What is it with today�s society? All around us we are constantly being bombarded by stimuli in the form of radio waves, satellite waves, magnetic fields, and electric fields. Each radio station tries to outdo the other ones with promises of non-stop music or commercial-free listening. Televisions are almost a staple of any large family mover SUV, and are becoming more and more common in small sedans. Even our telephones these days are packed with features such as games, text messaging, and photographic capabilities which serve to keep us entertained.
And that�s without mentioning entertainment in the home...
At home we have DVD players, Super Surround Sound, XPlayCubeGameBoxStations, SatelliteCableTivoHDTVs. Even some of our refrigerators and bathtubs/showers (at least for the rich & famous) come with built-in entertainment devices. Everywhere I look, kids outside who should be running and exploring are commonly gathered in small groups, hunched over Boygames watching the single lucky individual mash buttons.
And those who are unfortunate enough to not own any of these devices, there�s the computer and internet at our fingertips. Even our fingers which used to get some exercise walking through the yellow pages now lay sedentary as the same information can be gleaned from just a few taps on the mouse. While before only the geeky and academic had access to computers for entertainment value, today nearly every household owns one. Entertainment no longer comes from store-bought computer games. Why pay for entertainment when it�s free for the taking via the WorldWideWonder? Homemakers these days are now the largest demographic of Internet users. Instead of heading down the street to gossip with other like-minded people, the homemaker can now sit in the comfort of her own home, chatting with all her friends while watching their soaps on their computer.
While situation-comedies were the staple of the American TV family in the not-so-distant past, the shows these days compete in ShockValue(!!!) to attract larger and larger audiences. No, we can�t even sit and watch a show that was taped only a few months ago. We have to watch as they do ExtremeFearMakeoverFactorSurvivorBacheloretteSwanIdol Live! Anything less than that is completely undesireable. Shows just aren�t good enough unless they have gorgeous people eating larvae, gorgeous people singing, gorgeous people getting makeovers, gorgeous people surviving, gorgeous people dating, or even gorgeous looking homes. Last I checked, reality isn�t composed of a majority of gorgeous people, so why is it that �Reality TV� only shows gorgeous hunks and hunkettes?
Even the news today tries to entertain us with sensationalism, extra-exclusive-one-of-a-kind-you-saw-it-here-first stories. Why talk about how little Johnny Douglas led a service project in cleaning up a local park? Because that�s booooorrrrrinnngggggg. We�d rather see footage of U.S. military planes dropping bombs on The Enemy. We�d rather hear about how Janet Marsha Joel caused some sort of societal faux pas from a hundred different �experts�. Even our revered award-winning journalistic news specials have to compete with CrimeFriendsInvestigation. Just the other day, 20Date60LineMinutes20 had an episode where couples had to �compete� to see who got the opportunity to adopt an unwanted baby.
Even while working we have to watch or listen to StreamingLiveRealTimeAudioScoreboards. In fact, my favorite time of the day while I�m at work is between 1pm and 4pm during which Jim Rome helps me pass the drudgery of computer modeling. I talk to the younger generation of young adults and it seems like every one of them has a XplayCubeBoyGameBoxStation, SatelliteCableTivoHDTV, CameraWalkieTalkieFlipPhone with their own PersonalizedRingToneWallpaperProgrammableGreeting. And the even younger generation all have their own DVDMP3CDVCRTVPlayers in their own rooms.
We can�t get away from it. Whether we�re at work, or commuting, or at home, or traveling, or vacationing, or even in our own beds when we�re supposed to be resting, we are constantly exposed to some form of media entertainment. We NEED to be entertained. We MUST be entertained. If we�re not, then we feel less than a human being.
Case in point? I wrote this little piece not only to express my thoughts and opinions, but in hopes of entertaining whoever chooses to read this. Even I am guilty of perpetuating this ugly cycle that continues to permeate through our everyday life.
So the next time you feel like picking up the remote control or turning on your radio, I think we should all have a moment of silence to grieve and mourn for the Sounds of Silence. For in our modern day world, it is truly extinct.
No comments:
Post a Comment