How Television Caused The End Of The World

In a recent article in The Guardian, writer and environmentalist George Monbiot calls for “a rebellion” to save the world from the inevitable ravages of global warming before it is too late.

The rebellion is not coming.

It is not coming, not because people don’t care and aren’t concerned; and it is not coming because they are not informed of the clear and present danger — they are. It is also not coming because of the power and influence of the petroleum and coal lobbies and interests.

It is not coming because of television.

Not what is on television — certainly Sir David Attenborough and others have done a stellar job of warning us.

It is not coming because of the medium itself. What is on it is completely immaterial.

Television has been with us for about 60 years now; a relatively short time in the history of human beings on the planet. And yet, in that relative blink of an eye, it has grown to be our number one activity. The average person now spends an astonishing 8 hours a day, every day, watching TV. (And by ‘TV’, I include videos on YouTube, Netflix or Game of Thrones). It is all the same.

“Watching” stuff is now our number one activity, far outpacing reading, exercising, eating, working or even sleeping. Watching is what we do.

You take a society and have it spend almost all its time ‘watching’ stuff and it has an impact. It shapes a culture, this watching. Watching has two major consequences. First, it teaches, over and over, passivity. Watching 8 hours a day, every day, teaches you to be passive.Your job, after all, is to watch. People who believe they can effect the outcome of a Lakers Game or Game of Thrones are properly considered insane. Good watchers learn that there is nothing they can do about anything except to watch it.

Even watching Global Warming.

Second, watching endless hours a day, over years and year, teaches you that in the end, everything will ultimately be OK. It always is, on TV or on HBO, it all works out for the best — and you didn’t have to lift a finger. There’s always a good resolution at the end of the show or the season or the series.

When it comes to Global Warming (or anything else for that matter), we have, for the past 60 years or so, received all our information through the same medium that brings us Game of Thrones. We like to watch. We are great watchers. So we watch Global Warming. It’s a pretty scary show. But, like all else, it’s really only a show.

If we get particularly incensed, we can always tweet with a hashtag. That would make us feel better. Then, back to watching.

So no, George Monbiot, there is not going to be any great uprising against the destruction of the planet. And it is not because we don’t care. Clearly we do. It’s just that for 8 hour a day, every day, for the past 60 years, we have all been instructed on our role in society.

Our job is to watch, not to do.