Root Vegetables Barbara Ehrenreich Analysis

Decent Essays
Barbara Ehrenreich states that the minds of people who watch television become rotten, or as she says in the passage “root vegetables”. In most cases this is very true. If its not from TV shows then it is from music videos.
For example, there is a young hip-hop artist who has hair that is unique in its own way. Many teenage boys are often influenced by this artist and decide to copy his hair, which automatically creates a very unprofessional appearance.
I should know first hand about couch potatoes due to experience. In 2009 my uncle was probably the fittest person i knew personally, but after months of not going to the gym he became lazy which led him to the TV. All he ever wanted to do was sit down, watch his shows, and eat junk food.
In

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Audience Johnson consistently addresses the same audience throughout his entire article. Referring to television shows such as “Hill Street Blues”, “The West Wing”, or “Dallas” are commonly not heard of by the younger generation. In fact, today’s generation would read “Watching TV Makes You Smarter” and would not be able to recall the scenes from “Hill Street” or “E.R.” that Johnson describes to support that multi-threaded TV shows require more complex thought from its viewers. Therefore, Johnson’s supporting examples are directed towards the adult or older adult…

    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Television has destroyed, and continues to desolate the desire to read. Throughout history television has replaced the leisure of reading with its mind-numbing tendencies. In Ray Bradbury’s 1953 novel, Fahrenheit 451, he predicts that television and other technologies will completely replace books. In many aspects Bradbury’s prediction is becoming a reality, humans have replaced the great literatures of the world with trivial video games, and the paperback book has become obsolete with the new technology of the electronic book. The sole purpose of Bradbury’s novel was to explain that television is poisonous, and only contains “factoids”.…

    • 700 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Television plays a huge role in today’s society. The shows on television entertain most of America, but inform them in the process. When television first came out it was a large step in society, but it was also look down on by many American’s. However, even though handfuls look down on television the rise in popularity sky rocketed. Many people today still look down on television due to the belief that watching television makes the viewers dumber.…

    • 227 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Elizabeth Thoman, the author of, “Rise of the Image Culture: Re-imagining the American Dream,” takes the position that American lives, as a whole, are being consumed with images and the effect that have on us. Claims she uses that further support he position include that “consumer culture as we know it could have never emerged without the invention if the camera and the eventual mass production of media images…” (pp. 202-203). Thoman also claims that the “progress” that America has had over the last few decades has made America as a whole dependent on the concept of images and television, she also states that “We must recognize the trade-offs we have made and take responsibility for the society we have created” (p. 205). To provide evidence and research throughout her essay, Thoman uses quotes from a magazine to help further her explanation of American’s dependence on television. The most effective aspect of Thoman’s essay is her use of examples and scenarios that help the reader connect and realize exactly what “frozen images” has done to our population as a whole.…

    • 1247 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Founding Fathers are revered by Americans for their bravery, patriotism, political genius, and leadership. However, there is another aspect of these mens’ lives worth admiring. Many of the Founding Fathers did not consider themselves heroes or politicians. They viewed themselves as farmers, stewards of the land. Their belief in America as an agrarian society shaped the way that our country was organized.…

    • 1734 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In "Vast Wasteland," Newton Minow gave a forewarning speech about television and the public interest. Minow is correct in his statement for these reasons: the influence of viewers, public interest, and the future impact of television. Television has a wide spread influence on everyone, especially children. Children are impacted so much by the things they have seen and watched on TV. They learn many things from TV, but their social skills and other learning abilities slow down.…

    • 439 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    On average, American’s watch about 28 hours of television per week. Neil Postman’s “Amusing Ourselves to death” reinforces his many ideas and theories that revolve around the concept of how media is seen in a much bigger picture, and tries to offer some solutions to the issues that are happening right under our noses. It also shows how television has affected the perspectives of many and cultures in negative ways. Postman makes other points such as the how the truth can be seen or manipulated by the media ,and the way we acquire and absorb information. All of these points tie back to the negative aspect of watching television.…

    • 1067 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Derogatory Portrayal and its Effects of Women on Reality Television Many individuals are starting to suggest that the massive production of reality shows emanating negative connotations that reflect overly exaggerated images of womanhood could possibly be responsible for significantly contributing to the influx of emotional disturbances and/or behavior disorders. What society has openly embraced as friendly entertainment, has grossly underestimated and/or has a lack of knowledge in understanding the power of subliminal messages that are transmitted to the subconscious mind and as individuals mindlessly engage the viewings of destructive behaviors portrayed by woman; in addition, to the consequences of the psychological effects a large or consistent consumption of such negative influences can have on the mind; thereby, unknowingly establishing destructive patterns of…

    • 309 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the short story “Marigolds” by Eugenia W. Collier, Lizabeth's tumultuous transition into adulthood leads to her realization that she cannot be an innocent adult. After Lizabeth instructs the neighborhood children to “expertly aim stone[s in order to] cut the head[s] off ” of Ms. Lottie’s marigolds, Lizabeth is then “ashamed, [because] . . . the child in [her] . . . said it [is] all . . . fun, but the woman in [her] flinche[s] at the thought of the malicious attack that [she] ha[s] led” (Collier 86).…

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Millions of people around the world sit down in front of their television set and are told that “For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear”. But this seemingly absorbing lead into a popular science fiction TV show is actually telling the truth. What the unsuspecting audience is being fed is chilling. “What is dangerous about television is not its junk, it is that television is transforming all serious public business into junk” (449 P4) In addition, the realities of life are being rewritten by clever writers to entertain and amuse in their quest for the highest Nielson ratings and your mind.…

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Regardless of age and country, all adults and teenagers would readily relate to Jin’s struggle to fit in his society. Especially, all the immigrants once imagine if they could transform into other races as Jin transforms himself into Danny - a white boy. When it comes to the topic of the appearance based on the culture or society, some of us will claim that the looks do not represent our identity so there is no need to change our appearance in order to fit into the society we are in. On the other hand, others contend that our appearances define who we are and that we should alter how we look so as to assimilate into the society. Nowadays, many teenagers from all over the world pursue the same look.…

    • 1456 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    It is no secret that the television has now become a staple device in the average American home. The history of the television has evolved tremendously compared to when television sets were first introduced to the public in the early 1940’s. Over the last sixty years, they are slimmer, produce sharp images, and come in various makes and models. Not only can these physical contributions be noted, television programs often correlate to what is going on in the outside world. Lauren Zalaznick, television executive, argues that television has a conscious and its popular programs reflect similar characteristics of the American society.…

    • 1255 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Soma In Brave New World

    • 691 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Television shows an unrealistic view of our society that distracts on what is really happening in our world and our lives. We use television as an escape from our problems like how Lenina use soma to escape from her problems. “ Lenina felt herself entitled, after this day of queerness and horror, to a complete and absolute holiday. As soon as they got back to the rest-house, she swallowed six half-gramme tablets of soma...” (Huxley 140).…

    • 691 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Neil Postman’s 1985 novel “Amusing Ourselves to Death” presents many interesting and well-thought out claims, one of the major ones being about television and the dangers it presents to society. His main points on this subject pertaining to the fact …”that television has reduced our ability to take the world seriously.” By this, Postman is addressing the fact that all the information we receive now is through the television. Leading into one of his largest, and debatably most important, assertions, our society is morphing into something similar to Aldous Huxley’s “A Brave New World”. Where the people are controlled by entertainment and pleasure.…

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Culture is the essence of human interaction. It is how the world expresses the passions, inspirations, and purposes of differing lifestyles, when simple conversation won’t suffice. We exchange cultures for a mutual understanding of how those of the same race perceive the world in an estranged point of view; the extensive evolvement humans have made throughout different environments, behaviors, and beliefs. Although culture is what unifies the global society, it also divides. It shares the human affinities and juxtaposes dichotomies.…

    • 1113 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays