Thursday, February 27, 2014

Review of Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television by Jerry Mander (1978)

Published in 1978, Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television is by former television ad man "Jerry Mander" who quit the television ad business when he realized that the medium can never be reformed because of the problems inherent in the technology and device itself.

The most important section is on the inherent biases of television. If you are reading this blog you must already know not to watch. Television is for: state propaganda ("news"), sports watching (panem et circenses), pushing the police state (procedurals and "terrorism" shows); all programming and pacification of the dull masses.

The worst use of television is the ubiquitous droning 1984 telescreen that you see in airports and restaurants, though we have the brilliant TV-B-Gone keychain to quietly take care of those. What never ceases to amaze is that serious, "long term" investors have CNBC blaring in the background while they are working.

I've said before that fund investors should really check trading floors for the presence of televisions, and probably also the employees' houses. An investor should own at least 50 books for every diagonal inch of television screen that he owns.

 (3/5)

15 comments:

Stagflationary Mark said...

What never ceases to amaze is that serious, "long term" investors have CNBC blaring in the background while they are working.

Hey, I turn it on momentarily to see current bond yields.

I must admit that sometimes I forget to look at the time though. I made the mistake today of seeing Cramer power-pushing his vast array of sound effect buttons on Mad Money. Booyah!

Idiocracy

Joe's suspension chamber smashes through the wall of the apartment of Frito Pendejo, who throws him out for interrupting his favorite TV show, "Ow! My Balls!", where the star is repeatedly hit in his testicles.

Don't even know why I bring it up, lol. Sigh.

eah said...

If you are reading this blog you must already know not to watch.

I occasionally watch the TV that I already have (the old tube style, but a flat screen nonetheless, bought in 2004). But I will not buy another one to use just as a TV. I would by a "TV" to use as a monitor (hooked up to my laptop).

Sustainable Gains said...

I agree, TV as a one-way pipeline into your brain has been a recipe for social disaster.

We haven't had cable or broadcast for nearly a decade. Don't miss it.

For seeing the occasional movie, Amazon Prime and Netflix work great. (Why be force-fed on someone else's schedule, when you can pick your own food?)

The kids have learned to find things they actually want to see by searching YouTube.

Fox finally caved in and put the Super Bowl on webcast.

P.S. for Mark, you can get customized real-time bond yields from Yahoo or Bloomberg (and I'm surprised that with your mad coding skills, you don't have some custom setup already built to track exactly what you want to follow!)

Just for you:

http://finance.yahoo.com/quotes/%5Eirx,%5Efvx,%5Etnx,%5Etyx,tlt,vglt,ltpz,tip/view/e

Anonymous said...

Share and share alike.

CP said...

Bowling Alone, which I am working on a review of, shows that people have chosen to watch television instead of participating in society.

Nice day for bonds.

Anonymous said...

I'll be interested to read your review of Bowling Alone. I bought it a month or two ago, but haven't gotten around to reading it yet.

I think the internet/smartphones are 10x worse than tv at making people withdraw from society. How many times do you see people "out and about" yet still have their face glued to their phone.

Anonymous said...

That's true that people are addicted to their smartphones.

But smartphones are self-directed so you can read Credit Bubble and Steve Sailer instead of Marxist propaganda.

Anonymous said...

This: "But smartphones are self-directed so you can read Credit Bubble and Steve Sailer instead of Marxist propaganda."

Which could as well be written as "But [any media except TV] are self-directed so you can read Credit Bubble and Steve Sailer [or, if you want,] Marxist propaganda."

This issue is control.

Anonymous said...

You can also choose which tv shows you watch. No different than choosing which websites you read.

My point is that people used to go out and socialize with other people. Now people go out and stare at their phones...the other people might as well not be there.

whydibuy said...

The internet is not TV.
The internet is a participation event where you are exposed to others ideas and present your own. This requires thought and reasoning. Also, you are required to learn and do computer skills which requires thinking and mental activity.

As some others said, the internet allows alot of opinions and viewpoints not allowed in our PC world of msm. And in reading these viewpoints ( another mind stimulating task ) you see the biases and slants of the msm and liberal elites highlighted.
As well, the internet is a library at your fingertips to research any issue you may have at a moments notice.
The internet screen is NOT tv.

Anonymous said...

The internet is the antithesis of TV and it's revealing that someone on here can't tell the difference.

The internet will be the undoing of the elite's plan to subjugate all of us.

Watch Senator Jay Rockefeller say that the internet should never have existed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct9xzXUQLuY

What a little shit. His great grandfather John D, who paid a 10% tithing on all of his earnings for his entire life. He said that God was his silent partner.

theyenguy said...

Most of my acquaintances and friends who have values, ethics, and virtues, while owning a TV, do not watch TV and do not subscribe to TV Services.

Living in a low income apartment building most everyone has TV Services, such as the movie Channel; and practically none are involved in community service; they access community services but do not volunteer to serve others. I have observed that these have no values which support ethics or virtues. In this social setting the sociopath and psychopath roam about devouring whoever they may, without restraint in verbal abuse and intimidation. The most aggressive of which receive SSI/SSD, a Section 8 Voucher and Food Stamps.

We are at the peak of the paradigm and age of liberalism, which is pivoting into that of authoritarianism.

Television Programming, like Walking Dead, Social Media, like Facebook, and Sports Entertainment, like WWE, depreciate the value of other people.

Anonymous said...

I suppose we're talking past each other.

Is there really a difference between watching ESPN and reading ESPN.com? Is playing Angry Birds on your phone any different than watching Seinfeld reruns?

Maybe you guys all hop on the internet, do your "in depth" research about the downfall of civilization, hop off the internet, and go to the bar to socialize with friends.

I hate to break it to you, but most people use the internet as a time sink the same way they use tv.

Both mediums (tv and internet) have led to the downfall of social interaction (which was the original point of this whole argument...the Bowling Alone review). People used to go out and socialize (i.e. join a bowling league). Now they watch tv or surf the internet (i.e. bowl alone and socialize through their phones...post a status update on Facebook about what they're doing and reply to all the comments they get).

People used to get together at the bar and talk about the downfall of civilization. Now they post anonymous comments on an internet blog...

Anonymous said...

You do realize that this book was rabidly anti-capitalist, right? It was not about the state much at all, as it was railing against the ascension to power television brings to the rich.

CP said...

Television is for: state propaganda ("news"), sports watching (panem et circenses), pushing the police state (procedurals and "terrorism" shows); all programming and pacification of the dull masses.