| Normal 0 | | | | entertained is a way of denying them the knowledge |
| Entertainment is America's big thing. But | | | | of what is being done to them. And the mayhem and |
| entertainment in America encompasses much more | | | | murder that people watch every day is akin to the |
| then mere acting, song, and dance. It includes sports, | | | | murdering of gladiators in Ancient Rome. |
| television news, advertising—in short, anything | | | | This devotion to entertainment has enormous cultural |
| that attracts a huge number of spectators. And what | | | | and economic consequences. |
| has made this huge number of spectators possible is | | | | A culture is defined by its predominant activities. The |
| mass media, something none of the entertainers had | | | | Roman Empire, for example, is characterized by an |
| a role in creating. It has also driven down the level of | | | | autocratic form of government, large territorial |
| industry and honesty. | | | | holdings acquired by war and subjugation, and |
| Advertising almost always violates the ninth | | | | violence. Those characteristics were adopted by the |
| Commandment. The use of illegal performance | | | | subjugated peoples, especially those in Western |
| enhancing drugs is widespread in sports. School | | | | Europe. Significantly, they were not adopted by the |
| officials routinely allow for the altering of a student | | | | Scandinavians who were never subjugated by the |
| athlete's academic record so that s/he can continue | | | | Romans. And Western European culture, of which |
| to play a game. Our colleges and universities give | | | | the United States is a part, has historically been |
| "scholarships" to non-scholars but not to scholars. | | | | afflicted by war and violence of gigantic proportions, |
| Many popular singing groups display little musical | | | | not so much so Scandinavia. Given the extent of |
| knowledge or talent. Dramatic performances depict | | | | criminality in America, the huge war making machine |
| the most immoral behavior and often even glorify it, | | | | called the military-industrial complex, the number of |
| even when it's depicted in entirely unbelievable ways. | | | | wars America has been involved in just since the end |
| People who pass themselves off as journalists | | | | of the Second World War, and the vast amount of |
| inundate us with "human interest" pieces that neither | | | | entertainment that glorifies violence, American culture |
| inform us of nor teach us anything. Watch CNN all | | | | is clearly characterized by Roman brutality. |
| day and then write down what you learned that you | | | | But the economic consequences are huge too. Every |
| didn't know beforehand. What were once legitimate | | | | dollar spent on weapons of war, spent trying to |
| news programs now fill our minds with stories about | | | | control criminal activity, spent on entertainment |
| criminals. Dateline NBC and 48-Hours are prime | | | | overkill, spent on any parasitic activity is a dollar not |
| examples. Our so called "reality shows" have nothing | | | | spent on providing people with the necessities of life |
| to do with reality, and what used to be called | | | | and the luxuries that produce a good life. A |
| amateur hours have now become pre-professional | | | | professional football team, for instance, is a gigantic |
| tryouts. Young Americans don't want to be scientists, | | | | money machine, but it employs relatively few people |
| mathematicians, or engineers; they want to be | | | | in comparison to a durable goods manufacturing |
| STARS even when they exhibit little talent as is | | | | company. And I often wonder what America's GNP |
| amply demonstrated on American Idol and So You | | | | would be if all of the parasitic "goods and services" |
| Think You Can Dance. Worse, the untalented vilify | | | | were excluded from the calculation. There is, after all, |
| the judges when they are rejected. Yet hoards of | | | | a vast difference between an economic activity that |
| spectators watch mesmerized, often after having | | | | produces substantial, utilizable products and activities |
| paid a hefty fee. Yet none of this activity produces | | | | that do not. Although man may not live by bread |
| anything having utility, value in use; these activities | | | | alone, more bread and less play yield better lives than |
| are all parasitical. Marx thought that religion was the | | | | more play and less bread. America needs what is |
| opium of the people. Not any more. Entertainment is. | | | | called "a paradigm shift." Americans need to rethink |
| Mass media has made the country into a gigantic | | | | their cultural values. ©2008 John Kozy, Jr. |
| Roman Coliseum, where keeping the people | | | | |