The thesis of Dana Steven's Thinking Outside the Idiot Box is that you should not watch a lot of television but you also should watch television. One point that Dana brings up is the part about the TV-B-Gone remote, a remote that can turn a television off from 20-50 feet away. There is a part where it is mentioned that if a person has this tool, he or she should turn every television off that they see. However, one person is quoted in saying that they would not turn the television off in an airport showing a nature show, even though they would shut any television off in a bar showing a football game. Near the end of the story, Dana also mentions that grown men and women should be able to decide their own "dosages" of television.
Also during Dana's story, she mentions Steven Johnson's story about how watching television makes you smarter. She explains that no matter how many times she read the article, she could not understand how watching so much television could actually make you smarter.
If Dana were to react to Antonia Peacocke's Family Guy and Freud: Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious, she would say that Family Guy is a good stimulant. Dana says that you should not live your life around television but that you should watch some television. Family Guy uses jokes and anecdotes that might only appear in the news. If a person did not watch the news, they would not know the joke being told.
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I think you did a good job of translating the Steven reading. I had to read it a couple times to actually understand her point-of-view. I compared her to Rushkoff. I personally don't agree with her saying that television does not make you smarter. Television can provide useful and educational information, you do not need to just be limited to the Discovery and History channels. For example, the television series Grey's Anatomy provides an abundance of medical terminology. I actually had to watch shows like this for my medical terminology course. There are also shows like CSI that are also informational and educational in the processes taken to solve a mystery. The only difference is that it involves more relatable substance to the average viewer.
ReplyDeleteI like how you stated her thesis as "you should not watch a lot of TV but you should watch TV." If you would had not further evaluated this, I would have been very confused. I also like how you restated that adult men and women should be able to decide on how much TV they should allow themselves. This goes together with the reading I was assigned to "Family Guy and Freud." This show is strictly for those who are mature enough to understand the deeper meaning of the jokes they are making.
ReplyDeleteI had to read this article three times to figure out what she meant. You put this very well and simple. I agree that a grown adult should be able to figure out how much TV is good for them or not.
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