How much are our ideas about other times influenced by TV/movies?

[raccoon]

For example, mention the 1950's and someone invariably brings up "Leave It to Beaver," "Ozzie and Harriet," "Father Knows Best."

My guess is some younger people's ideas about Boomers were influenced by "The Big Chill."

As for myself, I wonder how much my ideas about WWII, which I wasn't around to experience, were influenced by movies and TV shows.

If anyone can point me to any articles or whatever about this, please do.

Otherwise, just share your thoughts. :-)

[Fumesucker]

1. For times that we have not personally experienced I would say a great deal..

Maybe even overwhelmingly..

It's hard to overemphasize the influence that moving pictures with sound have on us when we have little other knowledge of something.

[Hestia]

2. Can't remember the names, but there is a couple of books about this very thing, especially

regarding the 50s. There were two 1950s, the Ozzie & Harriet and The Blackboard Jungle. Not everyone prospered during the 1950s. Kerouac (sp?) would never had taken his trip if everything was hunky-dory.

[raccoon]

4. Sounds like THE WAY WE NEVER WERE, which I'm familiar with. nt

[saltpoint]

3. You talkin' to me? You talkin' to ME? 'Cuz I'm da only one HERE.

- - -

I think a lot, especially in small ways.

[Liberal In Texas]

5. I keep thinking of the show "24" and the "facts" repeated to me by RWers

about torture working to "find ticking time-bombs".

TV has been a great educator since its inception. It's also a great tool for the propagandist.

[HopeHoops]

6. Two words: Happy Days

[slampoet]

12. Compare that to Hubert Selby's "Last Exit to Brooklyn" (book or movie)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097714/


Written in 1964 by someone who didn't pull punches.

[ThomWV]

7. I suspect TV (much more than movies) has more effect on ideas today than books ever had

And the reason I say that is today we have more or less universal access to television today whereas there has never been anything like universal literacy.

[raccoon]

8. Good point, and many people who can read, don't read very much. nt

[Nay]

10. I suspect so as well. Not only do we have universal access to moving

visual images of all kinds, they are infinitely more attractive than reading to most humans. Thus the pickle in which the human race finds itself -- the jumping images don't lend themselves to much else but propaganda, simplistic concepts and emotional reaction.

[conscious evolution]

9. Its called programs for a reason.

Unlike computer programming,however,its all gigo effect programming.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

11. More now then in the good old days like in the Andy Griffith Show.