Destroy Your Television

It is the institution that deluded a generation into believing that a lone assassin killed John F. Kennedy. It took about 16 years for the U.S. Congress to finally recognize the possibility that Kennedy was actually killed by more than one assassin. During that period, libraries of material were written, forensic studies were conducted, expert opinions were exchanged, and finally in 1979 the Congress passed a resolution that formally recognized the truth. Among most who have seriously studied the matter, and among those who took the easy route and watched Oliver Stone’s movie JFK, it is generally agreed that one person could not have killed Kennedy.

That song, “The Cult of Personality”, perfectly describes what happens with television and implies the primary reason that the institution exists in the first place: People control. Every president that comes along tries to form this psychological control over the population. Some of them are more successful than others. The presidents that fail to establish the psyche control with the masses serve only one term, and the irony is that they tend to do less harm than the two-term officials.

In the late 1940’s, George Orwell was among the first to warn of the dangers of television and totalitarianism. His book 1984 is not to be missed.

After you stick a water hose down the back of your TV, drive over to a library and talk with a librarian sometime. You’ll find some of the most well informed, fascinating people. Or try accessing one of these Ask-the-Expert websites. They are par excellence! Ask-an-astronomer, Ask-a-doctor, Ask-a-lawyer – all of these can be found on the web.

It’s beautiful to watch intellects develop, and the web is the perfect place to find them. There is nothing like finding these people, coalescing with them, and appreciating some of the better intellects that have appeared over the ages.

For a nice break, take a sledgehammer to a TV. Be careful not to hurt anyone, and remember that violence directed at useless inanimate objects is the road to better mental hygiene. The mute button will not do.