Second Reading

The second reading (pages 119-124) offers a completely different take on the world compared to the first reading. First, instead of referring to symbols and signs, it shifts its focus on the effect that television has on households across America. It states that television is meant for passive viewing. The show is on whether we decide to watch it or not and stops for almost nothing. There is no text or paragraphs to analyze and no way we can “bookmark” a show half way through without the rest of the world viewing it. This offers many obvious differences between a novel and a typical sitcom. Also, it claims that these shows lack a distinct author (unlike books) and rely on a heavy genre present to help drive the plot. Often times when reading the themes have to be dissected out of the text. Without deep thought, the author’s key points and lesson can be easily passed by. TV on the other hand has a more obvious effect on its viewers. The genre (drama, western, action, romance) is often apparent within the first several minutes of viewing. The themes that follow are unmistakable and hard to pass by. The reading then shifts its focus to the content of the shows. For example, many shows such as Seinfeld contain almost an entirely all white cast. On the other hand, almost all of the shows produced by Tyler Perry focus on the typical African family. Although the diversity in standard television has increased over the years, some shows leave certain ethnicities out, detracting from the overall quality of the program.

All in all, I enjoyed this reading MUCH more the than first. The different matters brought up made me think twice about the television that I watch, how I watch it, and what I’ve come to expect from the programming industry. It also brought to light the unnecessarily large amount of money that I, along with other Americans, spend on television each year. In short, I tend to agree with just about every part of this reading and believe that it shared many truths with me that otherwise would have been undetected.