Getting Better

Television and Moral Progress

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology
Cover of the book Getting Better by Bryan Green, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Bryan Green ISBN: 9781351310543
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: January 16, 2018
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Bryan Green
ISBN: 9781351310543
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: January 16, 2018
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Ever since the fifties, when television became ascendent in American popular culture, it has become commonplace to bemoan its "bad" effects. Little or nothing, however, has been said about its "good" effects. With this observation, Henry Perkinson introduces his provocative and original analysis of television and culture. Rejecting the determinism inherent in most studies of the effects of television ("We are what we watch"), he insists that it is people that actively change culture, media having no agency to do so. Nevertheless, he argues that television did facilitate the changes we have made in our culture over the past thirty years.Perkinson describes how television helped us become critical of our existing culture, especially of the relationships that were commonly accepted between men and women, blacks and whites, politicians and voters, employers and employees, and between people and the environment. These criticisms have brought about dramatic changes in our social, political, and economic arrangements, as well as changes in our intellectual outlook. Since these changes came about through our efforts to eliminate or reduce discrimination, suffering, and injustice, Perkinson argues that our culture has become more moral in the age of television.In what amounts to a history of recent social change in America, Getting Better examines the role television has played in the rise of feminism, the black protest movement, the presidential elections, the Vietnam War, Watergate, environmentalism, religious fundamentalism, and the New Age movement. This book will be essential reading for students of communications and American culture, and for anyone who wants to make sense of the transformations of American life from the 1950s to the present. Even those who do not agree that things are "getting better" will find that Perkinson's analysis helps to make things more coherent.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Ever since the fifties, when television became ascendent in American popular culture, it has become commonplace to bemoan its "bad" effects. Little or nothing, however, has been said about its "good" effects. With this observation, Henry Perkinson introduces his provocative and original analysis of television and culture. Rejecting the determinism inherent in most studies of the effects of television ("We are what we watch"), he insists that it is people that actively change culture, media having no agency to do so. Nevertheless, he argues that television did facilitate the changes we have made in our culture over the past thirty years.Perkinson describes how television helped us become critical of our existing culture, especially of the relationships that were commonly accepted between men and women, blacks and whites, politicians and voters, employers and employees, and between people and the environment. These criticisms have brought about dramatic changes in our social, political, and economic arrangements, as well as changes in our intellectual outlook. Since these changes came about through our efforts to eliminate or reduce discrimination, suffering, and injustice, Perkinson argues that our culture has become more moral in the age of television.In what amounts to a history of recent social change in America, Getting Better examines the role television has played in the rise of feminism, the black protest movement, the presidential elections, the Vietnam War, Watergate, environmentalism, religious fundamentalism, and the New Age movement. This book will be essential reading for students of communications and American culture, and for anyone who wants to make sense of the transformations of American life from the 1950s to the present. Even those who do not agree that things are "getting better" will find that Perkinson's analysis helps to make things more coherent.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Public Opinion in the United States by Bryan Green
Cover of the book Asia Pacific Security - Values and Identity by Bryan Green
Cover of the book Human Rights and Justice by Bryan Green
Cover of the book Chicano Educational Achievement by Bryan Green
Cover of the book An Introduction to Global Environmental Issues Instructors Manual by Bryan Green
Cover of the book Socialist Economies and the Transition to the Market by Bryan Green
Cover of the book Keynes's Economic Consequences of the Peace by Bryan Green
Cover of the book Neurogenetic Diagnoses by Bryan Green
Cover of the book Interactive Problem Solving Using Logo by Bryan Green
Cover of the book Language, Gender and Ideology by Bryan Green
Cover of the book The International Politics of the Asia-Pacific by Bryan Green
Cover of the book Sport, Media, Culture by Bryan Green
Cover of the book Industrial Inefficiency and Downsizing by Bryan Green
Cover of the book The Calling of Law by Bryan Green
Cover of the book Military Families and War in the 21st Century by Bryan Green
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy