entertainment...

"The reality TV fad exemplifies this merging of entertainment and real life. News organizations
once provided thoughtful commentary
so they could make informed choices, but today, real-life tragedies and the mundane failures and heartaches of ordinary people are hyped like new movie releases, complete with special effects. The normal human response to a person in need is to help, but that is not the case in an entertainment culture. Actor George Clooney observes, "People's misery becoming entertainment, that's what's dangerous. And that seems to be the place we're going." Humans sit in front of television sets, passively watching human misery unfold, while just outside their door, a real person faces the same problem and there is no one to help them because we're all preoccupied with our favorite characters on reality TV.
When diversion becomes a way of lfe, we avoid the very issues to which we should be most attentive. We are diverted from the grim, unpleasant truth that our lives lack meaning without God, that consumption does not satisfy, that the differential between wealth and poverty is unjust, that our neighbor is in need, and that the appropriate human response to people in need is sleeves-rolled-up service, not simply watching."
-Dick Staub, The Culturally Savvy Christian

Comments

[heffe]

Sounds like you should read Al Gore's new book "The Assault on Reason."

http://www.amazon.com/Assault-Reason-Al-Gore/dp/1594201226

He goes into the blending of news and entertainment and he believes the internet is the solution. I haven't read it yet, but in discussing the issue, I generally agree.

However, I feel like there needs to be a way to make sites like blogs and wikipedia authoritative beyond opinion and move into facts. Sure great sources of information, but it is hard to see where these people are generating their articles from, or if its pure speculation. At least everyone can have a say, founded or not.

[Dan Brown]

Here's a http://www.reason.com/news/show/120701.html>dissenting opinion on Mr. Gore's book.

[curtis]

Great quote, Bob. Thanks for sharing!

Very convicting statement... there's no doubt in my mind that we're headed back to Roman-style entertainment (Gladiators killing each other for sport, etc.)

Hopefully we're too civilized to go that far, but sometimes I'm not so sure that we are...