The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 84, No. 40, Ed. 1, Wednesday, February 28, 1996 Page: 3 of 6
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Film critic compares
conflicting messages
$ religion and media
By Amy Dsugherlty Editor in Chef
Photographs by Willis Hubbard Photographer
"A:
rent you glad you didn't stay home and
watch television?
Thit was the question posed Thurs
day evening by Dr. Gary McCalcb executive dir-
ector of the Center for Advancement of Comm-
unity after the conclusion of a speech by film crit-
ic Michael MctJrfl in Cullcn Auditorium.
I he audience who had just given Mcdved a
standing onooaJmurst into-cnthusiastic applause!
agairi.
it to ACU sponsored by the
ment of Community Mcdved
tnd participants in the annual
Ministry Conference about
On his sera!
Center for Ai
spoke to st
Youth and
conflicting nrass given by the media and religion.
Twjmuch media
But first Hived - author of Hollywood vs.
America andhst of the weekly PBS television
program SneA$fvieurs - condemned media "in
its very form.'
I "The real nnfcnvof media isn't tnn murh Imt
or too much f3St too murh language. It's too
much media fioj."
Even if thcotent of televisfm and movies was
monitored by cSommunicatim Department at
ACU - a utoprySvorld he reaves - "would it
then be OK rftypical Ameriin teenagers to
watch 22 houiof television a Wk? Would it
then suddenly b OK for preschool to watch 27
hours a week? Vbuld it then be OHfor American
adufts -your pnts - to watch anVcracc of 25
houna week?
tou J know that the answer is no.i
-til. . '.At . ..
nc saiu-c docs not discourage stunts going
into commuivt:ons or thc media fielin order
to improve the"fcntenr of media.
"But even if thet-e watchinE CBN or. PBS.
it's still too much bcWe part of the prlcm is
built into the very faB;c 0f thc entertlimcnt
industry.
On certain key issues the uidcrlyine thl
mass media directly varies with the und
messages of the Judco-Christian tradition htaid.
Short term vs. Ion? term
Thc first conflicting mrsupM nr K-rL.n
emphasis on the short term by the media.lnd
emphasis on thc lone term bv relieicn.
"These two emphases - thc one on the immui
v mmu mi. uuici uii me iung icrm ana ...he
infinite - arc at complete variance with eih
other."
Short term emphasis in thc media leads to rei-
icssncss ana dissatisfaction he said.
"Even the best of TV ... promotes a short attc
tion span he said. A new imaee is nreseiufrl
motion pictures every 14 seconds: in regular tel
vision every nine seconds; and on MTV an
Sesame Street every four seconds.
"People can't sit still" he said. In addition media
feeds on human desires. Esneciallv commrrfifiU
which are "designed to make you want something
to mane you impatient. .. lhe best commercials
make us yearn for something we don't have.
"And thc same thing is true with so many of the
images that flicker on TV not only in commer-
cials but in terms of thc incredibly beautiful and
alluring people. Even for ... committed religious
people.
"All of this makes you restless often makes you
yearn for impossible ideals of beauty and sex or
wealth" he says.
Then he compared the quick-fix message of tele-
vision to the message of religion.
"Thc message is exactly the opposite" he said.
"Look at the long term. ... Docs this action bring
;me closer to God or move me further away?"
1 "Ultimately true teaching of .. the fiiblc is to
keep a long term view indeed even beyond this
life to keep a view of eternity."
Instead of fueling restlessness and desire thc
message of religion encourages thankfulness and
gratitude he said.
Between television and religion: "Which" one is
going to contribute td our long-term happiness?" .
Squote.
We want
people
to follow
the truth.
Michael Medved
jHHr ''JnlHBnnfflHfflfflHWlBW!iiBfflBBBHBMHBHyHBBlBBHB
Images vs. words
Thc second area of contrast deals with images -the
media - and words - religion.
Mcdved noted the results of public opinion polls
taken after the first presidential debate between
John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. People who
listened to thc debate on radio declared Nixon thc
winner by a ratio of 3-to-l while people who
watched thc debate on television said Kennedy
was thc winner by a 2-to-l ratio.
"On TV it really didn't matter what they said
because Richard Nixon was not an Adonis" he
said. "Yes he handled himself well but what mat-
tered was thc image - and that's thc way it always
is on TV.
"What matters are images and when you have
compelling images ... do the words really even
matter?"
The difference between religious messages and
media messages is "the emphasis between trusting
the eyes because that's all you have and trusting
words and thc soul. ... It's the difference if you
will ... between Mother Teresa and Sharon
Stone."
"In religious terms we don't trust the eyes
which is why the Bible goes to such great lengths
to warn us about thc eyes and to warn us about
the heart."
He quoted Deuteronomy 6: "Hear O Israel the
Lord is our God the Lord is one.
"When it says 'Hear O Israel' it's not here H-E-.R-E
it's hear listen. ...Not 'look' but 'listen.'"
Then he read from Numbers 15: "Remember
all thc commandments of God and perform them
and do not go after your heart or after your eyes
after which you stray."
Weaker
.$?
suggests
l$itys to control
media intake ' ;
ill jfedved sufgested two ideas for cutting .
XYJldown an media:
Plan your TV viewing at the beginning of.
the week. Go through the TV schedule and
highlight programs you want to watch.
Post thc schedule on alt televisions and only .
watch the shows you preselected.
-Keep a media diary Write down all of
' your encounters with the media each day
j including. music television and radio.
LTWntcV6neor(i review-such as "good"
entertaining uor stupid - tor each.
t. ttvfeu sK'15 rti.IL. .
'l.AWar? .:
msBis
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Tabled discussion
Joy Von Heirnburg junior nursing major from Bedford and Scofl Sldgsdill. sophomore youlh and
family ministry major from Arlington talk with AAedved after his speech Thursday In Cullen
Auditorium
"There is a human impulse to look at the sur-
face but that's not what we're supposed to do
which is why when God communicates to human
beings it's not through images it's through words.
"Our tradition is not a visual tradition it's a ver-
bal tradition. ... We don't want people to follow
their hearr we want people to follow the truth."
Mcdved digressed to ponder the issue of liberal
television and conservative radio.
"Not to stretch it too far but one of the big
questions might be 'Why is it that television as a
medium is so overwhelmingly liberal?' and TV
news and all the coverage on TV tends to be very
liberal left of center.
"Talk radio as a medium is completely domi-
nated by right wingers" he countered. "The dif-
ference between words and images."
Fun vs. joy
The third and final area of contrast is between
the media's emphasis on fun and religion's empha-
sis on joy Medved said.
Thc goal of the entertainment industry is to- cre-
ate nonstop passive fun he said.
"People say 'What's wrong with that? People
need to relax. They need to have fun.' Tell me:
Where in the Bible docs it talk about fun? Does
anybody know?
"It doesn't. It talks about joy."
The difference between joy and fun he said is
"fun is absolutely passive and meaningless. Joy and
happiness have to be earned."
He said an indication of society's addiction to
passive fun is thc pregame and postgamc shows at
spectator sporting events.
"At some places these things go on for two
hours - it's like people don't want to let go of this
diversion. But after it's all over what do you have?
How have you enriched your life?
"Happiness and joy must involve your participa-
tion" he said.
Two occasions when Jewish people are com-
manded to celebrate are weddings and Purim the
holiday celebrating thc book of Esther.
What these two occasions have in common
Medved said is that participants fast before the
celebration.
"The idea couldn't be more clear: Yes there's
fun there's joy - but you have to work at it ...
There is no joy ... without first overcoming evil
and temptation and difficulty."
The message of mass media is "the ultimate fun
is just sitting there in a state of catatonia three-
quarters asleep doing absolutely nothing."
He said he believes interactive computing- such
as the Internet or video games - is not as harmful
as watching television. "You're active you're par-
ticipating you're communicating you're part of
the process."
Conclusion
Medved said he does not suggest the mass media
be ignored. "I think it docs make'a difference -some
difference - what the substance of the media
are.
However Americans are at a key moment in the
history of popular culture he said. The situation
is similar to the popular beliefs about tobacco in
thc 1950s when thc surgeon general reported for!
the first time that cigarettes were damaging peo-
ple's health.
"Thc first reaction wasn't 'stop smoking;' the (
first reaction was 'low tar and nicotine'" he said.
"We are trying to get lower tar and nicotine less
sex and violence and self-destructivcness. But ulti-
mately that's not thc answer. ...
"We need to go to where they finally went with
cigarettes: ultimately you've got to cut down on
smoking itself because there's no way that smoki
ing could be made to be harmless. And the same
thing is true with television addiction. ...We need
to reduce thc quantity or 1 v
Smoking in America was reduced not by laws
but by educating people to realize "this isn't good .
for you" he said. "The same thing is absolutely
necessary on this TV issue."
College students typically watch less TV he said
encouraging students to continue to watch less
TV and live life to its fullest.
"Life without television is better it's richer and
the colors arc more vivid."
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 84, No. 40, Ed. 1, Wednesday, February 28, 1996, newspaper, February 28, 1996; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth99677/m1/3/?q=%22%22~1&rotate=0: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.