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NOTICE: Movement Magazine is an open forum
for all. The views contained herein do not necessarily represent those
of Movement Magazine. . |
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editorial |
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Last week I watched ‘Leave It To Beaver’ for the first time since I was twelve. Perhaps it was the time that has passed, the ways that I have grown, or just the state of mind I was in during this reviewing, but I saw this American staple in a whole new light. Even as a kid this show had seemed antiquated, but now it seemed downright deranged. Demented sounds doubled as laugh tracks to tell you what’s funny. Elegant strings rise up, and the camera slowly moves in for a close-up when good ole’ Ward is extolling his wholesome wisdom. Was there ever really a time in which this was considered entertainment? In this day and age it seems much more like blatant brainwashing. Thinking about it more, just about every television show
from this time period is about the same. These shows, at their core, are
probably single-handedly responsible for the ‘family values’ of the
nuclear family. You can almost hear the voices drilling into your brain.
"Become a war hero and you will have respect. Get married, have two
children, or you will never be happy. Above all, be American." Imagine living in a time in which electric light is still a novelty in some areas. Now imagine your mom and pop bring home a box for Christmas that gleams pictures from it’s glistening bubble of a screen. This is like bringing flame to the natives, then making it take human forms and dance before them. In the war torn state of our society at the time, most of the populace would have eaten up anything they were fed. In a time in which technology was hardly a household term, nobody knew what they were getting themselves into. Fast forward to modern day. Just about every television show from this time period is the same as the beginning. Laugh tracks, and game shows promising that you too, the mediocre man, can have all of this and more! Television is so ingrained into our culture, there is one in even the poorest of households. You can tell how important objects are by their placement, and almost every living room throughout the nation has a television placed like an all-seeing altar. But what are the messages that are seeping through now? Apparently ‘reality’ itself is now viewable through the screen. Tune in primetime, to see the next exciting installation of your life! Why ever leave home? When next you turn on the tube, try to find a channel that is playing "Leave It To Beaver" and remember the wonderful infancy of our media. Then remember Hitler’s immortal campaign promise to have a radio in every home.
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