Alan Moore: The man who invented the future
The great Alan Moore muses on media and the warping of human consciousness in this Salon interview (you'll be required to watch a short ad to read it, alas):
'One of the reasons we singled out media in "V for Vendetta" was because it is one of the most useful tools of tyranny. We invite it into our own home every night; I'm sure that some of us think of it as a friend. That might be a horrifying notion but I'm sure there are people who think of television as perhaps one of their most intimate friends. And if the TV tells them that things in the world are a certain way, even if the evidence of their senses asserts it is not true, they'll probably believe the television set in the end. It's an alarming thought but we brought it upon ourselves. I mean, I think that television is one of the most diabolical -- in the very best sense of the word -- inventions of the past century. It has probably done more to degrade the mind and intelligence of its audience, even if they happen to be drug addicts or alcoholics; I would think that watching television has done more to limit their horizons in the long run. And it has also distorted our culture.' (Salon interview via BoingBoing)
UPDATE: LVX23 has archived this interview as a PDF, so you don't have to pay Salon or watch the ad to read the whole thing. Good job, LVX23! You know, I really do wonder how many of those subscriptions they sell. Can't be that good of a business model... but then again, maybe there's enough chumps out there to make it worthwhile. Who knows.