I don’t get much free time. And I hate most television. So it is not often that I channel surf.
Recently, I discovered those channels at the end. The ones that are basically like radio stations. They don’t broadcast a picture, just a never-ending parade of songs. I don’t think there’s DJ’s, either.
Anyway, I had this interesting experience through it all.
The name of the channel was something cryptic and hip-sounding. I wasn’t sure if I’d like the songs or not.
Several questions and realizations entered my brain in quick succession. They pretty well illuminate how stupid I can be… I don’t however, think I’m particularly unique in this regard.
The first was pretty harmless. “I wonder what they play.”
The second was “I wonder if I’ll like most of the songs.” Even this thought was nothing major.
But next, I wondered “Is this for me? Do the people who program this understand what I’ll like? Am I the intended audience for this, or is there some other age group or type of person they are marketing for??”
I realize how goofy this last thought is. Almost immediately after, I began to realize some of the implications of this thought. There are many of them, though.
In no particular order, here are several lies implicit in that series of thoughts:
#1) There is profound narcisism in the idea that anybody anywehre near the programming places even remotely cares at all about me.
#2 My identity is exhausted by demographic details… this chain of thought unveils that I’ve accepted the premise that I am just like every one else in my age group, income bracket, ethnic background.
But perhaps more disturbingly, it was almost like if I decided that they got me, that the programming people understood me, I was willing to be shaped and controlled by them. If they’d played a few songs I really liked, I would have bought into the idea that I should like the next bunch of songs, too.
It’s hard to put words to all this. I don’t know if I’m being clear. But the idea is so clear in my head. And it was profoundly disturbing. We are such broken, sheep-like creatures.
