| FLASH! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The aliens | | | | yet. However, a sinister potential exists in |
| look just like real people but they don't act | | | | the combination of high speed Internet and |
| like real people. They don't return phone | | | | cable TV service that is provided by the |
| calls - even if they're in business to make | | | | biggest corporations (who are not necessarily |
| money. Their leisure "activity" is watching | | | | altruistic). Incorporating the trend towards |
| TV and they play video games when they're not | | | | increased government control and censorship |
| watching TV. They can't spell. They have | | | | within an understanding of how big |
| major sexual problems. The best way to | | | | corporations operate in America leads a |
| identify one of these aliens is by their | | | | thinking person to a frightening |
| complete failure to communicate properly.In | | | | thought.Another frightening thought concerns |
| 1976, the movie "Network" foreshadowed the | | | | one of the most significant social trends |
| hollowness of television, the addictive | | | | that has been increasing dramatically during |
| nature of its effect on the human mind, and | | | | the second half of the 20th century - |
| it predicted the development of a culture | | | | divorce. In the 19th century and in all |
| without culture that would pervade the United | | | | preceding centuries, divorce was relatively |
| States in the 21st century. I believe there | | | | rare (except for Henry VIII, of course). |
| has been a massive deterioration of ethical | | | | Recent research indicates that divorce rates |
| humanness in our society and that the | | | | in the United States have been rising since |
| phenomenon of dehumanization can be | | | | the beginning of the 20th century, with a |
| attributed to the following social changes:1. | | | | short-term decline during the Great |
| The baby boomer generation became yuppies* | | | | Depression and a spike just after World War |
| who abandoned their parents' meaningful core | | | | II. In 2005, the New York Times reported that |
| values.2. The yuppies are responsible for | | | | the percentage of all marriages which end in |
| their children being egocentric and needing | | | | divorce peaked in the United States at about |
| instant gratification.3. The yuppie parents | | | | 41 percent around 1980 and was approximately |
| and their children have become addicted to | | | | 31 percent in 2002. One definition of the |
| television and other mindless | | | | word "plague" is a widespread affliction or |
| entertainment.4. While all this was | | | | calamity. I believe that divorce is a plague |
| happening, the school system was being | | | | on our society because if even 1/3 of all |
| decimated by politically conservative | | | | marriages end in divorce, that is a |
| administrations in the name of "cost | | | | widespread affliction and a calamity.In all |
| savings".The result of the four social | | | | previous centuries, people did not conceive |
| processes interacting simultaneously over the | | | | of divorce as a satisfactory answer to a |
| last 40 years has been a transformation of | | | | marriage that has problems, but that kind of |
| our society from a vibrant and goal oriented | | | | thinking has changed. I believe that the |
| energy dynamo to a self-centered and pleasure | | | | change in thinking can be related to a |
| driven static state. During the first half of | | | | subliminal impact of television because |
| the 20th century, most people occupied their | | | | television has conditioned people to accept |
| spare time with constructive and creative | | | | and desire instant gratification. Television |
| activities such as reading books, writing | | | | provides too many choices and it makes those |
| letters, socializing with other people in | | | | choices too easy for everybody. Having a wide |
| discussion groups, actively supporting | | | | variety of choices can be good. But when it |
| political issues, and spending large amounts | | | | comes to the subject of marriage, having a |
| of quality time with their children - to name | | | | wide variety of choices is not good. It seems |
| just a few examples. For a brief moment in | | | | like people are thinking, "If I'm not getting |
| time during the 1960's, the hippies opened up | | | | what I want, I'll just change the channels. |
| human consciousness in a way that had never | | | | If I don't like the food here, I'll go next |
| happened before and of course they were met | | | | door and eat in a different restaurant." So |
| with emotional resistance from the status | | | | they are leaping out of marriages and into |
| quo.As the cost of living began to increase | | | | divorce court.Finally, consider the concept |
| dramatically in the late 1970's, people had | | | | of capitalism as an economic system that has |
| to devote more time to their jobs and | | | | pervasive effects on societal forces. |
| consequently reduce the amount of time they | | | | Capitalism is based on the production of |
| could spend with their children. In the | | | | commodities for sale and profit, and it |
| 1980's and 1990's it became common for both | | | | allows private ownership of the means of |
| parents to have to work in order to keep up | | | | production. In the United States, capitalism |
| with rising housing costs, and the yuppie | | | | exists in combination with democracy but |
| disease became contagious. Economic forces | | | | capitalism does not necessarily imply |
| eventually became stronger than other social | | | | democracy. It flourished quite well in |
| forces and even the old hippies were | | | | England under the monarchist system during |
| compelled to focus their energy on making a | | | | the 19th century and not quite so well under |
| living so that they could afford to live | | | | various dictatorships in the 20th century. |
| decently. As people spent more and more time | | | | Capitalism encourages the strongest, the most |
| working at their jobs, they experienced more | | | | intelligent, the most aggressive, and the |
| and more work related stress and the easiest | | | | most competitive people to rise to the top |
| way to relax after a long hard day at work | | | | and succeed. I believe that the combination |
| was to watch television.The 20th century has | | | | of capitalism and democracy has been |
| included a larger number of scientific | | | | America's great strength, and the power |
| advances and significant inventions than any | | | | inherent in this combination was the key to |
| other century in all of human history. | | | | becoming the greatest country the world has |
| Television was an invention that had broad | | | | ever seen. Our success has allowed us to |
| based appeal which gave it vast commercial | | | | dominate the world economically as well as |
| potential. The first popular television | | | | militarily.But if I am correct about our |
| programs were pure entertainment. Milton | | | | society having been transformed from a |
| Berle's Texaco Star Theater (1948), The Cisco | | | | vibrant and goal oriented energy dynamo to a |
| Kid (1949), Amos and Andy (1951), and I Love | | | | self-centered and pleasure driven static |
| Lucy (1951) kept America glued to their TV | | | | state, then we may have already reached our |
| sets. Television is also capable of | | | | peak of power. The United States has |
| delivering news, intelligent commentary, and | | | | purposefully tried to spread capitalism and |
| educational shows. The Public Broadcasting | | | | democracy all over the world, not only in an |
| System has done an outstanding job of | | | | attempt to combat communism, but also because |
| elevating the medium, bringing shows like | | | | we sincerely believe that we have the best |
| Masterpiece Theater, Bradshaw On The Family, | | | | economic and political system and we have a |
| Great Chefs of Europe, and Sesame Street to | | | | desire to give to others who are less |
| the airwaves. Commercial television has also | | | | fortunate than we are. It is possible that |
| produced high quality entertainment such as | | | | our largess may backfire on us because many |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone, | | | | countries who are trying to follow our lead |
| All in the Family, MASH, and Seinfeld. But | | | | are not oriented around their television |
| unfortunately, commercial television has | | | | sets. If their cultures are strong enough to |
| found its greatest popularity in short, silly | | | | resist the addictive drug that television |
| sitcoms and if I were to list them all, this | | | | really is, and if they pursue capitalism and |
| article would explode any conceivable | | | | democracy to the same end that we did in the |
| definition of the word concise.The Internet | | | | United States, then the strongest, most |
| was the last great invention of the 20th | | | | intelligent, and most aggressive countries |
| century. The Internet had its roots in a | | | | will rise to the top and succeed. The United |
| partnership between the government and the | | | | States can be out-competed and the Japanese |
| universities and it was conceived as "the | | | | have already risen to the top position in |
| information super-highway" in order to store | | | | more than one field. Our infrastructure is so |
| and archive data. People use the Internet as | | | | rich and so enormous that it would take a |
| an immediately accessible library. Of course, | | | | long time to tumble from the apex of power. |
| they also use the Internet for mindless game | | | | But it is possible for that to happen.This |
| entertainment and pornography. However, the | | | | article should not be misinterpreted as doom |
| big difference between television and the | | | | and gloom philosophy. It is intended to be a |
| Internet is that television does not require | | | | wake-up call.*Yuppy: A bastardized version of |
| or allow input from the viewer, while the | | | | the word hippy. The word hippy refers to a |
| Internet allows users to participate in many | | | | person who rejected established institutions |
| ways. An enormous number of web sites have | | | | and values and sought spontaneity, direct |
| been created by individuals, chat rooms offer | | | | personal relations expressing love, and |
| places for people to interact with each | | | | expanded consciousness. The word yuppy refers |
| other, blogging allows almost anybody to | | | | to a young urban professional who has an |
| become a published writer, and email provides | | | | affluent lifestyle.Peter Cross is a singer |
| virtually instantaneous, low cost, world wide | | | | songwriter/producer/Web Master. You can find |
| communication. The Internet is not only the | | | | this article at: Aliens with No Brains have |
| world's biggest library that cannot possibly | | | | Replaced the Majority of the American People! |
| be destroyed by a fire, but it also offers | | | | and his home page at: Rock and Roll with an |
| the promise of connecting all human minds | | | | Immortal Soul. |
| together in a way that has not been imagined | | | | |