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The Role of Television in the Decline of U.S. Prestige
W
E NEED
to realize that
when American
television programs are
shown in other countries-as they
are, all over the world- the people
in those countries often take them
as a factual representation of
what life is like in the United
States.
American television shows and movi es
are not intended to be documentaries
made for the purpose of showing other
peoples around the world what life is like
in the U.S. Quite the contrary! They are
made prima rily for the United States
audience, and purely for
ENTERTAI N MENT.
For this purpose they picture the unusual ,
the UNcommon, the daring, the shocking,
the imaginary.
Bu t we ought to realize that millions in
ot her countries
do
mistake these pictures and
programs as self-portrayals of what li fe is like
in America!
l f the television industry is going to produce
that kind of show, it would seem those
responsible ought to have su ffic ient sense of
responsibility to prevent this damage to the
American image abroad .
The Profit Motive
Bu t of course men in commercial enterprises
are in those enterprises for one
purpose-PROFITS. They ar e muc h more
concerned about making profits than having a
sense of patriotism in respect to the American
public image.
May 1981
And that is a maj or root of problcms and of
cvils in the world today.
1 repeat again a nd again- t here are just two
broad overall ways, or principies of life. T he
one 1 call the "GET," the other the "G IVE",
way. Humanity li ves on the self-centered
principl e- the way of greed , lust, desire to
acquire, accumulate, and , as well, thc way of
UNconcern for the good and welfare of
others- the way of jealousy, envy, hatred.
The principie of "GIVE" is the way of
outgoing concern for the good and wclfare of
olhers equal to self-concern.
1t
is the way of
serv ing, helping, shari ng- of cooperation, of
consi deration , patience, kindness.
In United States television, the cost of
production and broadcasting is derived from
the "commercials" - the advertising. Rates are
based on viewer-ratings at the various hours of
day or night- . the number of viewers tuned in.
The competition for high ratings is furious.
Millions upon million of dollars are involved .
The
concern
is
not
for what viewers
oughr
to
see, but for what the largest number will
prefer to see.
And television experience shows that the
public
wanrs,
not what is
good
for it, but what
wiil
enterrain.
The American TV diet would
not be filled with violence, murder, crime,
illicit sex, if the viewing public did not prefer
lhat to a dict of education, instruction , useful
information. The profit motive rules.
Television: The Violent Medium
Give the general public a
CHOI CE
between .what it
ought
to have for its own
GOOD,
on the one hand,
and on the other, entertai nment depicting
evil- strife, violence, illicit sex- and thc public will
most often choose that
(Continued on page 45)