> I say if you can't say it simply, something is probably fishy.

 

I strongly disagree.  *Nothing* is said simply.  If you examine the

assumptions behind something that seems simple you'll find a complex

and tangled nest of them.  It's very easy for somebody who's been

a part of a certain society/culture to understand certain phrases

and ideas within a culture that would be obscure or even meaningless

outside of it.  If somebody from China asks you what MTV is, and

you tell them "it's just a television station that plays music" you

are certainly not describing it adequately.  Is MTV the same as a CBC

broadcast of a Verdi opera?  Can you ignore the cultural assumptions

behind MTV, such as the nature of pop music and television viewing

habits in our society?

 

Let's face it:  television is more than a "box that shows images."  It

is inextricably linked with our cultural mores and attitudes.  A

"simple" discussion of it is just making use of unstated assumptions.

 

cjs

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