Michelle Stowell
Mr. Bengford
English II WWH6
March 7, 2006
Machines to Replace Minds
With machines to replace physical labor, and computers to replace mental labor, there is almost no need for human society to do any work at all. People may simply sit back and relax while technology completes all of the work for them. The industrial, mechanical, and technological ages made this decrease in mental and physical labor possible; however, not all of the results of these time periods were positive. Although the Industrial Revolution in Britain brought advancements in technology, the mechanical and technological ages destroyed creativity and individuality through misuse of art, elimination of emotion, and loss of passion for literature.
After the Industrial Revolution, art was often used improperly for propaganda, political cartoons, or advertisement. When World War I began, art was primarily used to persuade people to enlist in the military and fight for their country; many restrictions were placed on art to control peopleÕs opinions. ÒGovernment censors also restricted popular literature, historical writings, motion pictures, and artÓ (Ellis 290). The censoring and use of art for propaganda resulted in the assimilation of many art works, preventing artists from expressing their true opinions, which is what art had previously been used for; individuality was therefore greatly decreased. Aside from being used in propaganda, art was also used in political cartoons to affect societyÕs opinion on various subjects. These cartoons used were exaggerated and overdramatic, in order to persuade people into agreeing or disagreeing with a certain side to a controversy. One political cartoon from the industrial age portrayed a revolt of workers who were attacked by soldiers; this political cartoon exaggerated the cruelty and injustice of the soldiers (Ellis 102). Cartoons such as this one gave people a slightly altered version of the truth; this tactic caused fewer people to have their own opinions on topics, because they were often persuaded by the political cartoons. A final way art was misused after the Industrial Revolution and during the mechanical age was to advertise a product or service on a poster. This was another art form that persuaded people to take a common opinion, and often should not have even been considered art. ÒMost posters fail to convey the most basic of features, including readability and the advertiserÕs identity, and very few are truly eye-catchingÓ (Blackwell 41). Using art to advertise defeats and avoids the original purpose of art, to communicate the artistÕs idea or opinion to the viewers; in advertising art, assimilation of opinion is encouraged, and individuality is discouraged. Advertisements, political cartoons, and propaganda were improper uses of art, and therefore led to a loss of individuality and creativity; the invention of television contributed to this loss as well.
Though
new technology has resulted in less mental and physical work, the frequent use
of televisions in recent decades for advertisement, to shape culture, and to
promote businesses has helped to eliminate emotion. Television, which resulted from the mechanical and
technological ages and is one of the most common forms of entertainment in
present-day society, is also a very common form of advertisement. Though art was previously the sole form
of propaganda, such exposure is now accomplished through television as
well. ÒPeople who are exposed to
commercial campaigns may not be able to recall the commercials they have seen
or provide evidence that their opinions and attitudes have been affected, but
advertising campaigns leave a certain kind of feeling with people, generate a
certain kind of sensibilityÓ (Berger 18).
When commercials and advertisements on television cause people to have a
feeling of sensibility after viewing them, this is proof that images and ideas
communicated in this way can affect or change a personÕs emotions. Not only does television tamper with
human emotion; this form of communication, rather than art, greatly affects and
shapes the human culture.
ÒTelevision is the most powerful socializing and enculturating force in
society. It not only entertains us
but also instructs us, even when it is not trying to do soÓ (Berger 16). Television currently directs the
interests and opinions of common society, whereas before television had been
invented, art was the main expression of opinion; television is therefore
replacing art and decreasing the ability of people to form their own opinions
or experience emotions. Yet
another use of television in present day is the promotion of businesses. If businesses are spending money on
television exposure, they are not contributing money to the arts. ÒMany big businesses no longer appear
to feel the same obligation to put something back in to the community that they
once did; they seem eager to use their surpluses not to nurture the arts but to
create additional surplusesÓ (Kellow 75).
Businessmen find media exposure for their companies much more important than
the financial support of the arts; not only does this contribute to the effect
advertising has on human emotion, it also reduces the number of chances people
have to experience an art form that may cause them to form true emotions or
opinions. As a result of
televisionÕs constant use for advertisement, business promotion, and culture
formation, human emotion has been suppressed and eliminated, leading to further
loss of individuality and creativity; the loss of passion for literature added
to this result as well.
Another result of the industrial and mechanical revolutions was a loss of passion for literature; this problem was an effect of the changing priorities of World War I, development of film and science fiction, and greater interest in realism and progress. During World War I, the majority of people were more interested in war happenings and new weapon technology than they were about literature. ÒThe military crisis that was World War One might be over, but the economic crisis remained, as did about all Ôthe crisis of the mind,Õ which was the most subtle of all and the most fateful for literature, philosophy and the artsÓ (Kreis). People were so interested in the new weapons that had been developed during the Industrial Revolution that they had completely forgotten about literature, and when the war was over, many people had lost interest in the written word. Those who still enjoyed literature preferred a new form of writing that predicted the future. Science fiction novels were introduced shortly after the Industrial Revolution, because many wondered what new technology the future would bring. ÒToday, in print or on film, science fiction remains one of the most popular forms of entertainmentÓ (Ellis 144). When science fiction stories could be shown on film, people left behind the formerly popular novels of romance, because literature was of much less interest to them than a glimpse of what new technology the future might hold. Aside from wanting to know the course of the future, people began to become much more interested in realism, rather than the former, romantic style of literature. In the 1880s, authors wrote of reality and life as it was, as well as industrialism, evolution, and progress (Divine 589). As a result of the industrial and mechanical eras, society began to show great interest in the realities of life and the path to improvement and progress; classic romantic literature depicting unrealistic and ideal events and characters were no longer of interest, and all passion was lost for such works. Clearly, romantic literature had lost its importance in the modern world, and had been replaced by interest in war, science fiction, and realism.
Though the Industrial Revolution in Britain brought a number of great advancements in technology, this time period soon led to the mechanical and technological ages, which extinguished individuality and creativity through the improper use of art, removal of emotion through use of technology, and lack of passion or interest in literature. If such effects of advancement continue to occur, what may happen? Will the continuation of using machines and computers to replace our work, thoughts, imagination, and emotion eventually result in complete assimilation of the human emotion and opinion?
