Chapter 38

In this chapter, Martin Grotjahn expresses his ideas about television and art. He makes a good point that television could be used for something influential like education or learning programs. However, it is mostly consumed by reality shows and pointless, meaningless television series that fill our brains with mush. He relates a television show to a manifest function ("witnessed by the viewer") and the show's content as a latent function ("symbolic meaning of the performance which is beamed at our conscious perception and unconscious understanding"). He also relates television to a dream, because a dream has a manifest content, but a latent meaning. There is a specific reason why a dream is occurring. This could be your underlying thoughts, or it could just be relating to a memory or something that was previously in your thoughts. Grotjahn states that television avoids solving conflicts. It has drifted away from the idea of art. In art, one must interpret a message, whereas in television, the show is meant for entertainment that is easily understandable.

Grotjahn also believes that the main purpose for a t.v. is for the display of commercials. Instead of spreading the arts and important information, it is "sold out to the hucksters". The manifest content (which is similar in television and dreams) is what the viewers see and hear. The latent content is the hidden symbolic meaning that is perceived. Three main differences between art and television are that art works through unconscious conflicts, has tensions about psychic phenomena, and participates in facing the repressed, while television distracts from conflicts, pays attention to commercials, and presents a show that is used for amusement. Television is not always negative. There are some beneficial informational shows on a couple channels. The television is also helpful when viewing political speeches, or while watching crucial news stories. However, most people do not spend their time watching the informational, educational shows. At the end of the chapter, it said that on average, young people spend three hours a day watching television. These are most likely pointless shows. If reality t.v. would add morality and useful information into their shows, television could become beneficial.