Brave New 1984

In the future I hope to read Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. I have read George Orwell’s 1984 and loved it. I think it will be interesting to juxtapose the two together and see what my thoughts are. The book is:
“a darkly satiric vision of a "utopian" future—where humans are genetically bred and pharmaceutically anesthetized to passively serve a ruling order. A powerful work of speculative fiction that has enthralled and terrified readers for generations, it remains remarkably relevant to this day as both a warning to be heeded as we head into tomorrow and as thought-provoking, satisfying entertainment.” (Chapters Indigo)

Here is a little information about Aldous Huxley:
• Born July 26 1894 in Goldaming, Surrey
• His father was a editor, poet and biographer, his mother died when he was 14
• He attended Eton college in Berskshire and received his B.A. in English in 1916
• During his time at college he developed keratitis punctata, a condition blinding him for about 18 months. One eye recovered sufficiently and he had special reading glasses.
• His first novel was Crime Yellow and was released in 1921
• Brave New World was published in the 1930s
• In 1962 Island was published and was of similar territory to Brave New World, dealing with an utopian place
• Huxley died November 22, 1963 in Los Angeles
(Online Literature)

Chapters Indigo. Brave New World. Unknown. 25 Sept. 2007.
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Brave-New-World-Aldous-Huxley/9780060850524-item.html?ref=Books%3a+Search+Top+Sellers

Online Literature. Aldous Huxley. 24 Feb 2006. 25 Sept. 2007.
http://www.online-literature.com/aldous_huxley/

Enthropy

Today in class we presented our Autobiography creations. It was great fun seeing what each individual came up with, some people are so creative. Many different projects were created from mobiles, dolls, and puppets to videos, songs, commercials and posters. It was like a day of show and tell, where we walked up and said this is what I created and showed the class. It was slightly chaotic because we had to get everyone to present. I felt a little bit intimidated seeing all the imaginative creations. Mark said that this will be one of the only times we are able to be so creative in university and I just made a TV poster. I put thought and effort into it, but I could have done so much more and I didn’t. Many of the projects focused on similar topics, especially the posters. Posters were often filled with magazine cut outs regarding the different mediums that influence society or how we are pressured to look a certain way. This made me feel somewhat unoriginal. Perhaps I am still stuck with a high school mentality. Now that I have seen what other people can do, I have to break out and step up the game. Class was enjoyable overall and I look forward to our other projects.

Amusing Ourselves to Death??? yes we are.

I greatly enjoyed reading Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman. It opened my mind to many new concepts and perceptions that I had never considered before, regarding the strong influence of media in our world.

The strongest message I received from the novel is that our culture is beginning to become purely entertainment based. My first reaction to this was, so? What’s the big deal if people want to spice things up a bit? Entertainment is nice, appealing and cheery. After further reading Postman was able to explain to me “ the problem is not that t.v. presents us with entertaining matter, but that all subject matter is presented as entertaining” (Postman 87). Television shows, magazines, novels, ways of educating are all revolving around entertainment, no matter what the content. This I consider a serious issue. Although I myself enjoy entertainment, I know that the world is not all sunshine and rainbows and we need to face reality. My favourite example Postman gives of our entertainment and image based society, is when he discusses politics and how important image is within the electoral process. What the candidate looks like and how they plan on pleasing the audience has become part of the electoral campaign. Early in the book Postman makes reference to the 27th president of the United States, William Howard Taft. Postman states that Taft would never be elected in today’s elections because he is a “multi-chinned, three hundred pound” man, this is not the ‘image’ people want for their president (Postman 7). I found this very amusing because it is true! We judge people by their image, their appearance, their family, and their conduct. He later explains that Abraham Lincoln suffered from depression and his wife was “in the likelihood of a psychopath” (Postman 135). Imagine if Abraham Lincoln had never been elected because of his ‘image’! I feel these were excellent examples of how greatly our society has changed and become image and entertainment based. Those running for office strive to entertain the audience in hope that they will be pleased and vote for him. Debates are used to see who can please the audience best, who presents themselves as the best suited president, whether they are or are not.

Neil Postman’s writing illustrates his strong passion and concern for our culture and the media’s growing influence on it. It was well organized and each chapter brought new enlightenment. Amusing Ourselves to Death was humourous and very informative. Coincidently, after I finished reading it I was waiting at a bus stop and there was an advertisement for E News and the slogan was 'Everything Entertainment!', I just stopped and starred thinking, My God! He’s right!


Postman, Neil. Amusing Ourselves to Death. New York: Penguin, 1985.

One for the Money, Two for the Show

Today I attended my second class of Mass Communications, Mark answered our questions and concerns regarding upcoming projects and assignments. The discussion was very helpful. I enjoy sessions like that, where I can receive solutions to some of the little inquires I have.

We continued into conversation regarding Marshall McLuhan and his idea that “the medium is the message” (Postman 10). We had mentioned this concept last class, but it seemed to sink in a little more this time. I had never truly considered that how I read or observe certain content can change my interpretation of its meaning or my understanding of it. It was intriguing to realize that reading Marshall McLuhan’s playboy interview on the computer is different than reading it in printed form. I never took into consideration that my means of studying, or my ability to study better, could be related to the medium I study off of. Perhaps I grasp information better off of one type of media than I do another. By printing out the interview, instead of reading it on the computer, I would have lied on my bed or wandered around highlighting important information. Such ways of studying would be distracting, and lying on my bed would make me sleepy. By reading the content with a computer, the light keeps me awake and focused at one place with minimal distraction. This could also go vice versa for other individuals.

I am incredibly interested in these concepts and new ways of thinking. We also discussed the use of our five senses. Many assume that when watching television or reading, we only use the main senses required for that activity; for television it would be sight and hearing, for reading it would be sight. However we actually use all of our senses all the time. This means that my sense of touch when reading may affect what I read, or that my sense of hearing is somehow connected to the pictures I see.

As a result of this lesson, I am beginning to think of how narrow-minded humans can be. There is so much happening every second of our lives, and so much that goes into simple tasks, such as reading or watching television, that we never take into consideration. For instance, we discussed the great success of the television show The Simpsons, and whether its success was attributed to its content, or to the visual aspects of the show itself. I was taken back when Mark suggested that its success was actually a result of the limited colour palette used by the producers. By using only minimal amounts of hues the audience’s senses work less and keeps the audience attached. I never seriously considered the strength of silent visual elements within our media, and its affect on viewers. Call me naïve, but I found myself very surprised.

The last bit of information I enjoyed about today’s class was the discussion between media and culture. We discussed four different and unique opinions on the relationship between media and culture. I attempted to place myself in only one of the four categories, but found myself torn between the concepts of culture determining media, and the two mirroring each other. I definitely believe that our culture has an influence on what is displayed in the media, and what is considered a priority or of most importance. For example, in China the government has extreme control over the media and what information can or cannot be distributed (CBS). This is part of their culture. People within other cultures do have control over what they buy and watch. I also feel that culture and media mirror each other. Whatever the culture sets its beliefs and values around, the media will live up to it in some degree. The media also continually introduces new products, methods, and trends into culture. I am tied between the two notions.

Overall, class was quite fascinating and a real eye opener.

Postman, Neil. Amusing Ourselves to Death. New York: Penguin, 1986.

CBS. China Tightens Media Control. 10 Sept 2001. 13 Sept. 2007
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/09/10/world/main1990718.shtml

Tonight....A Premiere Presentation

Today was my first official day of University. At 1:35pm, I attended my first class of Mass Communications, instructed by Professor Mark Lipton. Overall I would say that the class was a great success and an interesting experience.

After arriving and taking my seat, I nervously waited for the lesson to commence, as more and more students poured in through the door and scrambled to find a seat. Class began with the professor introducing himself and sharing his background and life, as well as his goals for the class. With “Mass Communications” being such a general title for the course, I was unsure of what to expect in his lessons. By the time 4:15pm came around, I found myself greatly enjoying the small lecture being given.

From what Professor Lipton said, I am greatly interested in learning more about the drastic affect the media has on various cultures throughout the world. Many individuals are already quite conscious that society is influenced, and responsive to the different mediums in our culture. However, many are oblivious to just how much of an impact is made. I was also fascinated by the concept of symbolic and signalic responses. I was unaware that the majority of us have been taught by our teachers to think signalically, opposed to symbolically. Professor Lipton explained that we would explore both concepts and attempt to think symbolically. I am interested in these ideas and look forward to learning more.

Lastly, he stated that we would end up hating television by the end of the course. This is also an intriguing statement and I am eager to hear what he has to tell us. All in all, my first day of university in Professor Mark Lipton’s class was terrific.