A Brave New World - of Distraction
So, this morning, before getting the kids ready for school I turned on CNN.
There was a 10 minute segment on the new Starbucks ‘Trenta’.
Yah, I didn’t know what that was either and and I sure as hell didn’t care to hear about it for 10 minutes on CNN.
Come to think of it, yesterday’s prime time news segment was devoted to new astrology signs and some other assinine piece which I’ve forgotten…
When did CNN become Entertainment Tonight? Did I miss something between 9/11 and now?
I recently read a fascinating article comparing George Orwell’s view of society versus that of Aldous Huxley. George Orwell’s book 1984 predicted an authoritarian society – engaged in an endless war. People’s rights are eroded, ‘doublespeak’ is the official state language and Big Brother is everywhere…
Sounds pretty familiar right? (Can you say “Yellow Cake”, “Mission Accomplished”, or “War on Terror?”)
Well, Aldous Huxley on the other hand – in his book Brave New World – predicted a socially engineered utopia where people spend their days in a mind numbing, drug induced euphoria called a ‘soma’ holiday. When people finally pull out of this soma coma, the ‘World State’ provides a platform of “social engagement and distraction” to keep the masses consuming (and fornicating, incidentally).
Can you say “Jersey Shore”…
So, as much as I thought George the Second ushered in the era that George Orwell predicted, I now believe Huxley had it right. We are living in a self induced soma coma, built entirely upon distraction.
But unlike Huxley, I don’t think we have to be considered ‘savages’ if want to break free from this predesigned distraction and consumption model of society.
In fact, I didn’t feel like a savage at all when I cursed at the TV screen, grabbed my remote and simply turned off and tuned out…
Then I wrote this post. Distracted yet?
- dp
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Don Power is a Social Connector, Professional Blogger and Business Advisor. Don also manages the Sprout Social Insights Blog for Sprout Social.COM
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It seems we can’t call it anymore as a “news” channel but a new channel giving news and entertainment
Or maybe you’re right. It’s an infotainment. I prefer it to be purely news channel and focus on it.
Such interesting news.I love the new direction.It’s so funny and informative
Don,
I would say we are right on track with 1984.
There is an agenda and it is slowly but surely coming together.
So sad,
Debby
What type of distraction you have mentioned, either internal or external.
Don,
Is is so great to see people take a stand. Your comparison it thought provoking.
My husband and I live in the mountains surrounded by nature, have gardens and threw the TV out a long time ago. We still use the Internet to watch selected shows but recently my husband and I have talked about stopping that.
We know that kids who watch tv have less ability to be creative themselves.
This confirms that I need to talk to hubby about this again tonight.
Selina
It looks like we’re not the only ones who feel this way about CNN. Check out the last line:
http://www.borowitzreport.com/2011/02/01/world-cannot-believe-mubarak-hasnt-fucking-left-yet/
Hahah – or Justin Bieber!
ps. commentluv plugin is asking to be updated
Did you also notice any increase in “fluffyness” in the news around Christmas holiday time? I spent that time in France and we had almost as much “fluffy” news as we had “real” (depressing?) news. I think you might have it the nail on the head when you said “is some form of comic relief so that we can better digest the bad stuff?”
I can’t watch the news around holidays – or worse still after some new technology hits the market. In both cases announcers tend to treat the audience as if we were mentally handicapped…
No wonder Jon Stewart is becoming the defacto source fore reliable news – even if he does skewer it – at least he does it with intelligence and wit.
Cheers and thanks for your comment!
- Don
I guess Chuck is right. I mean, when I was a kid growing up in the 80s I always thought CNN was the boring channel that only adults watch. Now it seems like they’re catering to people from my generation. In a way I don’t quite like that. I’ll feel a little more grown up if I didn’t have to hear half the things they put on there. That’s what MTV is for!
It’s hard to find a pure news station anymore, Jill. In Canada, the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – funded by the Federal Government) still maintains its integrity when it comes to news (but still produces shows like ‘Canada’s fattest town’ or something like that).
How is the BBC? It is still respected her in North America. Does it still deserve it?
Thanks for your comment!
- Don
CNN is just trying to get back their ratings. Unfortunately they see the crap Fox News is doing and figure they should join that MOA. It only signals their death nell all the more quickly.
More of a distraction is the Web, of course. YouTube, Funny or Die, Twitter, Facebook, and on and on. Anyone under 30 is completely distracted by the Web. And the ongoing “there’s nothing you can do to change things so just accept it” message of apathy being pushed on them by their “heroes” only makes it more acceptable to say, “meh,” when it comes to politics or news.
1984 isn’t exactly here, but it’s close enough to be chilling to read the novel again. Ironically, I’ve read there are over 400 security cameras within sight of the apartment Orwell wrote 1984 in…
Hmm. I think you’re right ion the money Chuck. Can’t believe this never occurred to me – they’re trying to provide a web-like infotainment experience because that’s what hundreds of millions of people are doing every day.
The two stories they covered that I mentioned in this post were actually the top trending stories on the web that day too- so there you go….
All the more proof that Huxley was right when he predicted a Brave New World – where the vast majority of us would be drowning in our own inanity.
Don’t think he ever could have predicted a Sarah palin though – that was more up George Orwell’s alley
Thanks for keeping me on tour radar and commenting here Chuck. As you can see – I’m no longer ‘blogging about blogging’ (haven’t been for a long time actually). I’m going to use this platform for my own personal musings from now on – whatever and whenever the spirit moves me!
Cheers!
- Don
.-= Don Power´s last blog ..How to Get a Job by Dissing your Employer =-.
I like the new direction, Don – much more conversational and fun.
CNN’s putting up news items (if they can be called as such) like Starbucks Trenta as fillers, to keep it light while covering an earthquake in Pakistan or the flood in Australia. Sometimes not the most tasteful thing to do, but there you have it.
.-= MicroSourcing´s last blog ..Firms Urged to Avoid Common Outsourcing Pitfalls =-.
Hmmm…so you think this whole dumbing down of news into an ‘infotainment’ mashup is some form of comic relief so that we can better digest the bad stuff?
I think Aldous Huxley would agree with you. Our ‘digestion’ can no longer handle a ‘bitter pill’. Every bad taste left in one’s mouth can be cleaned with so much sweet soma, it would seem…
Thanks for your comment MS. Glad to have you on my blog. I’m hoping to re-jig the format (from its original incarnation) to be much more open topic, free flowing and conversational.
Glad that my first comment of this ‘new format’ I have in mind was populated by your thought provoking comment.
Cheers~!
- Don
I would not agree that it is to keep things “light” or at least I don’t think it is to lessen the impact of awful news.
I would say you need to coin that word Don, “infotainment”. I have never heard it before but I would say that they know people are not as patient and deep thinking as they were at one time and so they do that to keep the ratings high.
I would say that most people don’t want to think about all the unfortunate people in the world. They want to think about themselves, like my mom use to say about us kids, “Give me, get me, do me.” That sums up a larger portion of today’s society.
Bill
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