how high school teams are now so antagonistic and passionately
committed to winning at all costs that they had to abandon the
standard handshake before or after the game. These kids can’t even
do civil things like greeting one another because they’re ready to kill
one another.
It’s spectator sports that engender those attitudes, particularly
when they’re designed to organize a community to be hysterically
committed to their gladiators. That’s very dangerous, and it has lots
of deleterious effects.
I was reading something about the glories of the information
superhighway not too long ago. I can’t quote it exactly, but it was
talking about how wonderful and empowering these new interactive
technologies are going to be. Two basic examples were given.
For women, interactive technologies are going to offer highly
improved methods of home shopping. So you’ll be able to watch the
tube and some model will appear with a product and you’re supposed
to think, God, I’ve got to have that. So you press a button and they
deliver it to your door within a couple of hours. That’s how
interactive technology is supposed to liberate women.
For men, the example involved the Super Bowl. Every
redblooded American male is glued to it. Today, all they can do is
watch it and cheer and drink beer, but the new interactive
technology will let them actually participate in it. While the
quarterback is in the huddle calling the next play, the people
watching will be able to decide what the play should be.
If they think he should pass, or run, or punt, or whatever, they’ll
be able to punch that into their computer and their vote will be
recorded. It won’t have any effect on what the quarterback does, of
course, but after the play the television channel will be able to put
up the numbers—63% said he should have passed, 24% said he
should have run, etc.
That’s interactive technology for men. Now you’re really
participating in the world. Forget about all this business of deciding
what ought to happen with healthcare—now you’re doing something
really important.
This scenario for interactive technology reflects an
understanding of the stupefying effect spectator sports have in
making people passive, atomized, obedient nonparticipants—
nonquestioning, easily controlled and easily disciplined.
ann
(Ann)
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