Itisdifficulttoescapetheinfluenceoftelevision.Ifyoufitthestatisticalaverages,bytheageof20youwillhavebeenexposedtoatleast20,000hoursoftelevision.Youcanadd10,000hoursforeachdecadeyouhavelivedaftertheageof20.TheonlythingsAmericansdomorethanwatchtelevisionareworkandsleep.
Calculateforamomentwhatcouldbedonewithevenapartofthosehours.Fivethousandhours,Iamtold,arewhatatypicalcollegeundergraduatespendsworkingonabachelor'sdegree.In10,000hoursyoucouldhavelearnedenoughtobecomeanastronomerorengineer.Youcouldhavelearnedseverallanguagesfluently.Ifitappealedtoyou,youcouldbereadingHomerintheoriginalGreekorDostoyevskyinRussian.Ifitdidn't,youcouldhavewalkedaroundtheworldandwrittenabookaboutit.
Thetroublewithtelevisionisthatitdiscouragesconcentration.Almostanythinginterestingandrewardinginliferequiressomeconstructive,consistentlyappliedeffort.Thedullest,theleastgiftedofuscanachievethingsthatseemmiraculoustothosewhoneverconcentrateonanything.ButTelevisionencouragesustoapplynoeffort.Itsellsusinstantgratification(满意).Itdivertsusonlytodivert,tomakethetimepasswithoutpain.
Television'svarietybecomesanarcotic(麻醉的),norastimulus.Itsserial,kaleidoscopic(万花筒般的)exposuresforceustofollowitslead.Theviewerisonaperpetualguidedtour:30minutesatthemuseum,30atthecathedral,30foradrink,thenbackonthebustothenextattraction—exceptontelevision.,typically,thespansallottedarcontheorderofminutesorseconds,andthechosendelightsaremoreoftencarcrashesandpeoplekillingoneanother.Inshort,alotoftelevisionusurps(篡夺;侵占)oneofthemostpreciousofallhumangifts,theabilitytofocusyourattentionyourself,ratherthanjustpassivelysurrenderit.
Capturingyourattention—andholdingit—istheprimemotiveofmosttelevisionprogrammingandenhancesitsroleasaprofitableadvertisingvehicle.Programmersliveinconstantfearoflosinganyone'sattention—anyone's.Thesurestwaytoavoiddoingsoistokeepeverythingbrief,nottostraintheattentionofanyonebutinsteadtoprovideconstantstimulationthroughvariety,novelty,actionandmovement.Quitesimply,televisionoperatesontheappealtotheshortattentionspan.
Itissimplytheeasiestwayout.Butithascometoberegardedasagiven,asinherentinthemediumitself;asanimperative,asthoughGeneralSarnoff,oroneoftheotheraugustpioneersofvideo,hadbequeathed(遗留;传于)toustabletsofstonecommandingthatnothingintelevisionshalleverrequiremorethanafewmoments'Concentration.
Initsplacethatisfine.Whocanquarrelwithamediumthatsobrilliantlypackagesescapistentertainmentasamass-marketingtool?ButIseeitsvaluesnowpervadingthisnationanditslife.Ithasbecomefashionabletothinkthat,likefastfood,fastideasarethewaytogettoafast-moving,impatientpublic.
Inthecaseofnews,thispractice,inmyview,resultsininefficientcommunication.Iquestionhowmuchoftelevision'snightlynewseffortisreallyabsorbableandunderstandable.Muchofitiswhathasbeenaptlydescribedas"machine-gunningwithscraps."Ithinkthetechniquefightscoherence.Ithinkittendstomakethingsultimatelyboring(unlesstheyareaccompaniedbyhorrifyingpictures)becausealmostanythingisboringifyouknowalmostnothingaboutit.
IbelievethatTV'sappealtotheshortattentionspanisnotonlyinefficientcommunicationbutdecivilizingaswell.Considerthecasualassumptionsthattelevisiontendstocultivate:thatcomplexitymustbeavoided,thatvisualstimulationisasubstituteforthought,thatverbalprecisionisananachronism.Itmaybeold-fashioned,butIwastaughtthatthoughtiswords,arrangedingrammaticallyprecise.
Thereisacrisisofliteracyinthiscountry.Onestudyestimatesthatsome30millionadultAmericansare"functionallyilliterate"andcannotreadorwritewellenoughtoanswerthewantadorunderstandtheinstructionsonamedicinebottle.
Literacymaynotbeaninalienablehumanright,butitisonethatthehighlyliterateFoundingFathersmightnothavefoundunreasonableorevenunattainable.Wearenotonlynotattainingitasanation,statisticallyspeaking,butwearefallingfurtherandfurthershortofattainingit.And,whileIwouldnotbesosimplisticastosuggestthattelevisionisthecause,Ibelieveitcontributesandisaninfluence.
Everythingaboutthisnation—thestructureofthesociety,itsformsoffamilyorganization,itseconomy,itsplaceintheworld—hasbecomemorecomplex,notless.Yetitsdominatingcommunicationsinstrument,itsprincipalformofnationallinkage,isonethatsellsneatresolutionstohumanproblemsthatusuallyhavenoneatresolutions.Itisallsymbolizedinmymindbythehugelysuccessfulartformthattelevisionhasmadecentraltotheculture,the30-secondcommercial:thetinydramaoftheearnesthousewifewhofindshappinessinchoosingtherighttoothpaste.
Whenbeforeinhumanhistoryhassomuchhumanitycollectivelysurrenderedsomuchofitsleisuretoonetoy,onemassdiversion?Whenbeforehasvirtuallyanentirenationsurrendereditselfwholesaletoamediumforselling?
SomeyearsagoYaleUniversitylawprofessorCharlesL.Black.Jr.,wrote:"...forcedfeedingontrivialfareisnotitselfatrivialmatter-"Ithinkthissocietyisbeingforced-fedwithtrivialfare,andIfearthattheeffectsonourhabitsofmind,ourlanguage,ourtoleranceforeffort,andourappetiteforcomplexityareonlydimlyperceived.IfIamwrong,wewillhavedonenoharmtolookattheissueskepticallyandcritically,toconsiderhowweshouldberesidingit.Ihopeyouwilljoinwithmeindoingso.
1.InAmericapeopledosleepingandwatchingtelevisionsmorethananythingelse.
2.FromthepassageweknowthetimeanaverageAmericanspendsonwatchingTVcouldhavemadethepersonlearntobecomeanastronomerorengineer.
3.ThetroublewithTVisthatitdistractspeople’sattentionandencouragesthemtomakenoeffortstowardtheirlife.
4.TVprogrammersbasethisoperationontheattractionoflong-spanattentionofaudiences.
5.AccordingtotheauthortheimpropertelevisionoperationinAmericansocietywillbelikelytomakethingseventuallyboring.
6.AmericanswillfaceaseriousproblemofilliteracyduetothenegativeimpactofTV.
7.InAmericansocietyliteracyisacertainrightthatcannotbedeprived.
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