Sunny49 Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 After I finished the Catholic school I have been avoiding watching TV, listening to popular music or reading newspapers and magazines, although I rejected Christianity. I thought that I was doing it not because of Christianity but because I became aware of the mass media manipulation. In the mean time I was also reading some books about it, and I was reading about the conspiracy theories on the internet which only strengthened my attitude that media is only trying to brainwash us, etc. A year ago, I rejected the conspiracy theories and started watching TV again occasionally, and today I bought a women's magazine after a long time and at first I thought "Oh, right, I totally forgot why I decided not to buy this crap.", but after a while I noticed that I feel more at ease, much more relaxed. It's like I've been prohibiting myself to buy magazines so that they wouldn't influence my opinions. I was so rigid. I started wondering, are my opinions so weak that a magazine would destroy them? I also noticed that I don't fit in with my peers at all....I was wondering why, and I found many reasons, but today I realized that the reason why I feel like an alien might be because I'm isolating myself from the culture that surrounds me. Once I spoke to one guy and I told him that I don't watch TV, read magazines etc. and he told me "You cannot be an island." His words made me think, but I ignored it. Now, I'm starting to think that he might be right. And also I'm starting to think that maybe my decision to do that was actually not mine at all, but was part of the Christian indoctrination and I wasn't evan aware of it? What do you think about this? Would love to hear your opinions Cheers, Sunny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 I have learned to vastly curtail my exposure to current pop culture and the media which propagates it. And I feel so much better for it. On those rare occasions when I watch TV or listen to the radio I get a sick feeling. It's like the act of engaging pop culture makes me feel poisoned. I recently went on an extended two week camping trip, and had zero media exposure the entire time. I felt so good at the end of the trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exevolt Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 I never listen to radio because I hate what they play. I really only watch TV once I'm done xbox playing but I still watch alot of netflix documentaries. I do believe there is media manipulation but not on a brainwashing scale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voice Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Nor do I watch TV or listen to the radio. They offensive, insulting and they piss me off. That guy who said you can't be an island is, in the context of your conversation, full of shit. In other words, "you can't not watch TV or listen to the radio." He was a man who believes TV and radio are the only links we have to the world. It's the other way around. Realities created by the media cram their viewing populations onto an island. The rest of us have the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Margee Posted May 11, 2012 Moderator Share Posted May 11, 2012 Sunny...I call my little island, 'The Island of Paradise'.....I don't give a shit anymore about people telling me that I isolate too much...blah, blah, blah....I love the world of 'alone'. The opinions on the radio and from the media drive me crazy! I like living in my own little world....I had my day listening to all the opinions. I watch very little TV except for what I choose to watch. I choose who is on my 'island' now. The less....the happier I am. My need today is to be around, 'like minded' people - if your not - take a boat and get off my island.....it's the only paradise I have left! It's my life now and i'll do everyrthing I can to control what I want to hear and who I want my life. Bitter ole' Margee...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackpudd1n Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 I'm too analytical to be too affected by the media and popular culture around me. I don't just watch a show, read a magazine, or listen to the radio, I analyse the whole time. I look at the body language the actors are displaying, look out for references, I analyse the underlying messages being displayed. I also look for for stereotypes and challenges to stereotypes. Sometimes I listen to talkback radio, to examine the logic underlying certain popular attitudes. I form questions in my mind about what is being said to look into later. I listen to how the shock jock manipulates the audience using variations in tone, and listen for what the tone of voice is saying, as well as the words coming out the the mouth. When I read magazines, I look again at the underlying messages. I read body language, and I think about how the underlying social attitudes affect what articles the magazine publishes. I look for mixed messages in the articles. I find the media and popular culture intensely interesting, as I always wonder whether social attitudes affect what the media represents, or whether the media affects social attitudes. As a result, I'm so busy analysing, the other stuff doesn't seem to affect me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RankStranger Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 I'm not really offended by pop culture, and I don't actively try to avoid it- I'm just not all that interested. The wife watches WAY too much teevee IMO, and more often than not I'll be doing something else: wasting time on the computer, talking on the phone, tinkering with some mechanical thingy. I'm aware of enough of it to know what people are talking about maybe half the time. I've noticed that pop culture is sortof the 'language' that people (particularly young people) use to communicate with each other. It's sort of a short-hand for conveying certain ideas, referring to certain situations, assuming a certain roles, etc. So there are good reasons to be familiar with this stuff if you're going to associate with humans- especially superficial ones (who make up the majority of people most of us interact with daily). But IMO it DOES influence you're thinking to some extent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwc Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 Everything influences people. Whatever bubble you create for yourself to live in you should always do your best to think rationally and critically to the best of your ability. Also remember that your bubble is better than everyone else's bubble. Whether you sit alone without any television getting all your information from highly informative internet blog sources who heard it from other highly informative internet blog sources or you are in a club overhearing the latest information straight from the horse's mouth at the next table who heard it from a guy she knows. You should also enjoy yourself or you risk becoming a bitter old crank. mwc 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TotalWreck Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 Sunny...I call my little island, 'The Island of Paradise'.....I don't give a shit anymore about people telling me that I isolate too much...blah, blah, blah....I love the world of 'alone'. The opinions on the radio and from the media drive me crazy! I like living in my own little world....I had my day listening to all the opinions. I watch very little TV except for what I choose to watch. I choose who is on my 'island' now. The less....the happier I am. My need today is to be around, 'like minded' people - if your not - take a boat and get off my island.....it's the only paradise I have left! It's my life now and i'll do everyrthing I can to control what I want to hear and who I want my life. Bitter ole' Margee...... You sound JUST like me! I feel the same way. After having dealt with so many assholes throughout my life, I've come to the point the last few years where I've decided I'm done trying to conform to "the norm" in society. I enjoy my alone time and having few people around me and if that makes me a hermit or anti-social, then so be it. Like you said, my little "island" is the only paradise I have left. And as far as TV and radio go, I rarely watch TV and I hate the shit they have on the radio and the majority of media shit is just mind-numbing stupidity, so I avoid it because of that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asanerman Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 .... but after a while I noticed that I feel more at ease, much more relaxed. It's like I've been prohibiting myself to buy magazines so that they wouldn't influence my opinions. I was so rigid. I started wondering, are my opinions so weak that a magazine would destroy them? I also noticed that I don't fit in with my peers at all....I was wondering why, and I found many reasons, but today I realized that the reason why I feel like an alien might be because I'm isolating myself from the culture that surrounds me. Once I spoke to one guy and I told him that I don't watch TV, read magazines etc. and he told me "You cannot be an island." His words made me think, but I ignored it. Now, I'm starting to think that he might be right. And also I'm starting to think that maybe my decision to do that was actually not mine at all, but was part of the Christian indoctrination and I wasn't evan aware of it? What do you think about this? Cheers, Sunny Initially we slip from the womb largely self-absorbed, that is egocentric or per-conventional. But as we begin to learn cultural rules and norms we grow into the conventional/personal stage, also called the ethnocentric stage of growth or development. Where our development is centered on our particular family, group, tribe,clan, or nation, and it tends to exclude those not of our group. Informally we are acculturated by family and "media." Formally we are acculturated by the eduction system. This conventional stage of growth can be a stepping-stone to higher levels or stages of development rather than a stopping place. This "unfolding" or evolution is called post-conventional or world-centric, where one's identity expands once again, this time to include a care and concern, not only for self but for all. Thus the evolution of consciousness or awareness tends to move from "me" to "us" to "all of us." The fact that the Ex-c web site exists is testament that post-conventional wisdom can seriously undermine conventional assumptions and ways of life. Integrated thinking challenges the shared myths that lull us into the status quo. Development moves from what is known into the unknown. It's an evolutionary unfolding that includes and respects earlier growth and is "propelled" by that earlier growth to the object of the the next stage which "sees" deeper and wider potentials of unfolding. As humans we have a variety of intelligences (Howard Gardner)--cogitative intelligence, emotional intelligence musical intelligence, kinesthetic intelligence and so on. All of us are unevenly developed in a variety of intelligences. This is not necessarily or even usually a bad thing. The hard task is to spot and then learn to refine the contours of our potentials. This helps in preventing us from thinking that just because we are terrific in one area of development or growth that we must be terrific in all areas of development. The successes that comes In learning the unique contours of our own strengths and weakness and how we refine them, brings confidence, Success in our own refining supports our dealing with the strengths and weakness of others and whether we allow their own uniqueness to flavor our own. Our successes "mellow us out," open us up to the struggles and successes we all encounter in the human predicament. Culture voices that struggle in mass--in "media." Fortunately there is much that is valuable in conventionality and unfortunately there is much in conventionality that clouds awareness and distorts an authentic and satisfying way of doing one's life. Trust your "signals" and you'll become more aware.. that maybe my decision to do that was actually not mine at all. Trust your "wondering!" saner 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centauri Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 When the internet first started catching on, I remember evangelicals warning people to stay away from it because it was a tool of the Devil. (world wide WEB of evil) When they realized it could be used to further their agenda, they reversed course and said it was a tool God gave them to spread the word. It's all relative and media is used a tool to create perceptions and further agendas. Having said that, I pretty much stay away from TV, radio, and am very selective about what internet sites I visit, because it's devolved into little more than Pavlov dog mental garbage. Everything is a sales pitch in one form or another. (Politics, Nationalism, Consumerism, Corporate image polishing, Religious propaganda) Thank goodness for DVD's of movies and TV series that I enjoyed in the past. I use the DVD player far more than TV. Some of these are great shows that engage the mind, and an hour show was about 45-52 minutes rather than the 40-42 minute packed with crap advertising that has taken over shows today. TV has devolved and downsized its programming in much the same way products at the store are downsized in shrinking packages while the price remains the same. They think we're all stupid cattle, and they may be right in most cases. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asanerman Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 TV has devolved and downsized its programming in much the same way products at the store are downsized in shrinking packages while the price remains the same. They think we're all stupid cattle, and they may be right in most cases. Now we pay for watching advertisement! How Ingeniously cleaver! How many ways can you say ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midniterider Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 I never listen to radio because I hate what they play. I really only watch TV once I'm done xbox playing but I still watch alot of netflix documentaries. I do believe there is media manipulation but not on a brainwashing scale. I don't listen to radio anymore mainly because all they play is what 'they' decide are the hits while youtube has a vast array of music genres and artists that will never be heard on the radio. I watch maybe an hour or two of tv a week and it is usually from the dvr so we can zip thru the commercials. Other than that no tv for me. I was programmed sufficiently by tv as a child. :-) TV is what very rich people pay other very rich people to broadcast. News is what corporations and government want to be news. TV and radio are the propaganda machines. The internet is as well, but at least on the net real people can get together without government intervention and talk. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wester Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 I would recommend going over the logical fallacies at wikipedia. (And also the psychological biases.) This helps you understand all the methods used to sell to you. Also Learn to diagram your arguments, always looking for premises and evidence. If all that fails, follow the money. The US media is set up a certain way. It doesn't have to be that way. Right now the public airwaves are sold off to private businesses for a fraction of what they should be. Those businesses then deliver audience to advertisers. By watching TV media it might be argued that you are being joined at the brain with the advertiser's business agenda. Recommended many good books on media by Marshal McLuhan and all books by Neil Postman Univ. of Illinois Prof. Bob McChessney's books on the history of American media Manufacturing Consent by Noam Chomsky and Ed Herman +also Noam's Necessary Illusions Alex Carey (an Australian) - Taking the Risk Out of Democracy And aesthetically I would also recommend applied film theory so you can better understand what's happening when images do what they do: Film Art by Bordwell and Thompson Grammar of the Film Language by Daniel Arijon Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ro-bear Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 I listen to the radio in the car, usually one of two University of Tennessee stations. One has a radio program on Thursday night called the Mutha Ship. They play old school rap and funk, which in small amounts amuses me. The other has NPR and a bunch of great programs like Prairie Home Companion, All Things Considered, This American Life, The Thistle and Shamrock, etc. I like to read the news. I read the local newspaper and go to the CNN, Fox, and Newsau.com. I like to feel informed. As far as pop culture goes, I ignore most of it. I know what I like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxie Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Sunny...I call my little island, 'The Island of Paradise'.....I don't give a shit anymore about people telling me that I isolate too much...blah, blah, blah....I love the world of 'alone'. The opinions on the radio and from the media drive me crazy! I like living in my own little world....I had my day listening to all the opinions. I watch very little TV except for what I choose to watch. I choose who is on my 'island' now. The less....the happier I am. My need today is to be around, 'like minded' people - if your not - take a boat and get off my island.....it's the only paradise I have left! It's my life now and i'll do everyrthing I can to control what I want to hear and who I want my life. Bitter ole' Margee...... Margee, I feel the same way. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigile Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 How Starbucks manipulates your behavior: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riddick Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 I'm with margee on his one. I don't watch much tv or listen to the radio, I go out and experience life, but I'm comfortable being on my own as well. I watch tv shows I want to watch, I have very low patience when it comes to bullshit, liars etc etc Scottie. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chikirin Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 How about on the news where they have segments about who Tweeted what. You end up looking at a screen on a screen on a screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted May 14, 2012 Super Moderator Share Posted May 14, 2012 How Starbucks manipulates your behavior: I find this very interesting. I always assumed their unique vocabulary was instituted to make their very common commodity (it's just a coffee shop!) seem substantially different from their competitors' offerings. It's surprising to hear it's a ploy to facilitate faster service. Honestly, I'm not convinced my first conclusion isn't right, though. Whatever their true motivation, I naturally rebel at blatant manipulation. I can drag out a three minute conversation with one of their kids as I try to order a simple cup of coffee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneTarus Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 I do think most mass media is very manipulative. and also tailored to the lowest common denominator. I only really listen to radio and watch TV when I visit my parents once a year since they can't have silence for even one second it seems. they will leave the TV on when when nobody is in the room. It drives me crazy and reminds me why I don't watch or even own a TV (at least not one that can still pick up a useful signal anymore) I actually find most programming to be very insulting to me, even the news programs treat their audience like small children. Like many people on this thread I prefer to use my computer for entertainment and choose what I watch instead of watching stuff like reality TV shows. I do read newspapers in restaurants but I hardly ever buy one because I really don't think it is worth the paper it's printed on half the time. I would much rather go out with like minded people but it's been really hard to find people I can relate to so I'm mainly just anti-social. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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