WORTH THINKING ABOUT: THE DISAPPEARANCE OF CHILDHOOD
Media critic and philosopher Neil Postman writes:
"One might say that the main difference between an adult and a child
is that the adult knows about certain facets of life -- its mysteries, its
contradictions, its violence, its tragedies -- that are not considered
suitable for children to know. As children move toward adulthood, we reveal
these secrets to them in ways we believe they are prepared to manage. That
is why there is such a thing as children's literature. But television makes
this arrangement quite impossible. Because television operates virtually
around the clock, it requires a constant supply of novel and interesting
information to hold its audience. This means that all adult secrets --
social, sexual, physical and the like -- are revealed. Television forces
the entire culture to come out of the closet, taps every existing taboo.
Incest, corruption, sadism -- each is now merely a theme for one or another
television show. And, of course, in the process, each loses its role as an
exclusively adult secret.
"As a consequence of all this, childhood innocence is impossible to
sustain, which is why children have disappeared from television. Indeed,
all the children on television shows are depicted as merely small adults,
in the manner of thirteenth- and fourteenth-century paintings. On any of
the soap operas or family shows or situation comedies you will see children
whose language, dress, sexuality, and interests are not different from
those of the adults on the same shows."
From:
NewsScan Daily, 20 August 2002 ("Above The Fold")
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