The Real Conscientious Objection - Essay Example

Teacher English 19th October The Real Conscientious Objection Introduction: Media has been a source of criticism since the very beginning. All types of media, electronic and print, have their shares of benefits and drawbacks. These criticisms have brought to light the numerous disputes attached with media exposure. Libraries of literatures have been created by numerous geniuses in identifying and proposing possible solutions to these problems. However, most of these suggestions have seen little implementation and the media still exist in its raw form. For the purpose of this paper, the focus is on a specific yet massive form of media – the television. Every household is predominantly blessed with this “necessity” of life. From entertainment to important events, the popularity of television has grown inevitably beyond boundaries to such an extent that it has become a preference for people around the globe, making it more difficult to improve television standards in favor of the societies. Neil Postman, a renowned critic, has taken the much needed step to illuminate the disasters of this media in the form of his collection – “The Conscientious Objections”. True to its name, this book truly highlights numerous issues that burden the conscience. With respect to media, Postman intelligibly covers the minute analysis for news and commercials as a mode of communication. The appreciable element of Postman’s critique is the unbiased appreciation for the limitations of television commercials and news while determining the moral issues attached with it. The objections raised by Postman are numerous, all of vital importance, such as delivering incomplete and fabricated information. It is important to note that these are not same, but both do result in the seclusion of truth from people. Postman also highlighted the cultural changes caused by television evolving entire societies, however, these cultural manipulations do not stem from television itself but rather from the developments occurring around the world. Details are covered in the paper. The Real Conscientious Objection: The commercial television of the current era has negative impacts on the society in a number of ways. From obsessive television watching to being exposed to inappropriate information – the television has been accredited for the unhealthy attitudes developing in the individuals of our society. The analysis of ethicality of the current practices of concerned television authorities in the light of Neil Postman’s “Conscientious Objection” is discussed hereafter. The most important conscientious objection posed by television is the incompleteness and at times, fabrication of information projected by this medium. With regards to television commercials and news both, the projected idea of the subjects is more often insufficient to cover the actual object. This results in individuals carrying around a distorted and deceiving perception of the reality, believing it to be the truth. This hampers the intellect of these individuals in their personal and public decision making processes, incurring losses on themselves. Even though the case is similar for both news and commercials, “The whole problem with news on television comes down to this: all the words uttered in an hour of news coverage could be printed on one-page of a newspaper. And the world cannot be understood in one page” (Postman 72). It is therefore needless to say that the news projected on television is rarely ever complete. Additionally, “Unless (people) also read newspapers and magazines, television viewers are helpless to understand their world” (Postman 78). This implies the severity of this phenomenon, indicating the briefness of television broadcasts. Relying solely on television as the authentic source of information is an unwise practice on behalf of a major part of population. The case of television commercials is more drastic for its creative and delusional content. “Television commercials are a form of religious literature. … Like all religious parables, they put forward a concept of sin, intimation of the ways to redemption, and a vision of heaven. They also suggest what are the roots of evil and what are the obligations of the holy” (Postman 66-67). This comparison itself is sufficient in demonstrating the extent of delusional and obliging element in television commercials. The storyline of these commercials not only informs the masses about a novel product, but also compels the viewers to indulge in relevant transactions for obtaining that product. Often, the customers’ right for free choice is transgressed under innocent informatory pretence. The comparison of television commercials with religious scriptures depicts the unconditional support and compliance these commercials demand from its viewers. However, the ethical issues posed by this are hardly difficult to guess. From rights violation to unjust losses and unnecessary spending, television commercials play a vital role bigger than print advertisements. Once identified, the underlying reasons for these problems need to be assessed. Neil Postman has appreciably progressed to do so. However, for similar problems, news and television commercials seem to have slightly different reasons for their ethical incompetence. Nevertheless, it has unanimously been established that television broadcasts including every single minute of television transmission contributes to the deterioration of the society and its constituents. The major problem with news bulletins’ inadequacy is its limited time slot of thirty minutes, of which eight minutes are reserved for between-telecast commercials (Postman 80). In such limited time, the anchorperson can only highlight and speed through the events occurring all over the world – there is hardly time for deliberating on any news at all. With the rapidly changing pictures and crisp appearance and tones of the anchorperson, it is but an achievement for the television authorities that they are able to summarize the major events from around the world. Also, the audience for television broadcasted news is extremely different from news supplied through print sources. The television news needs to take care of every spectator’s interests, and supply each of them with some information to satiate their desires to build loyalty among viewers for their networks. On the other hand, the case for printed news is very different; the readers are provided with a warehouse of information and they are at a free will to choose between the news they avidly follow and news they would like to know on the surface (Postman 79). This difference also necessitates inclusion of all major and minor news stuffed into the time slot of thirty minutes, implying epigrammatic elements of news bulletins. Thus explains the seemingly unsurpassable shortcoming of the television news. As a result, “What the viewer gets … is a series of impressions, many of them purely visual, most of them unconnected to each other or to any sense of a history unfolding. … they suggest a world fundamentally ungovernable, where events do not arise of historical conditions but rather explode from heavens in a series of disasters that suggest a permanent state of crisis” (Postman 80). This further reinforces the original argument of incomplete information provided in news. It can therefore be said that television in itself is not a reliable source of information as many perceive so – in fact television tells half of the story, the other half is narrated by print media. However, in the case of television commercials, time shortage in undoubtedly a limitation as with news. The commercial parables are assigned thirty seconds rather than thirty minutes to make their impression and convey their message. A typical commercial is designed as a narrative, with a beginning, middle and ending. The beginning typically revolves around the identification of a problem. The middle shows eradication of the problem using the advertised solution. The ending, or the moral of the parable, usually takes last five seconds of the broadcast which is required to leave a lasting impact on the viewers, coercing them to respond in affirmative. However, this methodology is often not restricted to informatory style. The fabrication element is at its peak, developing an untrue picture of the product as an essential in the consumers’ eyes. Also, at times, the terms and conditions are not mentioned in television commercials, deceitfully betraying the prospective clients’ trust. The second most important threat posed by television is the element of artifice and commercialism. Both television news and commercials have a visible element of deception in them, integrated in broadcasts for its viewer demand and background set-up. Even though it gives the broadcast its due appearance and theme, it is nevertheless misleads audience to believe. Television news usually starts with an attention-attracting music typically announcing the upcoming revealing of important, possibly confidential information (Postman 74). A crisp and composed anchorperson strolls through the entire news bulletin, maintaining a monotonous tone and straight, expressionless face despite the hilarity or miserable nature of the news (Postman 76). Those news reports with less pictorial evidence are kept as short as possible, often undermining its significance (Postman 77). Also, due to the high visual impact of disasters caught on camera, such news occupy a major portion of the news bulletin, while at the same time, the orderly news presentation and certain news of good governance completely contradicts with the otherwise projection of an ungovernable chaotic state (Postman 81). Thus overall, a substantial element of pretence accompanies the news we see and hear on television every day. Also, commercialism is visible from the fact that despite the realization that time dedicated for news delivery should be increased, most channels continue to devote this proposed time extension for profitable commercials or entertainment programs. Thus television news regimes are highly commercialized and immensely crafted. Needless to say, television commercials exist solely for the purpose of commercialism and they project everything farthest from reality. From obnoxious situation-building to instilling essentiality for their product, along with proposing drastic repercussions for defying the advertisement, every part of a television commercial is fundamentally bogus with sole focus on commercial activities. In my view, both drawbacks of television broadcasts mentioned in this paper are equally indispensable and highly interlinked. Both these practices put forth untrue information in front of the viewers, deceiving them to believe it to be true. Both these phenomena are detrimental to the society, making the individuals vulnerable to uninformed and inappropriate decision-making. In fact, both routines are unethical in nature, putting individuals in highly risky situations where they believe to be fully aware of their surroundings while they are actually exposed with only half the truth. Also, both can incur financial losses on recipients. Both systems are essentially linked like two sides of a single coin – both go hand in hand. Incomplete information needn’t be bogus, and fake doesn’t imply incomplete – however, both imply seclusion of the real and the actual truth. Conversely, in my view, the cultural change posed by television is not a threat. Admittedly, television watching seems to be changing our cultures and traditions, manipulating them for television related entities’ own benefit. Undoubtedly, television has indeed brought about a significant acceleration in cultural change and its acceptance. Even so, the contribution of television is restricted to acceleration only – the cultural changes are inevitable with the rapidly changing technologies and the industrialization in the world. Television can hardly be attributed for bringing forth revolutions; it can only be accredited with spreading news of industrialization and technological advancements, the subsequent changes are but a part and parcel of this development. Conclusion: The criticisms of television are abundant, and its incompetence as a source of information is not unknown. The need to renounce total dependence on television as a source of information is vital in the present era of rapid revolutions. It needs to be emphasized upon masses that print and detailed information is what provides factual data, and hence reading habits needs to be revived in people. Educational institutions should promote reading positively, building a passion for reading in students and teachers alike. Though hectic and at times tough, reading is the only source of accessing complete truth, and this needs to be appreciated and integrated in the literate masses. However, alternatively, making media more responsible will also help elevate the problems attached with it. An educational and professional emphasis on business ethics can help identify and control unethical practices of current media strategies. Media, specifically television should recognize its role in societal awareness and act responsibly, taking care of the interests of all its direct consumers. Numerous researchers have elaborated on the controversial topic regarding media. Critics like Neil Postman and their hard work should not be wasted. Postman has intelligibly identified the problems and their reasons, making it easy for professionals to devise strategies for improvements. Each of Postman’s identification is supported by reasons and clear hints regarding what can be done to eradicate the issue. Postman also supports the idea of responsible media, which will indisputably bring about a positive change. Sincerity on behalf of the relevant professionals is the only milestone left to cover. References Postman, Neil. “The Parable of the Ring around the Collar”. Conscientious Objections. 3 March. 1992. Print. Postman, Neil. “The News”. Conscientious Objections. 3 March. 1992. Print. Read More