Public Entertainment and the Subversion of Ethical Standards

The entertainments provided by the mass media are like the epic, the ancient theater, or the novel in that all present fiction which is received as truth. The new are more persuasive than the old because of the technological changes in the means of production and dissemination, because the line be tween the real and the fictional is blurred, and because, for eco nomic reasons, the formation of habit, as well as a dulling of the critical faculties, has become desirable, especially in com mercial broadcasting. The patron of the entertainment likes what he gets, without question, and certain of his wants are satisfied. There is, however, little effort to enlarge the range of satisfactions, and so much is given that such wants as are more difficult to satisfy and such satisfaction as can stir intelli gence or criticism are generally neglected. By inducing in ertia, the mass entertainments may contribute to the specific abuses of which they are often accused, such as incitement to violence or indifference to a strict sexual code. But it is their failure to serve the independence of mind of their followers, to stir the critical faculties, that is more serious.