El Cosmico here, now THIS is something I'm going to watch. Not because I think they'll tell me something new, but because I like having my worldview validated.
A fine reader points us to tonight's show on PBS, a truly excellent bunch of folks...the name of the show: "THE MERCHANTS OF COOL". There's a website up for the show, check it out at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/, and then watch the show tonight. Hey, it's better than most of the crap you could watch. I mean, if you're gonna be sucked in by television, at least PBS doesn't have commercials (and I don't THINK it's pledge-season). Here's our reader, with his thoughts:
Just wanted to drop you a line about a show I'm rather interested to see later tonight and I thought that mention of it might have a place on the Coaxial section of your site... The show I'm referring to is the PBS show "Frontline" which will have a special expose on the manufacturing of teen culture tonight.
Obligatory link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/
I, myself, am an avid media junkie, drinking in the movies and music that have layed out in front of me. My appetite is almost never-ending...
Therein lies my conflict, though... Although I'm an excellent consumer of media culture, I'm also very wary about it and what it's capable of when it uses its power to make evil instead of good... So, on one hand I support those that will bring me fantastic visions of Frodo and Co., but on the other hand I loathe the transformation of Tom Green into a teen role model, and all this despite the fact that it's not hard to starting thinking of the two as different sides of the same phenomenon (hype)...
Might this be a topic worthy of discussion on your site? Where should super-consumers of media like us stand on issues like the ones that are going to be raised in this special? What limits, if any, should be placed on media companies? Is it appropriate for them to create demand for their products in the way that they do?
(Sigh) My head hurts....
Cognoscento.
Hey, my head hurts too! Probably for a different reason. Anyway, check it out, and maybe post some talkbacks, eh? Tonight, on PBS, 10 PM Central.
