There is something very wrong with the world today. Very wrong indeed. Is it war? Famine? Pestilence? Yes. But have you considered the little things? What controls our manner of speech, our style of clothing, what’s “hot” and what’s not? Television–a plague upon our very souls. Earlier in its existence, however, television wasn’t as bad as it is today. At some point a viewer could flip the switch on their tv or visit the movie theater and see something that was grounded in human thought and understanding. He/she could see something that would at best expand their thinking; at worst not offend. Journey with me back to 1976, when we hadn’t all yet decided that life was centered on straight hair, flawless makeup, and keeping up with the ‘social network’. Yesterday, Visioneer showed us that we’re so far off the ground, we’ve forgotten what it looks like. Today, Network gives us a glimpse of the rope. Dystopian? Yes. Comedic? Also yes. But more importantly, it is a commentary on our current state of affairs made 34 years in the past.
Let me pose this question: Who is your idol? In other words, who do you pattern your life after? Is he/she on tv? On the radio? Consider this: searching the word ‘idol’ on thesaurus.com, arguably the most popular thesaurus site on the web, I get these definitions: icon, hero/heroine, god, fetish, favorite, effigy, beloved,…actor. That’s right, actor is considered a synonym for idol, on the same level as god. You tell me how (and when) that happened. Conversely, ask yourself: ‘is that the way it should be?’
Back to the movie. When you watch it, you’ll notice several things: first, there is a wealth of colors–of people. In addition, none of them is presented as a foolish sidekick, a dramatic stereotype, or obligatory token. Check the majority of movies/shows today (Gossip Girl, Hannah Montana, House of Payne, How I Met Your Mother, Psych, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Meet the Browns, etc.) you’ll likely not find such disinterested normalcy. Second, the language used is more educated and complex than any show you’ll see today. (Remember when George said “it’s an anathema” to Jerry on Seinfeld (S2E6)? Jerry’s answer, “how long’ve you been waiting to slip that into a conversation?” seems to articulate perfectly our generation’s current attitude towards educated speech.)
Consider the following:
“We deal in illusions, man.
None of it is true.
But you people sit there,
day after day, night after night,
all ages, colours, creeds.
We’re all you know. You’re beginning
to believe the illusions we’re spinning.
You’re beginning to think the tube
is reality and your lives are unreal.
You do whatever the tube tells you.
You dress like the tube,
eat like the tube,
raise your children like the tube,
think like the tube.
This is mass madness, you maniacs.
In God’s name, you people are
the real thing! We are the illusion!
So turn off your television sets.
Turn them off now.
Turn them off right now!
Turn them off and leave them off.
Turn them off right in the middle
of the sentence I’m speaking now.
Turn them off. (Network, 1976)“
Brutal Irony 