Fahrenheit 451 - 2010
In the great book Fahrenheit 451 there are no books and people watch TV for information. The fire departments job is to burn books that turn up. A scary thought about censorship and knowledge.
However, a key concept in camouflage is hide things in plan site. There is no need to burn books or destroy the written word if no one reads it.
I recently enrolled my son in a local high school and was given a list several pages long of approved videos that may be shown as part of the educational program. I was not provided a list of books. I assume there will be some reading. Some of the videos are great videos and some are questionable as to educational value, but the point is they had a list of videos and not books.
I read a national news story recently and it quoted a former teacher (I did not know her) at my old high school talking about how the kids no longer read great books, they read excerpts from them and study portions of them. This is sad. When I was in high school I had a great exposure to a sampling of fine classic literature including 1984, Huck Finn, The Great Gatsby, Red Badge of Courage and more. All of these are recognized classics with something to say about life and culture. They inspired me to pick up more classics on my own to read.
This is not the only area I see this. Twitter may be a great marketing tool, but it also reflects our cultural retreat into brevity and a certain lack of depth. News is retreating into more and more of a sound bite culture (there are some good things happening in news too, but that is for another day) as is our politics. In the days of Lincoln people would listen to speeches for hours, and enjoy it. Now the message has to get out in seconds. Debates are more about the big Zinger than facts.
In some ways Television is becoming better. The Sitcom is becoming faster and funnier. Compare Seinfeld, Malcom in the Middle, The Simpsons, or others to some of the older sitcoms. On the other hand the put down mentality of the sitcom has infected American culture. Movies and dramas are more about action and big explosions than about plot and character. I preferred the slower pace of Carson on the old Tonight Show, where it was like visiting with friends for a full hour and a half in your living room than the current one hour of people hawking books and movies. My kids are now giving up TV for YouTube!
This attitude has hit the church in America too. And I say this with a proviso that I am not referring specifically to my own church, but the church in general in America. It is also clear from the Bible that to some extent we need to meet people where they are at, hence the church reflects the pop culture. The music has less depth and tends to be repetitive, worship is a multi-media experience, often the services can resemble a late night talk show. Sermons are simpler with less context to them.
One of the biggest complements I ever received was back when I was single some 20 years ago. I had a large number of books and a guest commented on the fact and my roommate piped in, "Not only that he has read most of them too."
I feel lost sometimes. I do not read as much as I used to. This is due to being a busy father and just age. But the speed and and lack of depth leaves me feeling lost at times. Mind you not ignorant, in fact I have a lot of knowledge, but lost and unable to connect. As we go through our lives people around us are absorbed in texting, talking on the cell phone, using the latest ap or using social media while not engaging in social life.
I have disengaged too, usually through the more passive option of television, although I have started reading for fun again too. I could not get by without computers and cell phones, but I want them as tools not my primary social connection.
