Mediaspeak

I was required to read this book in 9th grade and it was the best thing that's ever been forced on me. I've read it a dozen times since. "Mediaspeak," in a nutshell, is about how television, and the news in particular, is full of crap. This book explains, in no uncertain terms, how television manipulates and coerces you to think and act the way that "they" want you to. Who are "they"? You know... the MAN! It's about how the "news," while technically qualifying as news in the strictly literal sense, is NOT really the news. It's about how the so-called "news" is really just sensationalism; violent, abusive information meant to destroy your sense of security and freedom. The "news" is just a form of entertainment, and that is the basic tenet of this book. But it's not just a 200-page critique of televised news, it's also a scathing but thoughtful insight into just how ALL television should NEVER be taken at face value. Perhaps I cannot possibly convey how much this book has shaped my life, but I guarantee that after reading it, you will NEVER see television the same way again. I was fortunate enough to have read it early in life, but there's still hope for the rest of you. Buy this book. Read it to your children. Give it to everyone you know for Christmas, for birthdays, anniversaries, Easter, just for the hell of it. But just buy it and read it. Then pass it on...