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