some trivial examples that i have noticed. firstly scientists and other academics are always referred to as geeks, boffins, eggheads etc. footballers and page 3 girls are afforded more respect (in tabloids). and in popular tv programs, the smart kids are always nerdy, ugly, unpopular and the not so smart are always pretty good looking etc. plus, in Friends, whenever and i mean WHENEVER ross talks about his job as a paleontologist, or talks about scientific discoveries (one was about the possibility of a computer chip holding 'brain information' in the future) the character yawn, make fun etc. i know its only a sitcom, but believe it or not people do absorb ideologies of these things. all other popular shows seem to be dumbed down, and even 'smart' shows like frasier have stupid artificial laugh tracks that prompt people to laugh at home.
mainstream news is obsessed with celebrities and the rich, while ignoring important issues and when these issues are addressed its always in a dumbed down fashion with no analysis or rational consideration and usually just maintaining the status quo. of course there are some media outlets that engage in wider debates, but these are usually received by the presently more critically thinking people. youtube promotes meaningless videos when there are amazing videos on there, even just about social issues such as famine, war, politics. it just makes me sad, that even in university its looked down on if you actually study and get on well, its 'cool' to cram the night before and get a C or a D. has a hole in human curiousity been filled with paris hilton and the like? no1 thinks about real life things anymore.
mainstream news is obsessed with celebrities and the rich, while ignoring important issues and when these issues are addressed its always in a dumbed down fashion with no analysis or rational consideration and usually just maintaining the status quo. of course there are some media outlets that engage in wider debates, but these are usually received by the presently more critically thinking people. youtube promotes meaningless videos when there are amazing videos on there, even just about social issues such as famine, war, politics. it just makes me sad, that even in university its looked down on if you actually study and get on well, its 'cool' to cram the night before and get a C or a D. has a hole in human curiousity been filled with paris hilton and the like? no1 thinks about real life things anymore.