What did you think of Jerry Mander's FOUR ARGUMENTS FOR THE ELIMINATION OF TELEVISION?

Question

I am almost finnished reading this book and it is by far the most influential book ive read. I went from watching up to 6 hours of television daily to completely removing television from my life after reading only half of the first argument. If you havent read this book I seriously recommend that you do.

Anyway what did you think of it?

here are the first two introductions to the first two arguments:
1.
"As humans have moved into totally artificial environments, our direct contact with and knowledge of the planet has been snapped. Disconnected, like astronauts floating in space, we cannot know up from down or truth from fiction. Conditions are appropriate for the implantation of arbitrary realities. Television is one recent example of this, a serious one, since it greatly accelerates the problem."

2.
"It is no accident that television has been dominated by a handful of corporate powers. Neither is it accidental that television has been used to re-create human beings into a new form that matches the artificial, commercial environment. A conspiracy of technological and economic factors made this inevitable and continue to."(by conspiracy he is not talking about some crackpot conspiracy theory. He is rather using it in not quite so literal sense.)

here are the second two:
3.
"Television technology produces neuro-physiological responses in the people who watch it. It may create illness, it certainly produces confusion and submission to external imagery. Taken together, the effects amount to conditioning for autocratic control."

4.
"Along with the venality of its controllers, the technology of television predetermines the boundaries of its content. Some information can be conveyed completely, some partially, some not at all. The most effective telecommunications are the gross, simplified linear messages and programs which conveniently fit the purposes of the medium's commercial controllers. Television's highest potential is advertising. This cannot be changed. The bias is inherent in the technology."

Answer 1

I haven't read the book, but I must say you've gotten me interested in it!

The arguments you've quoted seem pretty valid in my opinion. The first argument about the general detachment of people from reality is pretty much a given - what with the proliferation of video games, instant messaging, the internet etc. The amount of time people spend using these things may give them a false sense of having a wider interaction with humans, but in a way may really be preventing this as there is less and less face-to-face human-to-human interaction. You get deadened to the human situation, really, because after a while you can't understand it anymore.

The second and third arguments seem to address the effect of television on a viewer's mentality. The third point in particular seems to say that viewer's are - should I say it? - brainwashed in a manner of speaking by television. I guess they take the opinions they hear on television for truth, without bothering to research the issue, and think about it themselves. It would be hard I guess, because after being bombarded for a while with the information, you start to believe that this is your opinion - you've heard it so much that it becomes truth to you!

At this point, I have to say that this problem of brainwashing is not only as a result of television - but the media in general - newspapers, magazines, etc. It's always hard to find unbiased information!

The second point - about the inherent commerciality of the television, is really very apparent, if you think about it. Adverts don't just interupt the programs we're watching, but they help create markets for the products. That's why adverts are some of the MOST interesting things on the television! Because the marketing people have to make the viewer - already deadened by the huge amount of adverts they've seen - sit up and take notice!

The adverts are also another "brainwashing" tool. They show us how we're "supposed" to look and behave. What clothes we're "supposed" to wear. How we're "supposed" to walk and talk.

I think that television is one of the most invaluable tools in dictating how society functions. From television we get our negative stereotypes, what our aspirations or ambitions should be, our knowledge of the world & our attitudes to certain situations, among other things. So I think that the commercialism of television is directly linked to the "brainwashing" element of it. And of course there are more widspread repercussions than we would think.

The fourth point just reiterates the other points to me. It underlines the lack of control that the viewer has over the depth of information provided. This lack can also be felt in the "facts" given. Any television station may edit the facts if it's not the their liking, and what control do we have? None, except of course the "off" button!

This is just my opinion!

Thanks for drawing my attention to a book that seems very informative, and thought-provoking! I'll have to go out and see if I can hunt it down!

Answer 2

I think most people will not read it, maybe you should of summarised the 4 points that he made, if only to get people interested, I do not watch much TV but i do watch what i want to see. 6 hours a day is a lot of tv, how would you find the time to go on your PC :P

Answer 3

whats the difference between TV and a fictional book?nothing, except I can learn more through visually watching something then I could through audio. I like TV, i'll agree with maybe too much TV is not such a good thing, but I'm not going back to the stone ages.

Answer 4

all and sundry comes with their very own subject concerns. Who incredibly is familiar with what her subject concerns are yet purely comprehend it incredibly is her situation. you have rather made each gesture to be friendly and clearly, she isn't able to friendliness. Take a cue from her assertion approximately human supplies and don't have touch together with her lower back. you would be able to desire to even flow to human supplies your self and tell them of the threat made against you by utilising purely being friendly. This of direction places interior the region of being the worried workplace worker in attempting to comprehend her harassment of you. lower back, do no longer take her threat approximately HR gently. stay removed from her or artwork the subject concerns out together with her by way of HR.

Answer 5

Thanks for posting this question. I've actually been looking for a book like this. I'll look for it and read it now that you've mentioned it. I'm already very anti-television for the precise reasons you've posted from the book.

Answer 6

Sounds like a re-working of the religious argument for burning witches and heretics in the 1600s.

Answer 7

You and Jerry can give up TV if you would like, I prefer to watch it, though. Is that O.K., or are you going to pass a law restricting me from doing so?

SMOKERS FIRST, AND THEN THE REST.

Answer 8

At this point, Homosapiens can't even survive a month with no tv.

Answer 9

I don't watch it, so I never felt inclinded to read the book.

-Dio

Answer 10

KILL YOUR TV