Blog #62 – Good Night and Good Luck
Choose three statements – one from each speech – and discuss how each statement can be applied to our world and political or social situations today.
” No one familiar with the history of this country can deny that congressional committees are useful. It is necessary to investigate before legislating, but the line between investigating and persecuting is a very fine one and the junior Senator from Wisconsin has stepped over it repeatedly. His primary achievement has been in confusing the public mind, as between the internal and the external threats of Communism. We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine; and remember that we are not descended from fearful men. Not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were for the moment unpopular. 
This is no time for men who oppose Senator McCarthy’s methods to keep silent, or for those who approve. We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result. There is no way for a citizen of a republic to abdicate his responsibilities. As a nation we have come into our full inheritance at a tender age. We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home. The actions of the junior Senator from Wisconsin have caused alarm and dismay amongst our allies abroad, and given considerable comfort to our enemies. And whose fault is that? Not really his. He didn’t create this situation of fear; he merely exploited it — and rather successfully. Cassius was right. “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” Good night, and good luck.”
– See it Now broadcast, March 9 1954
If we confuse dissent with disloyalty — if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox — if we deny the essence of racial equality then hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for a new allegiance will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status. Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
– Ford Fiftieth Anniversary Show, CBS and NBC, June 1953
“We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.
Our history will be what we make it. And if there are any historians about fifty or a hundred years from now, and there should be preserved the kinescopes for one week of all three networks, they will there find recorded in black and white, or color, evidence of decadence, escapism and insulation from the realities of the world in which we live. I invite your attention to the television schedules of all networks between the hours of 8 and 11 p.m., Eastern Time. Here you will find only fleeting and spasmodic reference to the fact that this nation is in mortal danger. There are, it is true, occasional informative programs presented in that intellectual ghetto on Sunday afternoons. But during the daily peak viewing periods, television in the main insulates us from the realities of the world in which we live. If this state of affairs continues, we may alter an advertising slogan to read: LOOK NOW, PAY LATER.
For surely we shall pay for using this most powerful instrument of communication to insulate the citizenry from the hard and demanding realities which must be faced if we are to survive. I mean the word survive literally. If there were to be a competition in indifference, or perhaps in insulation from reality, then Nero and his fiddle, Chamberlain and his umbrella, could not find a place on an early afternoon sustaining show. If Hollywood were to run out of Indians, the program schedules would be mangled beyond all recognition. Then some courageous soul with a small budget might be able to do a documentary telling what, in fact, we have done–and are still doing–to the Indians in this country. But that would be unpleasant. And we must at all costs shield the sensitive citizens from anything that is unpleasant.
I am entirely persuaded that the American public is more reasonable, restrained and more mature than most of our industry’s program planners believe. Their fear of controversy is not warranted by the evidence. I have reason to know, as do many of you, that when the evidence on a controversial subject is fairly and calmly presented, the public recognizes it for what it is–an effort to illuminate rather than to agitate.
I do not advocate that we turn television into a 27-inch wailing wall, where longhairs constantly moan about the state of our culture and our defense. But I would just like to see it reflect occasionally the hard, unyielding realities of the world in which we live. I would like to see it done inside the existing framework, and I would like to see the doing of it redound to the credit of those who finance and program it. Measure the results by Nielsen, Trendex or Silex-it doesn’t matter. The main thing is to try. The responsibility can be easily placed, in spite of all the mouthings about giving the public what it wants. It rests on big business, and on big television, and it rests at the top. Responsibility is not something that can be assigned or delegated. And it promises its own reward: good business and good television.
To those who say people wouldn’t look; they wouldn’t be interested; they’re too complacent, indifferent and insulated, I can only reply: There is, in one reporter’s opinion, considerable evidence against that contention. But even if they are right, what have they got to lose? Because if they are right, and this instrument is good for nothing but to entertain, amuse and insulate, then the tube is flickering now and we will soon see that the whole struggle is lost.
This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful.
Speech at Radio-Television News Directors Association, Chicago, October 15, 1958.
Minimum word count after picking a quote from all three speeches and then analyzing them is at least 300 words. There should be plenty to talk about b/c even though Murrow said these words over 50 years ago, they still ring true.
“if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine; and remember that we are not descended from fearful men. Not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were for the moment unpopular.”
this quote most recently reminds me of the Edward Snowden NSA leak the blew up everything and finally gave proof to the people of America that their government is constantly keeping tabs on EVERYONE. or “risk’s to national security” this has more to do with not being fearful of letting the public know exactly what’s going on and how it was unpopular for the government and they tried to do whatever possible to detain snowden. i think it was initially chasing him around china, and then when he made it to Russia where Putin and the Russian Government denied to detain Snowden because it help further expose the american government as being the squeaky clean system it always tries to pretend to be. so Snowden knew the risk he was taking when he Exposed the NSA for spying on the public. this can even be put back to the Julian Assange wikileaks exposing information about the US that we didn’t want leaked. other stuff including the “enhanced interrogation tactics” going on in the middle east basically torture that was exposed to the public after the bush administration stepped down and the people who expose not being afraid of the costs of that there investigative journalism might find and expose as long as it brings light to the public
If we confuse dissent with disloyalty — if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox — if we deny the essence of racial equality then hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for a new allegiance will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status. Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.” I like to believe this can apply to both sides of the gay marriage argument with the part of “if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox” both sides think that the other side is “wrong” but thats it’s an opinion just because someones opinion is different or lifestyle is different does not give you the right to deny anything from them, you can only do it if it is overtly hurting you or anyone you know, so this can be seen as instead of asian and african as Gay, lesbian, and transgender americans, the equal right of marriage the thousands of people who are gay, lesbian, and trans that are being denied “will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status. Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women” and it looks in the public a large majority is in favor so we just wait for the government to make its slow transition to equal marriage rights for all.
(anyone who equates or references Gay marriage to someone marrying an animal is a dumb*ss seriously…it looks like your dehumanizing homosexual people by equating 2 PEOPLE marrying to and ANIMAL).
“We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.” if feel like this is a really general statement about American public at the point it’s at right now as I mentioned snowden earlier. when the news was dropped there was initial shock but literally maybe a week later…the reaction was far different it went from “ WHAT!” to “yeah im pretty much guessed it was happening already” this is HUGE. we’ve been lied to by our government for god knows how long! and we brush it off like last years grammys…like this is stuff in 2nd or 3rd world countries that causes revolutions and civil war, I mean I’m not expecting a war but I’m looking for change or reform or for the government to get out of my personal life. i get it terrorism EVERYWHERE, I’m pretty positive it’s not in and an average grade, suburban, 16 year old birmingham sophomore who’s more interested in what happened last week when i wasn’t able to hang with my friends then the national news…which is another sad thing are NEWS is SO biased and Left or Right wing that i have to go to satirical news show to get “REAL” information there is so few NEWS stations that you can get information that is isn’t so politically skewed and rearranged to make the president look like the anti-christ or make him look like a genius they scrutinize everything he does so hard, when did a political position make it impossible for us to make up our own opinion. “what your opinion on the war”
“i don’t know, well I’m a (Democrat, Republican, Conservative,Libertarian) so whatever they’re saying about the war is what i think”
That is garbage the biggest piece of crap i have ever heard, take 20 minutes sit down look at an unbiased piece about the war and come up with your own decision about what the we should do about the war don’t let the people on television tell you what to think they’re actors with a teleprompter trying to make the other side look unintelligent or wrong. they could care less they’re making probably a 6 figure salary and getting fat.
I didn’t for grammar so, sorry.
In order to take action on something it is necessary to understand the problem. To understand the problem we must go beneath the surface. The United States has a history of camouflaging the truth by making one act appear to be another. Nevertheless, the public and the government combined must investigate because they work indirectly through each other to enforce these changes. The Legislative branch in our government has always sought to provide for the peoples “best interest”, however because of the U.S large numbers it can be hard to actually record accurate data that shows whether the people need this new ‘idea’ in their everyday lives. In controversial deals our government doesn’t take into account the minorities all the time because they represent too small a percentage. If they would always hold off on legislation because 14% off the population wouldn’t survive off of limited allowances, then they would indeed go about their business but try to find additional benefits that would ‘somewhat’ better these people’s situations. With that said, it is clear that when the government legislate power in our country, they do it regardless of whether everyone can benefit from the process completely because they assume that pleasing the greater number of people will again ‘camouflage’ its corrupt favoritism. Nevertheless, we must realize that our government changes everyday and has been, for as long as we can remember.
I feel that the quote from the See it now broadcast, “It is necessary to investigate before legislating, but the line between investigating and persecuting is a very fine one and the junior Senator from Wisconsin has stepped over it repeatedly”, is one that will always be relevant to America. I say this because too often Americans assume they know what the outcome of installing something will be, a positive one. I feel that it is necessary for our society to be optimistic because we achieve a greater number of ideas through optimism because it allows our minds to consider an array of possible theories and make us more willing to try them. Nevertheless, claiming something will go right after dismissing its history of event’s outcomes is foolish. Americans tend to do this at times, ‘in the moment’, because we don’t have the time to consider the endless number of consequences. Still, we must make the time! Through assumption we fail to show ‘light’ on problems that can make of break the public, which is where the element of ‘persecution’ comes in from the quote.
We have 24 hours in a day, seven days a week, time is available it’s just up to us how we use that time.
Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.” – Ford Fiftieth Anniversary Show, CBS and NBC
Throughout time, the United States has become a beacon; “shining city on the hilltop” that it’s always aspired to be because it allowed individuals to have control of their own lives within reason. However as we grow older our environment changes because the people change. We are no longer oblivious to the outside dangers that surround us such as medicine, foreign species and communications (other languages). Thus we have applied our understanding of these encounters to improve technology and more frequent affairs to watch how they affect us for short or long periods of time. Yet during our periods of amazement at ‘new’ and exciting discoveries we fail to keep attention on the things that have been here all along; the general public.
The people, similar to the other discoveries, are evolving too. Although they do this in a different way, the aspire to have more freedom and access to what our world has to offer in order to better themselves or those that follow them in later generations. However when the government implements cautious barriers on what the people cannot do now then it makes it that much harder on the next person or group that once to do the same. Before we know it, it encourages these victims to merge together and try to overthrow what they think is unfair.
We must continue to take into account the first quote dealing with investigation over persecution. Average people always have reasons behind what they do, whether it is to cause an effect now or later. I feel that this quote is important because it acknowledges the fact that we aren’t in this world alone. What we do as individuals can inspire the person next to us to applaud or want to destroy what we were able to complete or attempt. This quote should remain relevant because as times go on there will be a point when we need each other and can’t rely solely on what we know to be true, because everything is constantly changing (never left in the same state that it was discovered in).
I have reason to know, as do many of you, that when the evidence on a controversial subject is fairly and calmly presented, the public recognizes it for what it is–an effort to illuminate rather than to agitate.
Within the last decade, Americans have indulged in many controversial topics such as funding abortion clinics or the practice in general, medical marijuana, adoption, and gay marriage. Though many have tried to calmly address the situations for what they are, others have not.
Sometimes it seems that Americans and the rest of the world like controversy because when everyone is out of order they can say explicit or profane comments. This is because all of the craziness that is going on is too much to single out their one event. Therefore, these people who act out irrationally are not getting ‘heard’, they’re simply being another addition to the madness.
So as an addition, the public will not take into account their individual worry. Meanwhile, those who conduct themselves in an orderly manner get more attention because they politely discuss the topics for what they are. These atmospheres hold less tension, and with less tension people feel more confident in what they’re fighting for and are able to organize their ideas better.
This quote from Speech at Radio-television News Directors Association in Chicago is not only relevant in America but to all countries because like the previous quote suggested, we all influence each others choices based off of our own. It is important that we don’t act irrational due to new ideas such as ‘medical marijuana’ because even though it may seem completely immoral to some it can be beneficial to others with serious medical conditions that could help save their lives, and who knows what that person could be able to influence for the greater good (something that could help all lead better lives as well in the future. It is important for us to be realistic but not imply pessimism over optimism all of the time.
“We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law.”
This statement is very present in today’s world because of all the crime and violence. We live in constant fear and when something happens, everyone points fingers. Accusations are made on suspects who could have possibly committed the crime. Victims or bystanders describe the person to the police and they try to figure out the possible suspects. Accusations are sometimes racist because of events like 9/11. Just because someone is accused, they aren’t automatically charged. There has to be some type of proof and a due process of law. Once it is found true that someone committed the crime, then they are convicted. This is ever-present in our world today because there are always court cases in the news that are ongoing because there is minimal proof and it may take months or even years to prove a suspect guilty. A person is innocent until they can be proven guilty.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
Throughout American history, some type of people feel that they are superior over others. They will do what they can to prevent the “inferior” from gaining power. One example is when the African Americans were thought of as Inferior. They Whites shipped them to America where they worked as slaves for a long period of time. As time moved on, many people in civil rights groups fought and risked their lives to free the black. Finally that happened with Abraham Lincoln. Even though blacks were considered free, there were many laws that limited their freedom such as the Jim Crow Laws. Also, Women were not allowed to vote or be active in government for a long time in our history. People will risk their lives for something that they believe in and when there is an act or law that limits their freedom, we start to lose the confidence and the will to fight. This is not what our ancestors spoke of with independence and freedom. A good example of this in today’s world is the ban on gay marriage. It is different in each state, some allow it and some have placed bans. There are big arguments and rallies against the state government bans. These bans limit the full freedom of individuals in the country because the gay marriages are illegal in many states and the people. Many people all around the world fight together for this cause and many other causes, but when another ban is in place, it goes against what the groups are fighting for. The people who created acts or bans that limited the freedom of individuals whether it was back where blacks and women were not allowed to vote to today’s issues, many of these people only see the issues one sided and that they are always right.
“We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.
Our history will be what we make it.”
This statement reminds me of the news today, except in the opposite way. It almost seems like we are allergic to good news. When you sit down and watch or listen to the news, you mostly hear bad news: Murder, Shootings, Suicide, Beatings, Disease, Terrorism, Robbery, Global conflicts and other scary, yet intriguing information. There is the occasional feel-good story of a kid saving someone’s life, or animals being rescued, but this is greatly outweighed by the horrible things that are occurring in our society. Not only is mostly unpleasant and disturbing information presented, but it is biased. Each News Company or Station presents the news from their side of view and the may not give you all the facts. The news is influenced greatly by politics and you walk away with someone else’s beliefs about something. All of the News Channels compete to get the most news out faster than their competitors so it may not all be entirely true, or as important as they make it out to be. The news is a great, fast tool to get information out to the Public, but it can alter the individual beliefs of someone and make it hard to nail down hard facts.
“He didn’t create this situation of fear; he merely exploited it — and rather successfully. Cassius was right. “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” “ He is saying that McCarthy didn’t make us fearful of the Communists, we already had that in ourselves and he merely took advantage of that. This quote can still be true today with terrorists. With 9/11 and the Boston Marathon bombing, people were terrified of another bombing. Many politicians got behind this fear and used it to their advantage during their campaigns. Many people try to make it seem like it the other person’s fault of being so scary, but in truth it is themselves that are afraid so they put the blame on the other person. It is not fair for us to be afraid of another race just because of a few people that do things that are fearful to us.
“if we deny the essence of racial equality then hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for a new allegiance will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status. Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.” This quote can refer to not only the refugees back in the fifties but many men, women, and children that are looking for an escape from their warring countries. The wars in the Middle East have left thousands without homes and need to leave to avoid them. A simple choice would seem to be America. Sadly, many politicians are now anti-immigration and do not want more people-especially Middle Eastern terrorists- to enter America. In addition, although it is not as prominent in our community, many people discriminate against these people out of ignorant fear. These refugees want to go to a place where they can be free in all aspects, but with politicians and the general public against them, they start to wonder if democracy is really utopian it was supposed to be, but instead is filled with stuck up, ‘better’ people who only try to protect their interests by interfering with other countries.
This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. There are still many news shows today about current world events that are relevant to the future of the planet along with a handful of unbiased documentaries that aren’t about aliens, but the majority of television today is ‘reality’ TV shows that melt your brain. Let’s take keeping up with the Kardashians for an example. This family has no great world influence, they don’t have deep philosophies that would shed light on an important subject. They just film their lives for us to see to make us feel better about our selves. Modern kid shows are another example. Cyberchase taught kids how math worked in real life and Blues Clues made kids put two and two together. Television could help us learn but if we put things on there that are just brain dead because they do not want to see the harsh truth of the world or because they want to use the television to escape your world, then the television will not be useful to us. There is still some good media on television (such as those kids TV shows) but there are many things about current events that are incredibly biased. Take for example an ASPCA commercial with all the sad-looking dogs and cats. This commercial is incredibly skewed to make people feel sorry for these animals while playing sad music in the background. Now I’m not saying you shouldn’t not donate to help these animals, but you should be able to look at the situation without any biased views and then donate if you feel inclined to do so. Many documentaries and newscasts about war are telling the war from one side’s perspective and make the other side the ‘bad guys’. This type of education brainwashes people into believing what the program wants us to believe because we don’t want to decide for ourselves whether or not something is true so we let the television do it for us.
“It is necessary to investigate before legislating, but the line between investigation and persecuting is a very fine one…” This quote from Murrow’s See It Now broadcast on March 9th, 1954 can still be applied to today’s society. When I thought of this quote, the first thing that came to mind was terrorism. After 9/11, it has become common to think of every Arab, Muslim, and other eastern European cultures as terrorists. Racial profiling has become an everyday common thing in airports. Any person wearing a head scarf, or even if they look like a European race, will be searched and checked, including their luggage. These “random searches” aren’t really random after all.
“…if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric, or unorthodox…” This quote relates to modern times because it means that people have been denying other people to be who they really are, because in their eyes they are “wrong” or “unorthodox”. This is seen all over the world. Many women in patriarchal societies aren’t given the opportunity to do what they love because of their gender. Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head because she wanted girls in her community to have the opportunity to go to school with the boys. It was unorthodox for girls to go to school and it was wrong in the eyes of the Taliban.
“We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this.” Whenever I watch the news, it’s always about a crime in Detroit and its surrounding suburbs, or about teens relating to drugs, school, and mental disorders. Rarely are there stories on the worst parts of the world, including the recent Egyptian revolution of 2011 or the new anti-gay laws in Russia. The media doesn’t talk about the millions of deaths and arrests caused simply because of a person’s sexuality. The most recent news is the disappearance of flight 370, and the only reason it’s still in the news is because of the mystery. We know why there was a revolution in Egypt, and why Putin installed the anti-gay laws, and the United States has no involvement in those issues. The media tells the stories it wants to tell without upsetting the general population too much.
“We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home” I think this quote is very relevant to today for many reasons. Today, the U.S. is a sort of police, for the rest of the world. We meddle in everything, because we believe we have an obligation, as the most powerful country in the world, to help others who cannot defend themselves. Although we don’t necessarily help others because of pure goodness, this quote does relate to what’s been going on back home as well, especially with the whole NSA scandal. If we don’t have the freedom of privacy at home, how can we be expected to uphold democratic values around the world?
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.” Whenever the American people lose a freedom, or have been limited by their race, religion or creed, this country instantly loses their true loyalty. This has been going on ever since this country was first born. At every step, we have managed to alienate some of our own by passing laws and policies that would limit their rights as citizens. This quote isn’t as relevant today, where no one is limited of freedoms because of who they are, but it has happened almost since the first days of this country.
“We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information” This is incredibly true in today’s world. The government has been protecting us from the horrors of the world, and now that we’ve begun to realize what is going on in the world, we are totally disgusted and appalled. We cannot handle bad news, and the media has also helped with this. By skipping the important stories, and pleasing us with their reporting, instead of giving us real information, the news and media has sheltered us and only given us the most positive spins on awful situations.
“We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty.” I think this quote applies to the whole the government is spying on us thing today. The CIA spying on you through your dishwasher and NSA is spying on us through our google searches; the government does not trust their people and is searching for any excuse to convict someone of terrorism, treason, or espionage and if anyone even hints at something that goes against their agenda they’re suddenly a threat to nation/international security. “Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.” America preaches that we are the home of the free where the decisions are made by the people and for the people, but there are still people in this country being discriminated against for things they have no control over and although the people keep fighting to eliminate these restrictions our own government “Recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us” Today to other nations American is viewed as one of the most ignorant countries when it comes to current events with the rest of the world. Our news stations report on viral videos and what celebrities are wearing and who’s dating who, our media is vapid and dense and we are in turn a product of this and people are led to believe that things are not as bad as they truly are in the world because a minute of coverage of ongoing problems in Syria is followed by five minutes of a dog saying I love you. Also this rush to be the first to release information or be the number one source for updates causes an alarming number of inaccuracies that go unaddressed and uncorrected.
“Accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence”
This quote is true in our lives today; the place it applies to me/high school students the most is how news or gossip travels fast due to technology. Every day we see things people say on twitter, on the Internet, or we even just hear it from our friends, but there is never a good way for us to know if it is true or not. In my opinion social networking is making people more gullible because we assume things we see on the Internet are true!
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
This quote is describing how any limits on our freedom would be a disgrace to our ancestors who fought so hard for our rights. The biggest issue I can think of that relates to this is the legalization of gay marriage. Many peoples have gained their rights throughout history. Women can vote, African Americans gained their right to vote etc. and yet in some states it is illegal for two people of the same sex to get married. America is built upon freedom and equality, and to have some people against allowing gay marriage is absurd. They want to be treated the same as every other American! If not everybody is given freedom, then it is dishonorable to those who fought for our rights in the past.
“For surely we shall pay for using this most powerful instrument of communication to insulate the citizenry from the hard and demanding realities which must be faced if we are to survive.”
In terms of television, this is very true. Nowadays, everyone is so caught up in their technology, and focusing on what is going on in everyone else’s lives, or around the world. Television is depriving people of the reality they need to face in their own lives, by absorbing us in what is going on all around the world. I’m not saying that what happens outside of our homes isn’t important, but people are definitely starting to focus less on themselves, and more on what is happening in other people’s lives. A good example of this would be reality television. In most cases the camera just follows someone around and shows us all the silly problems they’re having that normally we wouldn’t have to, or want to see. Why do we suddenly find other people’s lives so entertaining that we need to watch them every day? I think this quote is a good representation of how we should be able to face our own realities, not the ones of other people.
-See It Now Broadcast, March 9th 1954
” No one familiar with the history of this country can deny that congressional committees are useful. It is necessary to investigate before legislating, but the line between investigating and persecuting is a very fine one and the junior Senator from Wisconsin has stepped over it repeatedly. His primary achievement has been in confusing the public mind, as between the internal and the external threats of Communism. We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine; and remember that we are not descended from fearful men. Not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were for the moment unpopular.
• A congressional committee is a legislative sub organization in the U.S. Congress that handles a specific duty. They study issues of public policy, recommend action and pass laws. There are about 250 congressional committees and subcommittees with different functions and made up of members of Congress. These committees include finance, health, education, environment, armed services and other things that take place in our world today. The committee is very helpful, like stated in the quote, because they do help to defend important causes and possibly pass bills. Every two year session of Congress, bills are proposed by the committee but only some are actually passed. Similar to the congressional committee in the Senate is the congressional committee in the House of Representatives where they handle government reform, transportation, taxation and other things. It’s the committee’s job to think about what’s best for America and act on it.
-Ford Fiftieth Anniversary Show, CBS and NBC, June 1953
“If we confuse dissent with disloyalty — if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox — if we deny the essence of racial equality then hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for a new allegiance will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status. Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
• Today, you can’t deny the right of an individual based off of their race or circumstances. Everyone is taught to be treated equally and that there is equal rights for everyone. In the quote they were talking about how denying the essence of racial quality will make it seem that others are better or more privileged and that is not what people of this country fought for, they fought for independence and freedom. Now you can work any job and go to any place or school without any law prohibiting you to do so base on race, gender, etc.
-Speech at Radio Television News Directors Association, Chicago, October 15, 1958
“We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.
Our history will be what we make it. And if there are any historians about fifty or a hundred years from now, and there should be preserved the kinescopes for one week of all three networks, they will there find recorded in black and white, or color, evidence of decadence, escapism and insulation from the realities of the world in which we live. I invite your attention to the television schedules of all networks between the hours of 8 and 11 p.m., Eastern Time. Here you will find only fleeting and spasmodic reference to the fact that this nation is in mortal danger. There are, it is true, occasional informative programs presented in that intellectual ghetto on Sunday afternoons. But during the daily peak viewing periods, television in the main insulates us from the realities of the world in which we live. If this state of affairs continues, we may alter an advertising slogan to read: LOOK NOW, PAY LATER.
• I do agree that television can be used as a distraction from the real world and the things that are going on around us. Also, that we have an allergy to unpleasant and disturbing information, who wants to watch FOX 2 News and hear about another shooting? Despite that, it is still very important to know things that are not only going on in the U.S. but around the world. I’m sure there are many people who would rather watch their favorite TV show rather than hearing about something terrible happening, but hearing about things that are going on in the world can teach you things and be informative in ways. Also, everything that might be on the news isn’t always bad and could possibly help you in your day to day life. I personally don’t watch the news to much myself, but after reading the speech I realized how important it is for not only me but everyone else to take a break from reality shows and tune into things that are happening in the modern day world.
“And we must at all costs shield the sensitive citizens from anything that is unpleasant.”
This quote makes me think about how the media doesn’t like to talk about the poverty in America. 46 million people live in poverty in the US today. That’s a bit unpleasant. These people don’t have health care, food, shelter etc. How come we never hear about this? When I turn on the TV and read the newspaper all I get is the weather, corrupt Politian’s stealing money, shootings, etc. I mean, I don’t really want to hear more bad stuff every time I turn on the TV, but maybe if people had a better idea of what was going on, we could change thins faster. We shouldn’t censor the bad stuff because censoring it doesn’t make it go away. It only makes it worse. We need the media to recognize that poverty is a real problem in modern America. I don’t care if learning about poverty is unpleasant. It’s a real thing and we’re going to have to do something about ti eventually.
“This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful.”
This is relevant today because television is still a big part of our lives. Unfortunately it’s all crap. We could be using television to let people know what going on with the war on terror or what’s going on in North Korea or the Ukraine. But we use it to watch crap like Toddlers and Tiaras or Two Broke Girls. It’s not like I want to get a moral lesson and learn why I should donate money to X, Y, and Z, country every time I turn on the TV. The problem is that I don’t have the option. Our news channels aren’t great. Mr. Wickersham said a while ago that he watches BBC News to know what’s going on in the world because American news stations don’t cover that stuff and if they do it’s not accurate. TV could be even more useful than what Murrow thought because we have the ability to watch TV anywhere. We can watch it from our phones, tablets, etc. Murrow had high hopes for television but it didn’t work out like he wanted it to.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
This is relevant today because we still don’t have equality. The Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal. By “men” they mean people, no matter what gender, race, sexuality, etc. Women don’t get paid as much as men for the same job. You can be fired in 29 states because of your sexuality. Lots of Americans are discriminating against Mexican as well as other immigrants for “taking their jobs”. The quote above says that every time to deny someone their freedom, the country suffers as a whole. What I kind of got from it was that every time you deny someone their freedom, you are insulting the people who fought to make this country free. Because what’s the point of having all these people die so you can be free if you’re going to deny someone the same basic rights that you enjoy?
“We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine; and remember that we are not descended from fearful men.” We as a nation will not allow fear to rule our lives. We understand that while danger is present, however we do not need to allow this danger to fill us with fear and drive us towards social collapse and anarchy. In the age of Joseph McCarthy when one wrong word could lead to brothers accusing brothers of being communist, fear ruled their lives and ran its course like a river through a canyon, destroying everything in its path. When we allow fear to rule our lives, we are no longer living fully as individuals, but merely as shells of our former, better selves. Edward Murrow and others like him who opposed a country governed by fear were courageous thought I do not think they were not afraid of being framed as a communist. Courage is not the absence of fear; it is simply the knowledge that there are more important things to accomplish than to be afraid. Our ancestors who came from Ellis Island had courage, ancestors that had fought through famines, wars, and great adversity because of their skin color, religion, and political and social beliefs.
“If we confuse dissent with disloyalty — if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox.” People these days are conforming to the most popular ideas simply because they are popular. There is new meaning to the question, “well if everyone jumped off of a cliff would you do it?” The problem is that thinking differently and for yourself is looked down upon in society. That is my opinion; it is your right to disagree with it and think for yourself, yet too many people care too much about what other people think of them and choose to conform to society to fit in. “Why fit in when you were born to stand out”(Dr. Seuss). The government claims that it is okay to think what you want to and do what you want to so long as you don’t violate any one else’s rights by doing so. Yet when an Indian man walks through airport security he is “random security checked” simply because of his ethnicity and beliefs. Simply because of a man’s ethnicity or religious views he is looked down upon as a threat that must be taken care of. This is flawed and outdated thinking, this should be the age where everyone thinks for themselves and no one conforms and they do what they think is right, regardless of what the rest of the world thinks. Ive always thought myself to be a pretty nonconformist guy, I don’t really care how popular I am or how wrong my thinking may be, I just want to do what’s right for me. People aren’t against other people, they are for themselves and I don’t understand why some people care so much about what other people think of them.
“Our history will be what we make it.” This is a great little quote and meaningful to itself in that any small act of kindness, bravery, courage… etc., is enough to change the course of history. We must always strive to make our mark on history and to make it a good one. When we die, we will be remembered for the legacy that we worked hard on each and every day; not the car we had, the clothes we wore, or our popularity status. People make history every day, Hillary Clinton, Steve Jobs, Nelson Mandela, and Barack Obama. These are all people that have made their mark on history and made it a good one. They have all proven the impossible possible and they will be remembered for what they did in history, as they were the ones who wrote their own histories and created that legacy for themselves and by themselves.
“We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law.”
This quotation shows how Murrow has come to see that Senator McCarthy has turned ‘innocent until proven guilty’ into ‘guilty until proven innocent’. It is quite easy to commit slander or libel in hopes of destroying someone’s reputation, and Senator McCarthy got away with his actions because he proclaimed that fighting communism at home (which was virtually nonexistent) was for the greater good. Nowadays, laws are in place and enforced to keep this kind of witch-hunt from occurring again. This also shows that people with ideas differing from politics to dieting can still be fighting on the same side- to better the US.
“If we confuse dissent with disloyalty — if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox — if we deny the essence of racial equality then hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for a new allegiance will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status.”
This quote rings true today. America has this idea that it needs to bring democracy to all and to fight for justice and freedom. This is a great thing in theory but we perhaps need to focus more on ourselves before trying to help others. Why would someone in Asia or Africa believe that we could bring them, say, racial equality, when there is still racial discrimination in the US? It shows that we need to work on ourselves before pointing fingers at the shortcomings of others.
“We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.”
This quote is especially relevant to the news today. In a world where information is abundant, it seems as though our society can still be clueless. When your only source of news is the internet, you are able to pick and choose stories that interest you the most and easily ignore the others. This method of keeping up on world events will lead many to be in the dark about events occurring around them. It is also easy in todays society to receive a slanted view of the news. Most stations have a political affiliation and try to spend airtime showing the drawbacks of the other parties. In a world filled with bias, many people are unable to make their own opinions based off of facts. Murrow’s words are more relevant to present society than I wish they were.
“We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.”
America is an outspoken advocate for democracy and rightly so. The US goes to great lengths to protect the freedom of other people throughout the world. A few examples of the spread are Cuba, The Middle East with the Eisenhower Doctrine, and Vietnam. Many others exist but those are just to name a few. Even today we want to help people keep their freedom; the trouble between Ukraine and Russia has gotten America to say that they will not let Russia take the entire country of the Ukraine, so Ukrainians can keep their freedom. I strongly believe in spreading democracy and helping out people who are being oppressed by their leaders. I also believe that America needs to fix its problems at home before fixing other countries. America should help the Ukraine if they need it, but we also must fix our problems regarding the national debt and unemployment. We need to focus on our own people first before we think about helping others. If a company is making a product, they need to test the product in different situations before it can be sold. The same goes for America testing democracy.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the…confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which out ancestors fought.”
Even though America was created to give people their natural rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, such has not always been the case in American history. The earliest example is regarding the Native Americans. Instead of making peace with them and allowing them to continue with their culture like the Puritans continued theirs, our ancestors decided to deny them their god-given rights of humanity. We could have let them become American citizens while still allowing them to keep their land and way of life, but we decided one race is more superior to the other. They, as a result, lost confidence in the cause for democracy, so they started to rebel against us. This continued on when the African slaves came to America and when their descendants and other blacks wanted freedom. They were denied their freedom however because of what they looked like, so they fought for their freedom and they won it. Women were also denied their independence and they too lost confidence in the American cause. Women began believing they were superior to men, so few actually fought for their natural rights at first. A quote by Gail Collins sums up the fight for women, “The history of American women is about the fight for freedom, but it’s less a war against oppressive men than a struggle to straighten out the perpetually mixed message about women’s role that was accepted by almost everybody of both genders.” Today’s fight for people’s freedom is for LGBT rights. Gays are being denied their freedom to marry whomever they want because it goes against traditional ways. These men and women may also lose faith in the America cause for independence and freedom.
“I am entirely persuaded that the American public is more reasonable, restrained, and more mature than most of our industry’s program planners believe.”
Sometime American news channels or papers only give their bias or point of view because they want the people to agree with them. The news will give us a story, but will tell us what to think. This is why I read the same story from many news outlets to understand everything about it and make my own decisions about what I believe. The news will withhold information because they know it may cause controversy. That scares them. They don’t want people causing controversy, but they do want to publish the story, so instead they use what they believe to write the article hoping that people will be brainwashed. The American people, however, are reasonable and mature creatures that understand there is more than one opinion out there and more than one bias. We understand that in order to get the full story we will have to dig deeper. The news industry tries to hide certain facts and information, but eventually the hidden pieces of evidence always comes to light, so then the people may make their own judgments and beliefs. Information should never be covered up. We, as the people, have a right to know what’s happening domestically and internationally.
“We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine; and remember that we are not descended from fearful men. Not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were for the moment unpopular.” I find this quote indicative of the ongoing moral issue of individuals incarcerated at guantanamo bay who are being held and perhaps tortured without trial. Unlike the McCarthy trials however most Americans don’t fear being incarcerated they instead largely ignore those who are feeling it doesn’t affect them.
“if we deny the essence of racial equality then hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for a new allegiance will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status.” This reminds me of the tendency of many privileged Americans to ignore or even deny their own privilege and in doing so alienate the underprivileged peoples who make up a very large percentage of the worlds population.
“I am entirely persuaded that the American public is more reasonable, restrained and more mature than most of our industry’s program planners believe. Their fear of controversy is not warranted by the evidence. I have reason to know, as do many of you, that when the evidence on a controversial subject is fairly and calmly presented, the public recognizes it for what it is–an effort to illuminate rather than to agitate.” This is an argument that would greatly benefit the modern entertainment industry specificity in video games. A large problem in the video game industry is the trend of most major publishers to never take a risk or deliver any challenging message and rather only produce reproductions of the same brown series of linear paths shooting any living creature that dared not be born white.
“The line between investigating and persecuting is a very fine one”
Although this quote is directly referring to the McCarthy era and the persecution of many, based on unsubstantiated accusations, I would like to take this quote and relate it to the stop and frisk campaign. Stop and frisk is a common tactic used by the police departments of major cities like New York to supposedly lower crime. The basis of stop and frisk are all in the name. It gives the right to police officers to stop anyone on the street they suspect to have committed a crime and those they suspect will, and frisk them for weapons and other drug paraphernalia. This law leads to a lot of racial profiling and we see this through the majority of those stopped being African-American or Latino. Imagine one day walking down the streets minding your own business and all of a sudden, being pulled over by the police and frisked all because you looked “suspicious”. What is “suspicious”? The color of one’s skin? The way they dress? There’s a small number of arrests made from stop and frisk and guns are recovered 0.2% of the time. Relating this back to the quote, this stop in frisk is violating the rights of many law abiding citizens and this legislation has crossed the line between investigating and persecuting.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
This quote is extremely relevant to our time period but I would like to relate it specifically to marriage equality. Currently, same-sex marriage is legal in only 17 states and the District of Columbia. This is truly unacceptable. It is 2014. Never should someone be denied their basic rights simply because of who they love. Because there are still people in this country who do not enjoy all the freedoms they deserve, it makes all that fighting our ancestors did for freedom tainted.
“Television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us”
I would like to relate this quote to the advertising of the 21st century and it’s affect on your average American girl. I would like to focus solely on the fact that television is being used as an agent of delusion. The whole point of an advertisement is to sell; whether it’s a product or a lifestyle. One of the main demographics targeted by advertisements are teenage girls. Advertisers utilize unachievable standards to sell their products more efficiently. They create the delusion that these products will help girls achieve the standards that can only be done by Photoshop. Ultimately this lowers the self esteem of girls trying to mold themselves into what media portrays they should be.
We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine; and remember that we are not descended from fearful men.”This quote makes me think of sexual preference equality. There are homosexuals fighting for the right to be legally married in the US, some states such as New York, California, and Washington. Recently, a same sex couple in Michigan wanted to adopt each other’s children, but they were hindered because in the state of Michigan, you have to be legally married to adopt each other’s children, and also because of the 2004 state ban on same sex marriage. Same sex union has changed dramatically over the past decade, where people are becoming more open minded to same sex marriage. I recently even saw a Cheerios commercial where there was a same sex couple had a family of their own, taking care of their children and being as normal as heterosexual households. I state this because states like Michigan are concerned for the well-being of children who don’t have a mother (female) and a father (male) figure in their family. I believe that anything that happens in a heterosexual household can happen in a homosexual one as well. If anything the children in the homosexual household will have a broader and independent outlook on life and not be so confined to the “normal” acts of life. Many people, especially strongly religious ones do not think this is a healthy way of life and fear that it is a sin. In my opinion it doesn’t matter what others think anyway because you’re not living life if you don’t feel comfortable with the one you’re living or even feel “punished” because of the way you feel to live it.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.” This quote reminds of how the government is tracking every single move we make. We are supposed to be the home of the free, yet we have no privacy, except for when we use the bathroom. It’s like a love/hate situation because of situations like 9/11 to where some of us are in that “red scare” state of mind in my eyes. Then, there the situations where you feel that you can’t go on a social website and make posts that mean no “true” harm. I however, think it’s all done for protection, but then there’s still no promised security that terrorism events like such will happen, just as home grown terrorism where the Fort Hood rampage occurred where a US Marine shot his colleague. If we can’t control what’s going on at home how the hell will we deal with other countries.
“We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late. This quote makes me think of how mighty our country is, but how we treat others different because of their appearance or rank in society. This relates to how some people in suburban communities, such as Birmingham; believe that Detroit is a terrible place. Yet, they still go there for their baseball games, concerts, plays, etc. and some of their parents even do business in the city. When I first came to Grove, I was coming from a DPS school; however I didn’t tell that to many to my amazement some of my peers actually believe that Detroit has no grass or that most people there are criminals. The mass media even reflects this on the news how there’s always a shooting or it’s a terrible place to go, very rarely portray or tell of the people volunteering there and the inspiration that celebrities like Ellen and Pharell, and give back to the community and allow them to showcase their talents.
“Cassius was right. ‘The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.’”-
The context of this quote was that Cassius was telling Brutus that the fault (in the political system of Rome) was not in the stars or fate. The fault was that they, Brutus and Cassius, and the other senators were puppets of the dictator (Caesar). This quote has to deal with or current social issues because it is a forever-relevant quote. It says things happen for a reason, no because fate. Everything from our political choices to our economic system is a cause and effect.
“If we confuse dissent with disloyalty — if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox — if we deny the essence of racial equality then hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for a new allegiance will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status. Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”-
This quote is basically saying that even though there are two sides to everything, politics, gay marriage, racial equality, both sides aren’t wrong but in some cases we deny them their right to express their side and in doing we are taking a way a right of theirs. I agree strongly with Jonah’s opinion that its hard for people to see both sides of a story as right, even if one is obviously wrong in your head, you have to change your position and put yourself in their mind set. When it says that it’s a freedom, I do believe it is referencing to gay marriage. You can’t each side of the argument from speaking because each side has their own views and by saying that one is wrong we are taking their freedoms away. This probably doesn’t make sense because I have no clue what I’m talking about.
“But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late. Our history will be what we make it.”
This quote has to do a lot with our tv shows I think. A lot of tv shows show morals or situations that are dealt with differently than someone would normally. Tv shows issues as being ok and not as bad as they actually are. On the topic of news stations some are more liberal or more conservative and have biased opinions on anything. Sports channels are exactly the same and sometimes we are so brainwashed by what these stations are telling us we don’t even realize that we slowly begin to think exactly like these producers or what not creating the show.
“We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.”
– This quote applies to our everyday life today. In todays world it is easy to fall into the comforts of the 21st century when you are well off. When we hear things that are uncomfortable to us I believe we shut down, nothing on the T.V. or in the news can be too controversial or out of the norm. We love everything being fluffed up and sugar coated, its hard for us to hear of tragedy. Today even more television is all about marketing and persuasion, you are always being sold something or told to watch something. By the time we realize what we are doing it is too late to go back because we fell into what exactly they want us to.
“Our history will be what we make it”
– This quote is still one of the most relevant quotes I have ever heard. Your history is completely in your hands, I know its cheesy but your life is what you make it. Anything you do will change the history of you life, the job you choose, the person you become friends with, getting in with the wrong crowd, everything you do affects you. When people start to realize that I believe everyone will be making decisions for the long run and not just for tomorrow.
“For surely we shall pay for using this most powerful instrument of communication to insulate the citizenry from the hard and demanding realities which must be faced if we are to survive.”
– This last quote brings a lot of truth to today. So much of the commercials on the T.V. today are slander and used to insulate people exactly in the way they were back then. People are always being attacked or judged, and the same rings true we must stop this if we are to survive as a whole nation with peace. No one group or race should be judged in any way, everyone is created equal and should be treated that way.
“We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty.” In today’s society, being different or “breaking the status quo” sets off an alarm. And it’s hypocritical because in America, we are told that it is good to be different, to form your own opinions, and to stand up for what you believe in. Often though, most people forget that or ignore it. So many people think that if you believe in something different, then you are against or isolated from everyone else. America is supposed to be this huge melting pot and we pride ourselves in that. Different people from different cultures, religions, and regions may have separate and sometimes opposite views and instead of oppressing people for those views, we should accept that they are valid opinions and go from there.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us..” Additionally, this country was created on the basis of freedom. If we don’t allow basic freedoms to our citizens such as freedom of speech, then we are hurting ourselves. We are straying away from what this country was built on and what this country stands for and what we, the people, are supposed to be standing for.
“..television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us..” If it’s on TV, then it must be accurate, right? That’s what most Americans seem to think today. But media is meant to influence those who consume it. And media is created by someone. So instead of blaming TV for distracting us, deluding us, amusing us, etc, we should look to ourselves and realize that we are the ones hurting us. If something is going to change, then it starts with us. Murrow said these things 50 years ago and I think it says something about our society that these quotes still apply today. I think we should stop putting the blame on anyone one thing or person and start working to change ourselves.
“We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.” -Speech at Radio-Television News Directors Association, Chicago, October 15, 1958.
This quote relates to the world we live in today a lot. Americans are thought to be lazy, fat, and rich snobs. We are so use to our abundance of things and toys that if they were taken away from is I don’t really know how the majority would react. This quote also shows how we try to hid the REAL things that happen in the world form the younger generation. Now the last part of the quote is talking about how we can sit there and complain about how things are run and how we need to make a change but unless we get off of our butts and do something, nothing is going to change.
“The actions of the junior Senator from Wisconsin have caused alarm and dismay amongst our allies abroad, and given considerable comfort to our enemies. And whose fault is that? Not really his. He didn’t create this situation of fear; he merely exploited it — and rather successfully. Cassius was right.” – See it Now broadcast, March 9 1954
This quote can be related by one major point. When it comes to everyone freaking out about the newest uproar not until a big public figure gets involved does anyone really shout out there opinion on the point.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
We put so much into being a individual that there really is no such thing as a individual any more. Every one some how gets shoved into some kind of stereotypical group. But you can long to more then one group, or you can belong to one group, that is your choice. We are a ‘free’ country, yet we still have rules. That can be taken two ways. I don’t even know how i take that statement.
The quote “our history will be what we make it” I think is extremely important to keep in mind today. Although we cannot control everything that will happen in the future, we can try our best to guide what can happen. Nowadays sometimes people get way too wrapped up in the now and what and how things are going to affect them immediately when for more important decisions should be thought about more carefully with their effects on the long run. Its also important to keep in mind that like the things we do are what people are going to remember our time for. Like one day people will be studying all of the accomplishments (or lack of) in their history classes. And lets be realistic here we would all rather be remembered as a great time in the past rather than bad. Duh.
Another important quote is “ We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.” I believe that this is really important because a lot of times its easy to get carried away with problems elsewhere and like want to be the hero of every situation and ignore all of the troubles and stuff at home. If America wants to remain a powerful country, they need to focus on making themselves indestructible first. If our country is falling a part there is no way we would ever be able to provide the help a country would need. We also should serve as a role model for others. Lead by example. The stronger our country is, the easier it will be to help out other countries in need. This also is something that doesn’t just apply to freedom it can go for anything too.
The last quote I would like to write about is “But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.” I think that this is really relatable today since we live in a society that is so focused on media and probably would have a hard time functioning without it. What I think the quote and the speaker is trying to say is that if we have the ability to use such a great and powerful tool to influence the public than we should make sure we are using it in the right way because if we use the TV in a bad way than its basically just a big waste.
“We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law.”
This statement has always been important and evident in our lives. There are many instances in which people are falsely accused of things which is why evidence and due process of law is important. There was no time where this statement wasn’t evident. If you look back at the Salem witch trials you see that people were falsely accused here, and because of the lack of evidence and process of law, people were punished incorrectly. Then you can look at the McCarthyism era where people were still being accused, whether it was true or not who was a communist, people were still being accused, and because of the amount of violence and criminal actions there are today evidence and due process of law is even more important.
“Responsibility is not something that can be assigned or delegated.”
This statement is relevant to today still because you can’t force someone into being responsible or to do something that requires determination because if they don’t want to do it, or don’t want to be responsible, they won’t. Responsibility, I think, comes with experience, and the more experience a person has in the actions they’ve taken can make them more responsible because they have more knowledge on what to do in certain situations and know the consequences if they aren’t responsible.
“Our history will be what we make it.”
This statement will always be significant, and has always been. Everything you do in your everyday life makes history, whether you choose to do something great with your life and have everyone remember you for decades, or whether you choose to live a calm life and make your own history for your friends and family to remember. Everything you do including how you do in school, the friends you make, and how you act towards people can determine your future and make history.
“We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law.”
Under the due process of law in court today, everyone is innocent until proven guilty. No matter what someone heard or how strong a suspicion is of someone committing a crime, the suspect is innocent until proven guilty. Sometimes suspects are accused wrongly merely due to racial appearance. For example, a muslim in a turban doing through security at an airport may be taken aside for “random” security check, due to previous events of years prior. In my opinion, this is unfair to the person, but also necessary to insure the safety of others. This quote can be fitted to the famous George Zimmerman Trial, where he shot and killed Trayvon Martin, claiming it was in self defense and necessary action, and since there was not enough proof that the actions were in offense, he was let go free, and the world saw this as injustice. After reviewing the trial, I am on the side of Martin, but honestly not enough evidence to convict Zimmerman.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us”
When I see this quote, I think of the ban on marriage equality in the majority of states in the U.S. Gay marriage is not legal due to the writings in a book, which if you think about it as simplistic as that, its truly inconceivable. How does the marriage of two people affect the lives of the government officials who try so hard to stop these actions? If gay marriage was legal, nothing would change. In fact, there would not have to be people who hide their sexuality just because of restrictions set by the government, therefor limiting the freedom of the individual only because of the discontent of few.
“This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful.”
Television in my opinion is a mere waste of time, yet I still watch it almost every day. In my case, I watch mainly sports center to catch up on the latest sports news. In the case of others who watch mindless television like Honey Boo Boo and Real Housewives of NJ, that is just sad to me. The television could be a great power, used to educate and learn only about world news and important things going on around you. Although, it is a nice thing to have when bored or tired and needing of one thing to put your mind on other than daily world problems. Im not saying the television should be government controlled like it is in North Korea, but merely get rid of the senseless shows, and bring on more shows that make you think rather than look.
Our society is brimming with rumors, gossip, and backstabbing. That’s not the whole of it of course, but it is a part. This is a clean show of accusation without proof. It might be as simplistic as a child’s argument. There is possibly a six year old somewhere right now yelling at her poor little five year old sister for stealing some hair clip, when really her mom has just put it somewhere safe. As we get older it can get a bit uglier, a friend might accuse you of lying when you’re telling the truth, a group of old ladies might have known you were married, see a missing ring, and assume you’ve had an affair, and when it gets really bad, it can get taken out of our hands and into those of the court systems. Here it may become a legal and political battle, and the “conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law.”
Again coming from a social view, “If we confuse dissent with disloyalty”, warns us against holding those with infrequent or unpopular opinions in bad esteem. People can live well with each other harmoniously without losing individuality, as long as they find a way to work with or around the differences. Often people succeed at this, whether in large groups or as families, or some other unit, but often not. It’s a fair warning to watch out for and one we ignore all the time. Try looking at two typical students. They are very bright, well meaning, and hardworking; however one is good with academics while the other is good with people and emotions. They may quickly right each other off as idiots. Not because they are mean, simply because of ignorance or arrogance that their way is better than the others way. Looking how this affects individuals in a society, it can lead to self esteem issues, high school clique stress, textbook “smart” and “dumb”, and other unpleasantries. If you enlarge this idea to a bigger group, it shows up in race prejudice, conflicting religion, political groups, and other places.
Most people of the time were aware of communism, and even if they did not understand it perfectly, they understood its existence and potential threat to some degree. Now it’s so bad in some places that saying, “We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information” may be an understatement. Not only is bad news avoided, by some, it is not even heard of. If I go back to the example of gossip, it shows people know and care so little about the reality around them that they have to stir up their own mischief and entertainment.
“We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason”
I think this quote applies to racial profiling and stereotyping in America today. I know that throughout recent years terrible events like 9/11 have happened and tainted (perhaps rightfully so) the way some Americans viewed arab minorities and questioned their loyalties to the US. The same thing happened during World War II drastically when after the Japanese attacted the Japanese Americans were forced into concentration camps. America was meant to be a melting pot of different kinds of people, and thats what it should stand by. Sometimes, when tragic events happen and a specific group was responsible, fear and stereotyping kicks in and people are driven into an age of unreason per say.
“We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.”
This quote rings true about American life today. Many Americans have grown to be lazy, couch potatoes who watch Dance Moms all day.The appeal of crappy reality tv shows and other programs is at an all time high, and the laziness of Americans and the success of these TV shows if definitely connected.
. This weapon of television could be useful.
TV can, and is, used for many good purposes. News programs, though sometimes bias, offer a good look into current events that people will actually watch. There are educational TV shows out there and also theres nothing wrong with some straight entertaintment, but its important to remember not to get sucked into all the garbage tv shows and keep your feet on the ground.
See it Now broadcast, March 9 1954 – “We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty”.
This quote from the speech is highly important and significant to our lives today. This is saying that dissent and disloyalty are clearly two very different things in which we can’t confuse. Dissent means to have different opinions from the rest of the people and disloyalty is not being loyal to someone or something. With that being said, nowadays we really can’t confuse these two words because they are completely different in their meanings. An example of this is if there is someone who dislikes Obama, they aren’t just going to start hating the United States of America all of a sudden. You can’t be dissent and disloyal. This is how some people were dissenting McCarthy, but that doesn’t mean they were disloyal to America and that they were communists.
Ford Fiftieth Anniversary Show, CBS and NBC, June 1953 – “Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
This really can be tied in with what is going on in today’s world and how life is like. For example, like gay marriage is limited in a lot of areas around the country and is forbidden by the state and by a large number of people. In my opinion, this could limit the freedom of all these people and it really drops their confidence and their freedoms. Lots of freedoms are denied in America and it shouldn’t be like that at all considering of what the ancestors of our nation had fought for and made all these liberties and freedoms possible. This quote has a lot of meaning today; maybe even more than it did 60 years ago. It truly describes people who are fighting for gay marriage and other controversial topics that deny the freedom of individuals all around the country.
Speech at Radio-Television News Directors Association, Chicago, October 15, 1958 – “We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this.”
This quote probably can relate to almost anyone in today’s world. A lot of people are stuck inside their homes sitting on their behinds watching TV instead of getting out and doing something product enough that is at least better than getting fat. At this time in history they knew they had to shape how they lived during the time because it was a very important decade. A lot of people were getting way too comfortable and didn’t go back to how life used to be like with the hard working class. Today, I also believe that this is how it is… to an extent. People today think they are too wealthy and they can just relax and stay complacent. This is a problem in my opinion.
The world is constantly changing; it’s not a new concept. However, there is a saying that is very true and applies to this topic, which is “those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it”. While the mid 1900’s was completely different than the modern world, a lot of the lessons and ideas explored in that time period are still VERY applicable today.
“We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law.”
• Through the development of their nation, Americans have prided themselves on the freedom of speech, and their ability to think freely. This trend has only grown as time goes on. The only problem with this, is that companies have been able to buy their way into different media types, to get news to the public. They can then use their political views to sway the audience’s perspective; often giving only one side of the story. There are two examples that come to mind when thinking about this: the first would be the Trayvon Martin case, where the media (in some situations) instantly portrayed George Zimmerman as an unjust murderer. The second case being this missing Malaysian flight, where some believe it was a suicide by one of or both of the pilots. We have to remember not to jump to conclusions, and that “all suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.”
“If we confuse dissent with disloyalty… then hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for a new allegiance will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status.”
• There are numerous cases of unjust scenarios playing out in the rest of the world, as you are reading this. America sees it as its duty to “protect” these countries, from these crimes and sometimes themselves. This isn’t a bad idea, until America goes and takes over a country and tries to rebuild it, without the input of the people native to the country. If America is so founded upon free speech, then who does it apply to? The authenticity of those words is only solidified, when we live by have to be played out in all of our endeavors; both foreign and domestic.
“…I would just like to see it reflect occasionally the hard, unyielding realities of the world in which we live.”
• In this case, America did listen to the past; here it might have been taken too far. Watching the news today is completely different from what it used to be, and what this quote was intended to mean. We have become so desensitized to arrests, gangs, war, and death, that it was once reported on the news that Detroit had been murder free for 24+ hours. At a certain point exposing realities becomes a lack of respect for tragic events; and that is what we are coming too close to. The news’ duty is to report on the current state of life, not death. The media’s freedom of speech has just as much validity as the average person’s; but one controls the other’s.
“Good Night and Good Luck”
1. “We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine; and remember that we are not descended from fearful men.”
This quote exemplifies the modern day fear of terror and specifically those of middle eastern descent. Following 9/11, peoples alerts were on high and they, without much research, chose to direct their paranoia towards those of arab and muslim descent. With this fear many thoughtless accusations were made on innocent muslim americans. Profiling of ethnic groups only leads to resentment on both sides. NYPD officials in New York have even been reported as singling out muslim americans, stopping and frisking them, and claiming these actions as legitimate counter-terrorism acts. This is extremely similar to the red scare of the 1950s with Joe Mccarthy but there is no Mccarthy-esque antagonist during this Middle Eastern Scare.
2. “Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
Contemporarily, we have political equality but with that we, as a country, have left many people at the lower rungs of society. I could think to go as far to say we live in a time of unspoken social darwinism where some of those who are extremely wealthy believe that they were blessed with such a privilege. The american dream now a days is based on greed and getting as rich as possible while assisting no fellow countrymen. As wrong as that sounds to me, morally, growing up in a society and location where the homeless and impoverished are not that uncommon of a sight, i think i have become desensitized to the problem. I do think that equality is not just political and that everyone should have the ability to achieve the american dream if they put forth a good work ethic and dedication. But some people who have the misfortune to start at the bottom really don’t have much of a chance to make it to the top. This kills those peoples faith in this country, the land of the free, but not everyone is completely free to succeed.
3. “But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.”
As an avid television viewer, i believe that this has changed from the time this speech was given. Nowadays people are exposed to the realities on television but the effect backfired. People are desensitized by the continuous commercials for starving children, abused pets, or other tragic realities of the world. Darfur genocide commercials or Sarah McLachlan dog abuse advertisements are all common place on any given television channel today. As you see more you start to change the channel or fast forward or even turn the TV off entirely. Given that the shows make you feel guilty about not doing anything about the atrocities occurring in our home country but few people actually take action. Now Television, in a tandem, is being used to delude and entertain us but also to inform us. The information being put forward is simply not effective so provided what the quote says, we aren’t insulated by TV anymore we insulate ourselves from being truly affected by ads about what really occurs in the USA.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.” I believe this quote reflects how political and moral issues of today are being argued because of disagreement. People immigrate here for the freedoms that they weren’t allowed with from other countries and to create a better life for themselves. Sometimes we can be hypocritical by saying that America is a free nation. One of Americas best laws is the allowing the freedom of speaking out, race, and sex. Although these laws are here, some people are still sexist, racist, and don’t want to accept America as a whole. if we restrict any of these freedoms, then we are upseting the people that support them. Other big issues today include abortion, gay marriage, global warming, etc. If we tend to ignore these problems and strike them down before they become legal, then we are restriciting the rights of the people who fight for them (possibly migrating to America because of it. In my opinion, if you want to do something, you should do it. when we restrict things like this, we lose the trust of the people that we originally wanted to migrate to America and we are being hypocrites for not allowing the freedom we fight for.
The word Communism would stir up strong emotions during the McCarthy era. In the 1950s, Senator McCarthy blamed the innocent of Communism. The simple act of disagreeing with McCarthy’s beliefs would put an individual at stake of trouble with McCarthy. In response to this outrageousness, Edward Murrow reported, “We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty”. In other words, if one does not agree with McCarthy’s ways, they should not be viewed as a communist or one who is disloyal to the country. Murrow’s idea can be applied towards today’s issue of terrorism in airports. There is a policy today that allows a security guard to randomly search an individual and their belongings. However, many of these searches are not random. Certain races and nationalities have a higher chance of being checked, such as individuals from the Middle East. Because Al Qaeda is based around this region, our country fears terrorism from this general group of people. However, “We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty”. Although a Middle Easterner may celebrate a different culture from ours, it does not mean that every Middle Easterner is plotting against America.
McCarthy’s unwillingness to accept others with differentiating beliefs from his own leaves him appearing as very un-american. According to Murrow, “Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the…confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of…which our ancestors fought”. While Murrow criticized McCarthy of denying citizens of freedom and independence, people today still treat others in this manner. People are discriminated against for a variety of reasons, such as race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, religion, and sexual orientation. Racially, the fact that the KKK is still in existence proves that there are sick individuals in America who still do not believe in equality. When it comes to gender, males and females are not treated equally. Many employers continue to pay men more than women for completing the same job. Everyone today criticizes McCarthy for his actions, but we need to take a look at how the common citizen treats other American citizens that live by contrasting viewpoints and morals.
Murrow believed in the teaching power of the television. He encouraged his listeners to use the television for educational purposes and to avoid producing mindless television. “This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful.” Murrow warned us about today’s television. TVland is over brimmed with shows that fry our brains- such as the famous Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. Americans need to be using televisions more for learning purposes to improve our intellect instead of forming them into useless “wires and lights in a box”. While there are occasional shows that broadcast for the better, humans have generally ignored Murrow’s wise words to use the TV to fight against “ignorance, intolerance, and indifference”.
“We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law.”
In our time and age we are so quickly to take every last bit of information we receive and run wild with it. This creates rumors and wild scandals that could be insanely misconstrued and based off of a misunderstanding. We have become very quick to “point the finger” at whoever is blamed first. In order to continue to be a successful and progressing country, we need to remain patient and follow our due process of law, which has been set up to give a truly fair trial. If we rely too much on the court of public opinion, we will eventually cease prospering.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
As we are progressing as a country, it is clear that society is becoming more and more tolerant of all different types of people. This is an extremely progressive idea that makes me proud to be a part of the country. However, as the quote implies, every time someone takes a step backwards, more toward the intolerant days, we are stopping the whole world from progressing. Every racist, sexist, or hate-based insult thrown over petty reasons is halting all the progress because if we can’t stop hating each other the world will not be successful.
“But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late. Our history will be what we make it.”
Although this is a quote from decades ago, this exemplifies the current state that the USA is in. We are becoming obsessed with the small, cushioned country we live in, not wanting to believe that we will ever have to deal with the unpleasant things surrounding us. However, those of us who are in this bubble of pleasure and television are a very small part of the world, and the rest of the world is left out and forced to deal with the misery alone. Although things are not perfect in the United states, it is almost our responsibility to reach out to countries and groups of people who have it worse.
“We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law.”
This is currently a remaining issue even in our time period because many people in our generation seem to follow a pursuit that isn’t based on facts. People may be accused of a crime with no further evidence then the man who accused him said it was him. We also see after events such as 9/11 and the Boston Marathon Bombing that the race card is played in many situations. This quote probably will always stand for generations to come because the law isn’t always clean and free of prejudice people and members.
“We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this.”
Our news currently will show what is going on in our world but the media censors what I would consider to be relevant and important to the people who watch the shows. Our generation is seems to hide behind our wall of freedom and ignore the problems that others who don’t have freedom go through. Once we see fear the general public especially the youth is sheltered for their “own good” while we should spend time understanding the issues and involving ourselves in them. Our public broadcast censors that which has become a timeless tradition of the news.
“We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine; and remember that we are not descended from fearful men.”
I use this quote instead of stating its truthfulness but how during the Cold War many people lived in fear and made rash decisions based on their fear. Though we didn’t descend from fearful men we seem to have developed a arrogance and fear of those who attack us in our ignorance. Our school has security systems which I think are highly unreasonable. Yes I know it’s easy for a unstable teen to walk in a school and do mass damage to the community but I’d rather embrace this fear and accept its troubles then hide behind security doors that wouldn’t do much in a real fearful situation.
“Good night, and good luck.”
This phrase was spoken by Edward Murrow. This line holds true today even 50 years since it was spoken. As of today, all major news hosts have a specific phrase they use at the end of their broadcasts. The phrase used by Brian Williams is “we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening, goodnight.” As of today it is still customary to wish those watching you on live television a goodnight, because isf you don’t you could be seen as rude. Since the core of the television audience is not very likely to change channels for their news, this expression seems to hold very little practical purpose besides being a nicety. Many very strongly hold their political views and tend to feel that other channels are very biased.
“For surely we shall pay for using this most powerful instrument of communication to insulate the citizenry from the hard and demanding realities which must be faced if we are to survive.”
Today what he said is still often true. The prime viewing times are often near the 8-10:00pm hours, which are now often used purely for television dramas or comedies. For example, Marvel’s Agents of Shield is on at 10:00pm on the east coast and Revolution is on at 8:00pm eastern standard time. Most news programs of the current day are dedicated to either end of the popular viewing time, news at 7:00 and 11:00. This timing of the news just misses the prime viewing hours when lots of people in the super crowded city are stuck in rush hour traffic. Meaning, many of us are not watching at the time that the information of the goings on in the world are being told. This could not just lead to foreign troubles but people just trusting their party and not knowing what the actual candidates are saying.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
The times when the confidence is lowest in the government also tends to be the worse times for America. This could be either a cause or an effect – I’m am not here to determine. Both can cause equal harm to the country. When confidence is low with the government we often feel that we have no say amongst the people representing us in Washington. This can discourage us from saying what ideas we have for the government. If these ideas are not said, the true foundation of democracy is lost since no one knows what is wanted in the American community. Thus, these ideas cannot be passed into law or have had the non-desired laws changed.
“if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine; and remember that we are not descended from fearful men. Not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were for the moment unpopular.” I like this quote because it seems to capture the essence of our newfound fear over terrorism. After the attacks on 9/11 then president had the choice of rallying the American people behind him and the country or he could tell us to be scared and that’s exactly what he did. I find this quote shows “Every nation in every region now has a decision to make. Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists.” That not only are we scared of the terrorist but we are also willing to make other involved. It maybe a stretch comparing these things but I we are in a state of fear and we should remember that we live in a country founded by people who willing to stand up for what was right and not show fear or back down.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.” I find this quote interesting because it remains significantly true today. Especially in TV we have so many thing that we are not allowed to show on TV because they are deemed inappropriate or offensive, but I don’t thing that we asks ourselves the other question of why are these thing deemed inappropriate or offensive, because doesn’t that go against what we stood for as a country in our ability to say what we want without persecution. This quote does make me ask the question of “why do we censor and what do we not know is censored?”
“This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful.” This captures the essence of what TV could be. I expresses that TV could be a thing that rallies people but it could be used as a expensive light for our home. I think this relates to our society today in that we don’t use TV for the potential of share information or helping people but that we use it as a fancy light.
“We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law.”
This is a very important quote because it obviously still applies, it is very clear that even if someone is seen as going to trial or being accused, there is a witch hunt and it ruins people’s lives, if you look at people who call out celebrities saying they are the father of your baby or saying you saw them do drugs, there is immediately a stigma placed on them that they are a bad person. Anybody can accuse someone of something random, and then even if it is false, it is placed in your mind and connects to your thoughts of that person.
“This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful.”
This is deep, this guy was a pot, it basically shows how T.V. is based on what you watch and how if you watch dumb shows, you won’t be able to formulate your own opinions, and if you watch biased news channels like say I don’t know…fox news then you won’t be able to get two sides of the story and basically be stuck in your own views. It also comes back to a quote I saw recently; “It’s okay to change your opinion because of new evidence” Which people obviously don’t think about. That is a clear connection to the whole, you can change your opinion during the agree/disagree games in this class, it is very important for people to understand that knowledge is power.
“If we confuse dissent with disloyalty — if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox — if we deny the essence of racial equality then hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for a new allegiance will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status. Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.””
I think this is an import quote to bring up because I never thought about it but it is totally correct. Being wrong is not something to frown upon, do you realize how many times Edison was wrong?… Like a lot of times, people forget that it is okay to be wrong once in a while and that sucks, I wish people would be more accepting in society but whatever, its whatever. I think the part about the confidence of man rings specifically relatable to modern society; it shows how people are afraid to stand for something if you stand alone. But I guess if you stand for nothing, you fall for everything, so I guess you just get more gullible.
-JayMochafrapabetterthaneverybodyelse
“We will not walk in fear, of one another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason…”
This quote makes me think of the Russian propaganda of fear against Ukraine and the West that is going on right now. The Russian government controls the media, and through television and newspapers, they portray Ukraine as a terrible, violent, fascist place. Also, they make the West seem as though they’re plotting against them, and that Russia’s strength is superior to the rest of the world. Putin is confusing the public mind, as McCarthy did to the people of the US with all his threats of Communism. The Red Scare and threats of Communism created fear in the United States during the 1950s. Now, in Russia, there is large of amounts of patriotic hysteria.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in his country costs us the… confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought”
There are still racist and prejudice people in America, even though we have freedom of speech, religion, etc. Recently in Kansas, there has been a shooting at a Jewish community center, which killed three people. It could have been a hate crime, since the shooter was the leader of the Carolina Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and the White Patriot Party. Another reason this violence could have been hate crime is because he didn’t seem to have known any of the victims, and it was the day being the Jewish holiday, Passover. Cross, the shooter, posted many negative things online, showing that he is an anti-Semite. Certain races and religions should not be targeted by other races that think they are superior to them. During the Red Scare, people couldn’t openly believe in what they truly believed in, in fear of being accused of being a Communist or being put in jail.
“For surely we shall pay for using this most powerful instrument of communication to insulate the citizenry from the hard and demanding realities which must be faced if we are to survive.”
This quote is still true today because many people don’t see the harsh realities of the world by watching TV. We are hidden from these things because the producers and writers know that people don’t want to see the ugly truth, they would rather see lies that sound good to them. Some people even live through the television. They like what they see on “reality” TV and in scripted shows better than how they are living their own lives. This speech says that television can teach, illuminate, and inspire, but only if the people have the desire to learn and become inspired. People today, and even in the past, would rather see things they like on TV than things they don’t like in real life.
“We will not walk in fear, one of another”. This line from the “See it Now” broadcast is relevant in America today, but in the opposite manner. It seems that every week there is some crazy story on the news talking about how someone hurt another person. These crazy stories build up fear in the Americans, and create certain stereotypes creating more fear of a certain group. After 9/11, people started assuming that all Muslims were terrorists, which created fear in many Americans. This is doing the exact opposite of what this statement from the “See it Now” broadcast was saying. People live in constant fear of attacks or school shootings, and that fear of something bad happening causes the American people to fear one another.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought”. This statement is relevant to America today as it reminds me of gay rights. America as a whole has had a history of banning people from their rights starting way back with slavery. Rights to people were denied to women when they weren’t allowed the right to vote, and today, gay marriage isn’t legal in the majority of states. How is that fair in any way? It’s not, but people claim that it is “unconstitutional”. Times were different back then, the country was new and being gay wasn’t a common thing. The ban of gay marriage has caused so many strikes and rallies and arguments in not only the country, but the whole world as well. People fight for they believe in, but it just so happens that there are traditional, old-school people who believe that everything they believe in is right and want to deny others their freedom to be love who they love.
“I have reason to know, as do many of you, that when the evidence on a controversial subject is fairly and calmly presented, the public recognizes it for what it is–an effort to illuminate rather than to agitate”. When I read this part of the speech, all I could think about was the Malaysian Airline flight that went missing last month. I think the statement is completely relevant to America today. In regards to the Malaysian Airline, when the airline was pronounced missing, countries near Malaysia and really any country in the search area joined together to search for the plane. We Americans have also aided in the search for the plane. No one learned about this and panicked, but calmly joined together in hopes of finding the answer to the question of what happened to that flight. The public recognized the situation for what it was, and people all over the world have done everything in their power to try and help locate the missing plane.
When i read these passages I see some very powerful and meaningful words that carry great connotation. “We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty.” I think this quote has something to do with the government spying on our nations every move. I think its outrageous that the CIA or the FBI can read every text, scroll through every email sent, and see everything we post, but at the same time I see why they feel its necessary as it probably saves us from a lot of crime. If the government abuses this power it could end up going south really fast while people would be confronted of there private lives without reason. “Recognize that television in the main is used to distract, delude, amuse, and insulate us.” These days our televisions are used mainly for entertainment with no gain rather than learning about whats happening in the world, or for other educational purposes. Our television has been degrading away from educational value as time went on, and now I believe its at an all time low. When there are shows out there with the mental stimulation as little as “Honey Boo-Boo” or worse yet, “Keeping up with the Kardashians” there might be a problem. “Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us… confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.” This quote is mostly based upon the people in this “free” nation who are discriminated against daily. I know a day doesn’t go by without someone using hurtful or derogatory language toward a peer even if said in a light, fun tone. Although when a person thinks of America they think home of the free in some cases this just isn’t true. There will always be some ignorant people in this world but if we keep preaching whats right hopefully this will eventually change to the point where this quote will be completely true.
“We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.” This statements seems to still ring true for our society today. The average American spends hours each day staring at different forms of electronic devices considered necessary. What’s on these devices are mainly cheap entertainment, which is fun but essentially useless. The content on many programs and apps could be used for educating people about the world rather than tell us the life story of Honey Boo Boo.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us.” After 9/11 the security tightened around places like airport security. One of these areas was the recording and listening of phone calls and messages. Many citizens protested when they learned that their phone calls were being recorded in the name of preventing terrorism. When regulations became stricter, many people felt that it limited them.
“The line between investigating and persecuting is a very fine one.” Murrow was talking here about McCarthy using his position to investigate people vigorously. Police today are allowed by law to use a variety of means to investigate a suspect such as lying and using phycological techniques to get a confession, even if the person is innocent. The procedure for interrogating suspects is similar in both the Red Scare era and now.
The passages meant for raising awareness about Communism can also be applied to our culture today, just in a different way.
“And whose fault is that? Not really his. He didn’t create this situation of fear; he merely exploited it — and rather successfully. Cassius was right. ‘The fault dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.'”
With that quote, it was referring to Cassius telling Brutus how Rome’s political system was in that state not because chance or fate but because of their own weaknesses. And I think that that is really important because it is very relevant with things today because nothing really happens just by chance or fate, everything is just a cause and effect system. Fate isn’t what drives men to their decisions and actions, but rather the human condition.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the…confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
Everyone in America is equal yet, to this day people still aren’t always treated equally. Throughout the time of America, many people have worked hard to gain their rights. This quote says how limiting the freedom of any individual costs us the confidence of the men and women who want that freedom and independence that our ancestors have fought so hard for. A major thing that I think of when I read this quote is the ban on gay marriage in America. Although some states are starting to allow it, I think that it makes no sense to have it banned in the first place. America should be a place where you can come and have your independence and have your freedom but for some people, they’re not allowed to just because they chose a different lifestyle then other people and I think that isn’t right. By banning people’s rights to get married, it strips them of their freedom and I think our ancestors who fought so hard for this freedom would be pretty disappointed if they were able to witness this.
“We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at is, may see a totally different picture too late.”
What I think this quote means is that, people are so sheltered with their homes and their tvs and the lives that they live. And television is something like a distraction from things that are really going on in the world. A lot of people today will see something on tv and think that it must be true but what they don’t realize is that a lot of things on tv are over exaggerated and not everything’s true. But people are so wrapped up in the news and all these things they hear every day that they don’t really stop and look and notice what is really going on in the world.
“We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.”
This quote reminds me of the Department of Homeland Security. Although we know it is their duty to protect our country, sometimes they go overboard in trying to defend us, like the scandal in which the DHS was found to be tracing and recording cell and home phones of innocent Americans. In our effort to protect ourselves, we took some of our own freedom. Our freedom of speech was sacrificed in order for our safety to be insured, but none of us know if the people who were being traced were really worth tracing, or of any danger of our country. It could be me, it could be anyone who reads this. I am of no danger to the United States of America. But if they’re really tracing my calls, they violate my freedom of speech, which is part of what’s so great about this nation. The fact that they take this away from us is rather disgusting to me.
“If we confuse dissent with disloyalty — if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox — if we deny the essence of racial equality then hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for a new allegiance will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status.”
This quote is applicable to the situation the United States has with Edward Snowden. Snowden felt he was being a patriotic American by leaking the documents, because in a democracy he felt that the people should know what their government is doing. We were denying him the right to be wrong when we threatened to imprison him when he returned to our country. Many people believed he should’ve protected the security of the US by keeping those documents confidential. Snowden thought that he was making a better society by allowing citizens to more closely scrutinize the actions of our government. He made himself very unpopular among some people, but other people agreed with his ideals. And since we denied him the right to be unpopular or be wrong, he’s currently living in Russia. But he also exposed our government as one that was secretly surveilling millions of innocent citizens.
“This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends.”
I thought this quote was perfect in terms of describing social media. Internet sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Kik, or even MySpace are great places to connect with your friends and see what they’re doing. But it’s also been used for purposes much more important than that. During the Arab Spring a few years ago, rebel Egyptians used Twitter to spread the word about demonstrations against dictator Hosni Mubarak. Without social media, this rebellion likely would’ve been put out due to the lack of support. But the rebellion was successful, because many people checked Twitter and saw where demonstrations were, and it ultimately led to the overthrow of Mubarak. Twitter has also been used to abuse people, spread rumors about people, and even stalk people. By stalk, I don’t mean friendly stalk, going through every picture they’ve ever taken. I mean look at their tweets, use the location. Fine where they live, who they’re with, etc. I love going on Twitter and checking out what’s happening in my friends’ lives, and telling them what’s going on in my own. But when social media is used for a negative impact such as bullying, there is a definite line being crossed.
“We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law.” I think this is very relevant in our society today. In 2014, we tend to hear an accusation and think that is it! This is the truth and I am sticking with it and you haven’t even heard the whole story, or have any evidence! To do that you are either going off of what someone said or you are too lazy to do any research to actually form your own opinion. For example the Casey Anthony trial, I know people who immediately said she killed her daughter. I asked them why and they said because they heard someone else say it. To defend that statement they needed to watch the trial, know the evidence and then make an opinion. Another good example is when Michael Jackson was accused of molesting children. People said “ Oh yeah he did he seems a little off”, that isn’t a justified reason for thinking someone molested small children. Jackson was acquitted of these crimes because of evidence! There wasn’t sufficient evidence that could proof that he was molesting kids, Jackson got his trial so Murrow saying accusations aren’t proof is something that needs to be hammered in the minds of my generation.
“We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this.” I cannot agree with this statement that Murrow made more. On television today its mostly reality TV that shows sex, partying, drugs, and fighting. Teachers, and parents are wondering, “Why is my kid doing drugs, why is my kid fighting” and the answer is because of television. My generation was exposed to these things at a very young because of television or growing up too fast. We watch shows like Jersey Shore because we like things like that so show producers are going to feed off of that. To me Americans are very opinionated about the wrong things and are very hypocritical about the things we say and do. Americans like watching things that don’t matter and TV producers play what we want to see. I’m not saying television should be all educational but that we should air TV shows that our less “unpleasant” and that we may not realize it now but the things that we watch will affect us.
“If we confuse dissent with disloyalty — if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox if we deny the essence of racial equality then hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for a new allegiance will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status. Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought. “Murrow was really ahead of his time. Out of the three quotes I selected I think this is the most relevant one. Murrow is saying if we confuse having an opinion with disloyalty, and that we are basically telling everyone it’s not okay to be different and have separate beliefs, which this country was based on. People came to America to be different without and persecution. Today I feel like this mostly relates to gay rights, which is a big issue in our country. Some believe that being gay is disloyal to god and disobeying him and that it should be stopped immediately. I personally believe you should be able to marry anyone you want without being persecuted but not everyone believes that. I’m trying to say that Murrow knew what he was talking about, in America today people confuse different opinions with loyalty and it’s not the case. Our ancestors fought for us to be different, and eccentric.
“We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.”
The United States has been, in contemporary history at least, a nation that views itself as the righteous defenders of freedom throughout the world. Although, that idea seems to have grown tired recently, with the US participating in world events that don’t necessarily involve in directly (Ukraine), or using excuses to defend profits (Oil in the Middle East). Through these ventures, we have made enemies, most notably terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda, yet they are not always behind these terrorist acts, or other acts of violence seen at home. Several bombings have been devastating, yet their frequency and “threat to the United States” has been greatly exaggerated. In many places security has been ramped up, making many people feel uncomfortable, physically and psychologically. These security measures are most notable in airports, where extensive security and background checks are processed. These checks often discriminate against minorities, especially people of Middle Eastern descent, as they are automatically, and unfairly, associated with terrorism. Not only are these people discriminated against in airports, but government exaggeration of the Middle-Eastern threat has made US citizens predisposed against them. They aren’t the only ones affected, with many people going through airport checks feeling violated or even molested, all for security checks against millions of people, for only several terrorist attacks, and still failing to stop most that do occur. The NSA is also an example of how US citizen’s rights are being ignored for “national security.” Hundreds of millions of people are monitored by the NSA, the US government giving them full permission for all of our public and private information. The worst part of it is that, little to no criminals seem to be caught, or at least caught and disclosed to the public, yet the monitoring is massively extensive. The NSA “whistleblower” Edward Snowden was treated as a traitor for informing the American public about something we all have the right to know, and a US congressman protested being monitored profusely, yet he was no more special than any other citizen, and he had no problem with the public under the government’s thumb. Through fear, we have been subjugated.
“But I would just like to see it reflect occasionally the hard, unyielding realities of the world in which we live. I would like to see it done inside the existing framework, and I would like to see the doing of it redound to the credit of those who finance and program it.”
The subjugation of American citizens through organizations such as the NSA is all too rarely spoken out or fought against, and when it once was, by Edward Snowden, he was exiled from America as a traitor. This is such as massive problem, as this level on monitoring seems to be on the road to “Big Brother” levels, and no one seems to be able to challenge it either. The most concerning part is that, although we have many massive corporations with massive influence over the country and its citizens, they want to maintain every ounce of their profits, and are unwilling to step outside of the proverbial “box”. Without these highly influential companies and TV networks stepping out of the profitable business of insulating Americans, and would not likely, unless one were extremely dedicated and had the funding, make us aware of the real problems in the world, or at least not make us any more aware than numbers, something we cannot understand. Feelings are not ratings, unless they’re good feelings. Knowing what we do wrong doesn’t sell.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
These freedoms, challenged more and more with unconstitutional legislation, with more and more appendixes allowing these unconstitutional laws, Americans have slowly lost confidence, respect, and a feeling of safety in the government. When one thinks of politicians and other authority figures, they no longer think “Innocent until proven guilty,” it’s “Guilty by accusation until proven innocent.” The biases that exist in the world, such as those against minorities, and with constant secretive monitoring by the NSA, it’s hard for one to think of the American Government as their supporter and provider and not the Judge Dredd that many have always feared.
Robert R Murrow was a great speaker. His many speeches not just on television but on radio where inspiration to many and thought provokers for all. “We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.” Murrow meant that how can we stand up to the USSR if we are continuing to biker amongst are selves. And this currently hold true today. For instance look at the continuing infighting we have going on in are politics. Republicans and democrats alike block legislation from the other side just because its is from the other side. Tea party dummies shoot down laws that help people and make sense because it isn’t from their side. How can we say to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somolia “model your government off ours, because it is so successful.”
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.” This quote rings true today truer than all. How can we tell people who attempt to come to this country for a better life, who risk everything to be here, to go back and suck it up. Those people come here hoping to take advantage of the American dream and becoming some one, but are forced back to a place that they have worked hard to leave. How can we tell people that they can’t enjoy the same rights other people can just because the person they love is the same gender. We need to reassess to see if our policy are hurting or helping people.
“I am entirely persuaded that the American public is more reasonable, restrained and more mature than most of our industry’s program planners believe.“ The American people are more intelligent than the media gives them credit. The media tells us who and what we should do not the facts of what happened and how it went down. For instance look at the Benghazi scandal. That was a legitimate crisis and the American Public wanted to know the facts and what happened. But the liberal media downplayed the actual events, and Fox News screamed for heads to Roll. The American Public disserve the facts and the strait truth to decide for themselves
“We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home. ”
This particular line struck a chord in me (if that’s an expression). I am a huge fan of massively multiplayer online games, and recently read an article on engadget.com, a site containing gaming news. It stated that information was leaked that the NSA was creating accounts in online games, particularly X-Box live and World of Warcraft, to search for supposed terrorists. I couldn’t believe it. I then searched that and found a plethora if articles on that same topic, from sources such as the New York Times. Apparently, Microsoft and Blizzard, the corporations that produce these games, were completely unaware of the government spyware, and this has been going on since 2008! In the hunt for terrorism abroad, the government infiltrates and searches in every nook and cranny at home. Through whatever means possible, information is sook far and wide and by any means in order to find a “terrorist”, even in places as insignificant as video games. What evidence can be gathered from gaming? Some comment posted in chat, where no one is serious anyway? I understand fear of terrorism to an extent, but for the government to become so paranoid that they spy on people through their video games is absurd. Imagine, if they search your online gaming actions, where else they could be looking. And if the gaming corporations are unaware, with their vast security precautions, how unaware we as a population are. There are cautionary measures, but then there is outright disrespect of privacy.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
Though not very widely recognized, racism still exists today. The image of “the ghetto” and the African American are synonymous in today’s vocabulary, and that image harms the many middle class people of color. They need to prove themselves worthy of respect and recognition of their financial status, where among the white population, that is not the case. Conversationally, racism is still existent and the idea of white superiority is not as far in the past as we think. Recently, Trayvon Martin was shot and killed in a gas station in a middle class neighborhood. He was African American, wore a hoodie, and recently purchased a pack of skittles, then was murdered because he looked “out of place.” Racism is far from finished, and that is a depressing thought, considering all that has been done by civil rights advocates back in the twentieth century. Though steps forward towards integration have been made, this quote still rings true, even today.
“Because if they are right, and this instrument is good for nothing but to entertain, amuse and insulate, then the tube is flickering now and we will soon see that the whole struggle is lost.”
This quote is very applicable to today’s world. Our media is filled with superfluous brouhaha such as Jersey Shore and the ridiculous Honey Boo Boo show. Through this, our society is distracted from the issues of the world. We become so caught up in “keeping up with the Kardashians” that we overlook social issues like the environment, or Guantanamo Bay. Unaware of the injustices in society and uneducated of our country’s struggles, many consequences occur because nothing is done soon enough. The sooner the population is educated, the sooner the country can act. And the sooner the country can act, the more beneficial the change, even if it means revealing some ugly truth.
“We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.”
As a country in whole, we pride ourselves in the fact that we bring freedom and democracy to the world, however, sometimes we are so caught up in this that we fail to see the problems within our own nation. You can’t read any news without seeing something about our foreign affairs. One of the cases where you can see this problem is our involvement in the Middle East. Our government justifies it as a war on terror and bringing the people of these counties the blessings of good leadership. But there are people in our own country that are feeling injustices despite the democratic government. Groups like Muslims and African-Americans feel racially discriminated in law enforcement, such as checks at airports, when they are told they looked suspicious. Other people, like LGBTQs, feel the discrimination of not only social apprehensiveness, but of the law. Same-sex marriage has become a more prominent point of discussion that many believe should be allowed. These citizens are struggling on their own nation’s soil while their government is focusing on the rights of others’.
“The responsibility can be easily placed, in spite of all the mouthings about giving the public what it wants.”
This is said in the context of TV and advertising in the fact that it deludes, insulates, and distracts. This can be related to the same situations today. Television continues to skew the truth and try and convince us of things. Today, we try and blame these unreasonable images on the networks, companies or just society in general. The problem with this is that we are who make up these. Each individual is a part of society and these same individuals run these networks and companies according to the demand of the people. When we try and blame common problems on society, we are blaming ourselves. It is us who want to see the unrealistically modeled looks, not “society”. We have to take responsibility because in the case of this quote, we are the public. The TV just gives us what we want, what we respond positively to, yet we blame it on this idea that we made up. If we truly wanted to change the effects that TVs and advertisements have, specifically on teens, we need to change ourselves and what we respond to first.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom”
This part of the section reminded me of the divisions in the two major political parties today. The disagreements between democrats and republicans in the political world cause citizens to lose faith in the government that they can actually get things done. This can be shown in the recent government shutdown late last year. Additionally, the right to privacy topic and the NSA or other government agencies having access to personal things such as emails, phone calls, or texts have created deep distrust between people and the government. Many citizens believe that the government should not have access to these things as they are seen as private and irrelevant to the government. Those who feel the need for and right to this freedom become angry with the thought of losing it.
“We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine; and remember that we are not descended from fearful men. Not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were for the moment unpopular.”
This speaks to nearly every stance on controversial topics today. In this case, the quote refers to communism or being liberal in general, but it is not limited to only this example. This quote, I think, shows one of the most important freedoms to preserve in America – you can believe whatever you want and defend it, without fear of persecution. Even if some ideas are less admirable than others, even considered offensive and ignorant, we cannot persecute anyone for their beliefs, so long as they do not affect others.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
This quote is referring to the idea that any infraction of civil liberties is capable of spreading and infringing on others. If we can justify the unfair persecution of one group purely based on belief, then there is no reason we cannot do it to anyone and everyone. Even today, certain groups and beliefs are unfairly treated, and this should be considered a threat to all. The beauty of America is not the freedom from unpopular ideas, but to unpopular ideas.
“We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this.”
Now as to whether this quote refers to us hearing about any wrong-doings committed in America or around the world in general, I do not know. But, I do know that regardless, this quote is still true today. Although we may hear horrible stories in the news, these are usually anomalies and can be shrugged off. Little that actually requires action on the part of the public is shown on television. Everything seems to be polished with a layer of “political correctness” to prevent any major conflict. News stations have, more than ever, catered to their audiences, refusing to report on things that they feel their target demographic would not like. This is stifling discussion and debate by giving people a safe haven where they can surround themselves with facts that coincide with their personal opinions.
“No one familiar with the history of this country can deny that congressional committees are useful. It is necessary to investigate before legislating, but the line between investigating and persecuting is a very fine one and the junior Senator from Wisconsin has stepped over it repeatedly. His primary achievement has been in confusing the public mind, as between the internal and the external threats of Communism. We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine; and remember that we are not descended from fearful men. Not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were for the moment unpopular.”
This is the first half of one of Murrow’s quotes and it should ring very true to everyone in America. He connects the past, present, and future all in one statement. He says that statements have to be supported and backed up because accusing someone of something horrible can destroy their lives. We see that the media needs only a nudge and they will go crazy with different stories that could be completely unfounded. Sure, we are within our rights to make claims, but we can’t persecute someone for something when we don’t know if they’ve done the thing. That’s why there are court systems, we don’t just claim people are murderers and cart them off to jail, we hold countless trials and agree with the conviction without a reasonable doubt. Murrow wants people to understand that people can’t be punished for baseless claims as McCarthy was doing. He was feeding off of people’s fears and manipulating it for his own gain, he used it to gain power to the point where people were scared to oppose him for fear of persecution themselves. A lot of people are scared to stand up to bullies, who are forced into complacency even though they themselves don’t agree. Our world was founded on free speech, but that is still stifled. If you don’t agree with the social norm, if you dare to have a mind of your own, you are attacked. The principles that Murrow is preaching are still lessons that would be valuable to our modern society. There are still problems with people in high power that negatively influence people and we need this reminder from him. That just because your opinion is not the same, does not make that person less than you. Your version of right is not always the same as another persons version of right. We should not scare people into submission or ostracize people for their beliefs. Politicians often try to sway people, but we should do what we want with our own conviction without infringing upon someone else’s. That is what Murrow is all about.
“This is no time for men who oppose Senator McCarthy’s methods to keep silent, or for those who approve. We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result. There is no way for a citizen of a republic to abdicate his responsibilities. As a nation we have come into our full inheritance at a tender age. We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home. The actions of the junior Senator from Wisconsin have caused alarm and dismay amongst our allies abroad, and given considerable comfort to our enemies. And whose fault is that? Not really his. He didn’t create this situation of fear; he merely exploited it — and rather successfully. Cassius was right. “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” Good night, and good luck.”
This only serves to reaffirm what he previously said. It is going even further into depth about McCarthy and his outrageous actions. How he is breaking apart America from the inside and comforting our enemies. This is still prevalent now. Politicians work so hard at breaking down their opponent that they don’t see that it is to the detriment of the country as a whole. What Murrow is saying can be applicable to many time periods, especially now. The only thing is that it’s more subtle nowadays, more insincere. But just because the methods have changed doesn’t mean the injustice isn’t still happening, just in a different way. So, there are a lot of things you can learn from Murrow and a lot of ways you can apply his wise sentiments.
“We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.” This quote can relate to today’s society in a lot of ways. Our country is seen as a power house, a safe haven, a place that peace is guaranteed, and we have great protection. There is rarely anything that we don’t get involved in, for the simple reason that with our reputation as “powerhouse” we feel like we need to step in and make sure peace and protection are present. We pull through for the underdogs with less resources and who need help. I feel like we help just because we’re the U.S.A. and we feel obligated too, not because the kindness in our hearts. The NSA scandal is also a prime example of how this quote relates to our society. We complain constantly that we don’t have any privacy- the government spying on our texts, phone calls, google searches, and their probably spying on us with little hidden cameras in like our fridges or something. The quote lines up perfectly with this because if we cant even be trusted by our own government at home, we don’t have those privacy freedoms, how are we expected to go out and fight for other peoples freedom?
I think the most relatable quote to our society is, “We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information.” This is so so so true. Dating back to World War II, our government has been keeping the true secrets and stories from the public because they think we can’t handle it. Once we actually find out, we are disgusted and appalled and we become angry at the world for what is happening, instead of our first reaction being the need to help. Our mass of social media makes it easy to hide the truth, and hard to handle the truth once it is revealed. On the news you always hear about these great and wonderful things, and in between two touching stories the news reporters are all like “oh by the way 3 people were murdered but its okay because someone rescued a puppy!” Everything is sugar coated, and the real hard truth is impossible for us to handle.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.” It seems like every little issue that Americans have- whether it be with race, religion, or a law passed that limits or takes away a freedom, we freak out and loose our loyalty. Our nativism isn’t what it should be- loving our country for everything it is even if we disagree with something our government does. Our people want everything to go their way, but what they don’t realize is that there are so many people in just one country, that it is literally impossible to cater to everybody’s needs. This quote isn’t as prevalent in todays society, because we can do basically about anything, but it was extremely relevant back then, with the new country and laws being created and limits on everything from where you could move to how much tax you had to pay for your nice hot cup of tea.
“We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.”
In the U.S., for some reason, we feel it necessary to go and aid everyone who has ever asked for our help. Time and time again we have answered the world’s call for help. We go and supply weapons, food, clothes, training, and, on quite a few occasions, a dictator. He may be fascist, but if he hates commies, we like him. We care about the world so much, we are willing to go 17 trillion in debt to achieve a pseudo-satisfaction that we are bringing peace to the world. The second part of the statement which talks about the home front, makes an excellent point. We have a high unemployment rate and we have the IRS jumping down our throats, and we are arguing over whether gay marriage should be legal and whether pot should be legal. Where’s the freedom?
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
I don’t know about you but I’m still mighty sore about the NSA force collecting phone records and wire tapping our phones. It you have genuine suspicions about the legitimacy of someone in the country that includes any concern of national security, then by all means, monitor the hell out them until you figure out whether or not they’re our constituents or not, but if its Joe Johnson of Dearborn Heights who works in the mill in Detroit, then I think you have nothing to worry about.
“But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.”
We got everything from Honey Boo Boo to Real House Wives to ridiculousness in the news. Honey Boo Boo as well as Real House Wives is disgusting, and casts a dark and looming shadow of poor influence upon our adults and youth alike. Most recently with the Melanesian Airlines flight, I haven’t heard the end of that story. As one comedian put it, “CNN keeps bringing in the same expert, at this point, they’re show up in stained t-shirts with messy hair. They’re all unshaven. All there saying is “That lead that has mostly proved to be incorrect as of one week ago is still being looked at, that’s basically it, we haven’t had new information for about two weeks.”” It’s absolutely ridiculous how much Americans love crap television. Bad things are happening all over the world and we keep hearing last weeks info about some random pings that could possibly, maybe, we don’t really know be from this aircraft that is at the bottom of one of the deepest portions of the ocean on this entire planet.