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Jerry Mander

Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television Paperback – March 1, 1978

by Jerry Mander (Author)

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A total departure from previous writing about television, this book is the first ever to advocate that the medium is not reformable. Its problems are inherent in the technology itself and are so dangerous -- to personal health and sanity, to the environment, and to democratic processes -- that TV ought to be eliminated forever.

Weaving personal experiences through meticulous research, the author ranges widely over aspects of television that have rarely been examined and never before joined together, allowing an entirely new, frightening image to emerge. The idea that all technologies are "neutral," benign instruments that can be used well or badly, is thrown open to profound doubt. Speaking of TV reform is, in the words of the author, "as absurd as speaking of the reform of a technology such as guns."

Print length

384 pages
Language

English
Publication date

March 1, 1978
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.85 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10

0688082742
ISBN-13

978-0688082741
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jerry Mander holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Economics, spent 15 years in the advertising business, including five as president and partner of Freeman, Mander & Gossage, San Francisco, one of the most celebrated agencies in the country. After quitting commercial advertising, he achieved national fame for his public service campaigns, leading the Wall Street Journal to call him "the Ralph Nader of adevertising." In 1972 he founded the country's first non-profit ad agency, taking leave of that in 1974. Mander is co-author of The Great International Paper Airplane Book.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow Paperbacks; Reprint edition (March 1, 1978)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0688082742
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0688082741
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.85 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #209,678 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #164 in TV History & Criticism
- #915 in Communication & Media Studies
- #1,229 in Christian Bible Study Guides (Books)

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224 ratings

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Aaron_Zanzibari

A Troubling Conundrum

Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2017

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An excellent book which both informs and troubles any objective reader of this well-written book. The arguments put forth are convincing and cogent, yet as I read throughout the book, a nagging thought stayed in focus, and that is what to say about these visible and real effects on TV, while apprehensive about tossing the TV into the recycle bin.
Getting rid of a technology in which we've been so immersed for decades, is like breaking a heroin addiction or some other attachment; the chemistry of the brain requires satisfaction of the habit, or else one can go crazy without a support group and a sense of attachment to a Higher Entity.
I'll always feel a need to get a huge chuckle out of watching SNL or Monty Python; will feel the excitement of venturing into outer space while contemplating the new challenges of dealing with beings in other parts of the universe, as presented in the "Star Trek" pantheon of episodes, and the human/otherworldly sentient beings conundrums which may and will arise due to different religio/cultural/evolutionary paths taken.
But I strive to get out and enjoy the forests, taking walks and paying attention to the life forms and landscape, driving by the ocean and smell the sea air, observe insects, watch documentaries on science, history, culture, social events, and participate in the thrill of traveling to new places to meet and interact with people in far away lands. Being a Baha'i allows me the opportunity to both appreciate technology and how to keep that subservient to the Creator---The Great Spirit as expressed in other cultures---and therefore feel at least some semblance of balance.

20 people found this helpful

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Kenneth Ellman

Kenneth Ellman Reviews Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television

Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2019

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Kenneth Ellman Reviews Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television by Jerry Mander
An Endless Debate with Terrible Consequences.

From Kenneth Ellman, ke@kennethellman.com, Box 18, Newton, New Jersey 07860.
I have owned this book for many years and recently reading it again am reminded of the pervasive and dramatic effect of the technology of projected images using electronics. This of course is relatively recent technology and the effects upon human beings of such continuous use is not fully appreciated. This Mander book was and remains an excellent introduction to exploring the various commentary and ideas as to how television has impacted our civilization.
You do not have to agree with his conclusions to appreciate that the questions raised are significant and worthy of continuing study and investigation.

I like many believe that the use of Television to convey information is both deficient and injurious to those exposed to it. Whether for entertainment or academic pursuits Television does not interact with the human eye and brain as does the printed word or personal interaction with your fellow human beings. Yet Television serves for some as a significant substitute for reading and personal communication. Printed photographic images however displayed may explain, in part, this difference. For reasons not yet fully examined the human brain does not appear to process or retain the information conveyed by television in the same manner such is conveyed by the written word on paper or stone or such other solid material or in person with another individual. It is this neurological distinction more that the content of the message, the information, that I think is responsible for the different response of the Brain and Eye.

But my experience and beliefs are not sufficient to explore this question as the use and application of Television varies from transmitting images of space exploration to the teaching of academic classes over electronic medium such as the Internet, to that of mundane entertainment broadcasts in the hope that money can be made from advertisers during the watching by you and me.

If television is capable of definition it must be as the invention of electronics being used in a manner similar to images created by solid material such as paper or stone or wood, etc., or painting or engraving on varied materials or such other method that does not require energy to maintain after creation. Yet this definition also fails as what is projected electronically as images is also permanently retained in the form of video, CD or other storage devices. It is true that electronic storage is useless without energy to open it and other storage methods such as paper or stone, etc. require no energy just accessibility and eyesight or tactile sensation for Braille.

But the fundamental question is the effect upon the human brain of this technology and the social choices made to use it to convey information in a manner so different from the printed work. An observation can be made that reading letters and symbols into words and ideas as a language and communication assimilated by the user is participatory, under the control of the reader and retained differently by the brain from the projection of images through electronic means such as television. Television is not normally participatory or controlled by the user in the same manner. Reading is normally visual except for the blind where it become tactile. Electronic television is auditory and visual with images moving in a manner our brain is not likely to ever encounter in reality and impacts memory very differently. It is memory and retention that is most extraordinarily affected by electronic television and the reason why remembrance of information from viewing television is very different when compared and tested to that of reading the printed language.

When we read we take the representations of the letters and words and create in our mind thoughts which allow us to access the information of language. When we observe electronic television images the information is not normally conveyed by the printed word. Yet television can also simply convey the letters and words of language without sound or movement other than that controlled by the user. So is there a difference to the brain and eye in reading a book on a computer or electronic screen? Electronic Television in fictional representations of fast moving images is normally designed to be sensed as if actually occurring. The Eye and Brain see the images and hear the associated sounds as if information happening in reality yet at the same time the mind knows or should know, you are not there.

There are many questions that our experience with images and sounds conveyed by television should be examined and determined for the well being of our civilization. Ask yourself if this particular invention, television, and the way it is used, has not significantly effected our behavior and intellectual activity? Ask yourself if before you die would you regret the time your mind spent watching television rather than other pursuits? So many hours, lifetimes, for what?

So in this review I state that Jerry Mander in his Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television raises issues that should be addressed as to the effect of this technology upon us and what we can do to learn more how it interacts with our Neurology. It is an older book but remains very relevant to our contemporary experience. You should also read Endangered Minds by Jane M. Healy and the very many medical, scientific and psychological studies on television and human Neurology and intellectual functioning, including testing scores. When we read we take the representations of the letters and words and create in our mind thoughts which allow us to access the information of language. When we observe electronic television images it is significantly different from acquiring information from reading or in person communication with our fellow man. I am interested in this subject and solicit any communications regarding the Neurological and Psychological effect of television and electronic imaging.
Kenneth Ellman, ke@kennethellman.com, Box 18, Newton, New Jersey 07860

7 people found this helpful

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neatnate

A Few, Good Subjective Points are Made While Giving the Semblance of Objectivity

Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2020

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The author makes some cogent points that are well-formed, insightful and powerful. To say that mob-like control via mass media leads to human isolation and Orwellian autocracy seems spot on to me. To this end, it is surprising how relevant the book seems as digital technology has increased television’s negative effects many times over (think COVID hysteria and lockdowns), but it is not surprising how the author’s soap boxes are those which have been used for decades to promote the same kind of societal manipulation that the author accuses capitalistic/opportunistic television of doing. The author claims that democracy is lost when everyone can’t weigh in on societal and technological outcomes. Yet he also claims that regulation and elimination by a monolithic force machine (government) is a viable solution for restoring an egalitarian and ecological way of life. I do not believe that one can claim a living thing to be organic, autonomous, and free while also saying that it needs to be homogeneously controlled for its own good. No technology or manmade environment would be prevalent if people didn’t democratically choose to invest in it, so purchasing power is way more inherently democratic than repentant elites trying to right their wrongs on the rest of society. Also, placing the cause of society’s ills squarely on greedy corporations fails to include the biggest player in economic manipulation: centralized banking.

It would seem that the author’s main point of contention with late-20th-century life is that it is not natural enough and that we have become too artificial in all areas of life. Having purposefully moved from the city to a rural area myself (for many of the reasons laid out in this book), I do think that the author’s perspective is a bit skewed by constantly being immersed in elite, urban society. Even in developed countries, a good portion of people are more “connected” to the Earth and they don’t have the luxury of sitting around the television. With the rise of cable and then the Internet, the influential power of the television has quickly become a lot less monolithic as well.

All-in-all, I find this book to be the godless, anti-Western, pseudo-mystical, and Marxist commentary that has, ironically, been propagated by mass media and authoritarians since before the surge of television. I agree with the author’s premises of finding meaning in life by simple and natural means, and I agree that much has been lost in our quickly-changing world. I just don’t agree on why I should be motivated to make moves to be more naturalistic.

5 people found this helpful

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Chickpea

************

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 18, 2019

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The best book that I have read for a long time. Even though I have not watched the telly for over 10 years now this book has certainly convinced me that I have made the right decision. Have noticed over the years that I tend to shop a lot less and no longer owe a fortune on my cards - apparently TV hypnotises use into shopping and shopping and shopping some more.

5 people found this helpful

J. Anderson

Amazing read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 18, 2018

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This book could have been written this year it is so relevant I found it staggering the amount of money companies were ploughing into ads in the past (it must be off the charts now) with companies using every brainwashing trick in the book to get us to buy stuff that we mostly don’t even need. Mander has really opened my eyes to the passive and damaging tool that the TV is and has seriously made me consider at least giving it and the internet up for a few months to halt the constant media avalanche that my mind is constantly being bombarded with.

2 people found this helpful

HURB

Illuminating reading, fascinating read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 11, 2016

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Wow this was written in the 70s when black and white TVs were becoming more and more common, and the authors eyes were wide open. I dont think you could easily get this kind of perspective these days because we are so saturated by images on screens. Mind blowing, a great read. I no longer watch or own a TV. Sadly I don't think there is any going back and I dont think that's a good thing. Read the book to find out why.

5 people found this helpful

Joss Wynne Evans

A work of occult significance

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 23, 2016

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This is an astonishing book with so much hidden by the title that one wonders whether the author became a Sufi somewhere along the way. Its relevance, breadth of vision and originality of thought make this one of the best books I have read on the sickness of modern materialism which is gathering toxicity with every passing day.

3 people found this helpful

Nick Weech

you need to read this book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 25, 2018

Verified Purchase

It's a well thought out argument and written very clearly

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