subversive TV

[George Haberberger]

At 05:41 PM 7/9/96 +0100, Andrew Dinn wrote:
>I've been feeling kind of uneasy over the fact that TV does seem to be
>the common ground for a great many folks on this list -- even, dare I
>say it, more so than the works of TRP!  (it always seems to spark the
>longest, most heated debates).  Or am I just being paranoid?
>Andrew doesn't seem to think so.
>

I can't vouch for the non-Americans on the list, but TV would be a common
ground for nearly all Americans, I find it very unusual to actually know
friends who don't have a TV. The statistics for TV watching are probably
about the same as for masturbation (no coincidence), 95% admit it, and 5%
are liars. I watch, I find it nearly as relaxing as drugs, but with a
different sort of hangover.

TV is a great paradox when discussing subversive things, being the primary
media outlet for too many people, it shapes too many American's ideas of the
world. Coupled with capitalism, it can co-opt or trivialize nearly any
subversive movement.

And of course, TRP uses TV in 3 of his 4 novels, amost as much as he uses
the other American archetype, the automobile.

George