The real Conscientious Objection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The real Conscientious Objection - Essay Example Every household is predominantly blessed with this â€Å"necessity† of life. From entertainment to important events, the popularity of television has grown inevitably beyond boundaries to such an extent that it has become a preference for people around the globe, making it more difficult to improve television standards in favor of the societies. Neil Postman, a renowned critic, has taken the much needed step to illuminate the disasters of this media in the form of his collection – â€Å"The Conscientious Objections†. True to its name, this book truly highlights numerous issues that burden the conscience. With respect to media, Postman intelligibly covers the minute analysis for news and commercials as a mode of communication. The appreciable element of Postman’s critique is the unbiased appreciation for the limitations of television commercials and news while determining the moral issues attached with it. The objections raised by Postman are numerous, all of vital importance, such as delivering incomplete and fabricated information. It is important to note that these are not same, but both do result in the seclusion of truth from people. Postman also highlighted the cultural changes caused by television evolving entire societies, however, these cultural manipulations do not stem from television itself but rather from the developments occurring around the world. Details are covered in the paper. The Real Conscientious Objection: The commercial television of the current era has negative impacts on the society in a number of ways. From obsessive television watching to being exposed to inappropriate information – the television has been accredited for the unhealthy attitudes developing in the individuals of our society. The analysis of ethicality of the current practices of concerned television authorities in the light of Neil Postman’s â€Å"Conscientious Objection† is discussed hereafter. The most important conscie ntious objection posed by television is the incompleteness and at times, fabrication of information projected by this medium. With regards to television commercials and news both, the projected idea of the subjects is more often insufficient to cover the actual object. This results in individuals carrying around a distorted and deceiving perception of the reality, believing it to be the truth. This hampers the intellect of these individuals in their personal and public decision making processes, incurring losses on themselves. Even though the case is similar for both news and commercials, â€Å"The whole problem with news on television comes down to this: all the words uttered in an hour of news coverage could be printed on one-page of a newspaper. And the world cannot be understood in one page† (Postman 72). It is therefore needless to say that the news projected on television is rarely ever complete. Additionally, â€Å"Unless (people) also read newspapers and magazines, t elevision viewers are helpless to understand their world† (Postman 78). This implies the severity of this phenomenon, indicating the briefness of television broadcasts. Relying solely on television as the authentic source of information is an unwise practice on behalf of a major part of population. The case of television commercials is more drastic for its creative and delusional content. â€Å"Television commerci