play video games than read. My whole life reading has been described to me as being boring. Well I feel incredibly sorry for the people who think reading is boring. That's another thing. I try not to feel superior because I love to read and can understand the importance of books but sometimes I just want to shake people and yell at them. I get so scared for our future sometimes. Then books like Fahrenheit 451 show me that although I can't control how the world sees books at least I should be thankful that I still have my own self-determinism.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your response. You should begin your own blog, be heard, and share your thoughts and ideas as well. It is difficult to understand how, as a cultural, we have moved away from reading and the didactic novels of the 18th century. I guess many writers today feel that the masses do not want a book that teaches them anything. It is all about entertainment. I think perhaps we are moving closer to that wall of TVs where we are told what we should know and how we should respond and to whom. I do not own a TV because there is not much programming I like. I am not sure I completely agree with you about Facebook. Yes, it is tiresome for sure, but it also has its benefits. I can stay in touch with extended family, even become closer, much easier than in the past. It can sum you up rather quickly though, as you said, but then again, you do get to choose how you are put together. I am not sure if it is dystopian novels that intrigues you or if you are just an avid, veracious reader, but you might read, 'The Jungle' by Upton Sinclair, 'Herland' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, 'Their Eyes Were Watching God' by Zora Neale Hurston, 'Me Talk Pretty One Day' by David Sedaris, 'Heart of Darkness'by Joseph Conrad and 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' by Betty Smith. And do not worry about being stuck in your parlor for a while, reading and absorbing knowledge, because you will then impart that same knowledge and your analysis on others in an intelligent and articulate manner instead of walking into a theater full of Batman fans and opening fire on innocent people. There really is a good deal we could all learn from a reading of Fahrenheit 451 for sure. Thanks for the comment.
DeleteI am both an avid reader and a dystopian fan so thank you for the book suggestions. I will definitely give all those a shot. Oh and yes I do like facebook in the sense that it is easier to connect with my friends and family but I guess you could say that I'm apart of the generation that tends to use facebook as a dating website.
ReplyDeleteYou might also look up The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch. Post-apocalyptic work but with some twists.
DeleteI can't say I ever thought of Facebook as a dating site. Interesting premise.