I have an on-going disfunctional relationship with the media. I understand its purpose. The media is there to inform, entertain, and sell a product. Yet I loathe the relationship that the media has with its audience. The media assumes the audience doesn't understand the true messages it sends, the audience assumes the media has their best interests in mind. Circular, misleading relationships tangling the general public into an endless chain of persuasion and consumption.
I find the media to be some sort of unfortunate abusive love affair. I love it for the power that it holds. It has so much potential for change! Yet rather than change, most Americans are bombarded with stereotypes, commercials and lies. Even movies serve as advertisements, taking full advantage of convenient product placements ala The Island and Talladega Nights. And although I am aware of the abuse, I still fall victim.
The thing I think about most often would have to be my weight. I know I'm not fat, or even chubby by any means. But I still have this idea in my head that if I lost a few pounds, people might like me more, I might feel healthier, I might be a better person. And it took me a good amount of time to realize what was installing these thoughts into my head.
Installing turns out to be a good word to use in this situation because I feel a little bit like Neo in The Matrix. Plug me in, insert a disk, install the program and all of a sudden I've got mental images and ridiculous stereotypical thoughts rushing through my head like binary code. Sit me down in front of the tellie, turn on some Laguna Beach, and my self-esteem will be shot for days. What once was 11111 turned into 10101, and finally 00000.
It really was after watching a Laguna Beach marathon that I realized what television does to my sense of perfection. If I see enough girls running around in miniskirts with bleach-blonde heads, only concerned about the next fellow they will make out with, by golly I want to be like them. They make it seem so attractive! As I write this, I do realize how such a thought can come across as completely ridiculous, but it is seriously the one thing my post-Laguna mush of a brain can handle. And so I came to a point, a crossroads, a decision.
A big part of practicing Buddhism is renunciation. Basically you have to know that life is suffering, desire is the root of suffering, and to get rid of this desire to consume is a considerable step towards enlightenment. I have a desire to change my body after I watch a lot of television, resulting in the suffering and/or loss of my self-esteem. What must I do? Renounce.
So this first blog is the explanation of my project for the next semester of school. During the spring semester, I will not watch television, watch movies, or read magazines in order to see what happens when my mind is freed from the grips of stereotypical imagery warfare. If I don't see society's unachievable ideals of perfection, I don't worry about attaining them. I will exercise daily, eat healthy, and avoid any unnecessary spending while turning the visual medias off. All while majoring in broadcast studies.
Think I can do it? Think it will work? Only time and my blogs will tell.
I really enjoyed reading this because I can relate!!
I tried something similar, but am still struggling. I think the approach needs to be gradual-- slowly decreasing time spent on tv, movies, magazines, and if something starts its influence, change the channel or skip the page.
That is an idea. It's going to be hard to figure out what I'm going to do with people if we can't watch tv or movies. I might do a two movie a month thing or something. Meh I might alter it as I go. We'll see :)
The point of Talledega nights is not to advertise, its to support the point you just made. Its trying to show Americans how bombarded my advertising we are and how ridiculous it all is. However they do it comicaly becasue Americans are much more likely to respond positively to comedy than harsh words. (you can catch more bees with honey . . . )
Francesca Chambers
I just moved back from Spain last summer after living there for 3 years. I did not watch any television my time in Spain and spent that time socializing, reading and following up on activities that I wanted to pursue. It really wasn't an option because I did not have a television that could hook up to European cable. Going back to your point of the immense commercialism that takes place in TV does have a great effect on you. Now that I am back in the states I get caught in the TV for hours wasting many nights that could have been filled with true mental excercise. Also if you get a chance look into who owns most of the media and entertainment companies? You might be suprised to the hidden agenda of the media.
Anthony Tenaglia, A.K.A. El Tigre Del Norte