In chapter 9 of Amusing Ourselves to Death addresses the relationship between politics and media. He talks about the votes of the people goes to a candidate through their specific party or through their advertisement. He said that people tend to vote for candidates that shares the same feelings as them. In addition, voters prefer candidate that advertises their problems therefore the audience falls for the candidate’s trap. Politics became the battle of the best and manipulative advertisement. We have been blogging about the inhumane manipulation of the World State to their people; truthfully, like the people in World State, we also have been manipulated by these advertisements.
In page 111, Postman stated a quote from Robert MacNeil “Television is the soma of Aldous Huxley’s A Brave New World” which I agree with but at the same time disagree with. From my perspective television does help eliminate unwanted feeling temporarily; however, I believe it is like the machines or lessons that the World State uses to control their people. There are tons of commercials that contribute to the products that we use for our daily lives. What more different ways does television control or affect our point of view?
Every advertisement that we ever see is supposed to change our point of view and gear us towards that advertiser's product or idea. The idea that television is our soma is a very accurate idea mostly because it takes us away to a different place and give us a mini holiday.
ReplyDeleteI think that television is similar to soma. It is an easy way to distract yourself from any unwanted feelings, but luckily for us, television is not a drug like soma. I do agree with you on comparing television to the conditioning in the World State. There are so many commercials that sell us products and different shows and channels that push their opinions and ideas on us that it does seem like conditioning in the World State.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone should be aware that television is not what is portrays to be. It might be logical to point out that television is very well a distractor and a brainwasher, as well as the internet. It isn't unusual to believe children are the best audience to try to distract and brainwash so that they obtain a specific mindset growing up in the future. Let's not hope the people who planned this succeed.
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