Subterranean Idiot Box Blues

I have to say that this is yet another nail in the coffin of literate society. In a world already completely saturated by TV and media, they want to make video inroads into one of the few places where the printed word could still keep a little toehold on the public consciousness. Loathe as we are as a people to strike up conversation with perfect strangers, and in the absence of a radio to fiddle with, a subway rider on the train for a long commute, is eventually going to pick up something to read. Even if all the riders are doing is perusing the latest issue of "People" magazine, reading is still an intellectually active way to pass the hours. The reader has to process the words; they have to take time to think about the information they are taking in, time to allow the words to form images in their minds, to connect to other ideas they may have buried in there. You never know; from the breakup of the latest celebrity marriage, they may be able to formulate an opinion on the demise of marriage as an institution.

TV, on the other hand, is entirely passive. The images are pre-packaged for you, and machine-gunned in your direction at the rate of 30 per second. The words fly by too quickly to make much of an impression on your brain, certainly too fast to promote deep thought and connection, and frankly, very little of what you'd see is original anyway. Plus, even if you do catch an idea that strikes a spark, it is gone in an instant. There is no way to bookmark it, to come back to it at a later time, and really chew it over. The words and images have disappeared into the ether, and with it has gone your sudden insight.

Check out Norman Mailer's essay in Parade Magazine for some insight into the destructive nature of TV and its by-products.