Studies suggest that the more reality TV people watch-and I would posit that it's all reality TV, entertainment news included-the more difficult it becomes to distinguish between what is real and what is carefully crafted farce.
This doesn't bode well for a citizenry able to sift through masterfully-produced propaganda in order to think critically about the issues of the day, whether it's fake news peddled by government agencies or foreign entities.
Ultimately, the reality shows, the entertainment news, the surveillance society, the militarized police, and the political spectacles have one common objective: to keep us divided, distracted, imprisoned, and incapable of taking an active role in the business of self-government.
Since Americans have by and large become non-readers, television has become their prime source of so-called "News." This reliance on TV news has given rise to such popular news personalities who draw in vast audiences that virtually hang on their every word.
While television news cannot-and should not-be completely avoided, the following suggestions will help you better understand the nature of TV news.
"In the case of most news shows," write Neil Postman and Steve Powers in their insightful book, How to Watch TV News, "The package includes attractive anchors, an exciting musical theme, comic relief, stories placed to hold the audience, the creation of the illusion of intimacy, and so on."
Presenting a one- to two-minute segment from a two-hour political speech and having a TV talk show host critique may be disingenuous, but such edited footage is a regular staple on news shows.
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Humilitainment: How to Control the Citizenry Through Reality TV Distractions
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