The major connections I’ve found between Bourdieu’s “On Television” and the current election are television’s creation of sensationalism, its creation of the focus on race and gender, and then its denunciation of the very notions it has implanted into the minds of the public—to appear innocent and unbiased, and of course, its role in the creation of a “public figure” (p. 46).
This election has been sensationalized by reporters inundating the public with play-by-plays. They tell us—where the candidates are now, whose in the lead, what strategies are being used by the successful and less successful candidate, projections for the future, and find members of the public that are willing to offer their opinions on what’s happening. The speed, the “torrent” as Gitlin would say, of the material creates a sense of excitement. Catch-phrases, like the “most historical election in history” add to the anxiety as people bustle about trying desperately to document, record, and capture this moment in history, so as to tell their grandchildren exactly what they were doing and how they felt when the 2008 Presidential Election occurred.
Another relevant connection between the text and today’s election, is the way the media—television, in particular, “help create the event by focusing on a story…and then denounce everyone who adds fuel to the fire that they lit themselves” (p. 64). In this year’s election, there are countless examples of such occurrences. The most memorable, in my opinion, and most recent, was the emergence of all the talk about the “Bradley effect”. Suddenly, everywhere I looked, people were considering how racism may play into this year’s election and actually skew the projections for the election. I have no doubt that some obscure journalist found this information and saw it had the possibility of creating a new angle to the “Election Story” and ran with the concept. As I listened to NPR today, the same people that were worried about the Bradley effect are changing their position. They are now content that the Bradley effect shouldn’t be a factor and even challenge the fact that the Bradley effect had a role in the Bradley’s loss. They now cite incorrect internal polls as the cause of the misconception, not racism.
Finally, this election represents the ultimate creation of the “public figure” (p. 46). Obama t-shirts, buttons, paper dolls, etc. are all in existence because the media made him into a celebrity. Once they realized that Obama may actually have a chance---interestingly, enough---they ran with him and promoted his popularity. Today, on NPR—I’m a rather avid listener---they traveled to West Kenya, where apparently Obama memorabilia is being sold in the marketplace. They also reported that a life-sized cut-out of Obama is in his Kenyan grandmother’s house. They predicted that regardless of the results of the election, this cut-out will probably be displayed somewhere within the community—as a testament of Obama’s position as a hero and role model .
This election has been sensationalized by reporters inundating the public with play-by-plays. They tell us—where the candidates are now, whose in the lead, what strategies are being used by the successful and less successful candidate, projections for the future, and find members of the public that are willing to offer their opinions on what’s happening. The speed, the “torrent” as Gitlin would say, of the material creates a sense of excitement. Catch-phrases, like the “most historical election in history” add to the anxiety as people bustle about trying desperately to document, record, and capture this moment in history, so as to tell their grandchildren exactly what they were doing and how they felt when the 2008 Presidential Election occurred.
Another relevant connection between the text and today’s election, is the way the media—television, in particular, “help create the event by focusing on a story…and then denounce everyone who adds fuel to the fire that they lit themselves” (p. 64). In this year’s election, there are countless examples of such occurrences. The most memorable, in my opinion, and most recent, was the emergence of all the talk about the “Bradley effect”. Suddenly, everywhere I looked, people were considering how racism may play into this year’s election and actually skew the projections for the election. I have no doubt that some obscure journalist found this information and saw it had the possibility of creating a new angle to the “Election Story” and ran with the concept. As I listened to NPR today, the same people that were worried about the Bradley effect are changing their position. They are now content that the Bradley effect shouldn’t be a factor and even challenge the fact that the Bradley effect had a role in the Bradley’s loss. They now cite incorrect internal polls as the cause of the misconception, not racism.
Finally, this election represents the ultimate creation of the “public figure” (p. 46). Obama t-shirts, buttons, paper dolls, etc. are all in existence because the media made him into a celebrity. Once they realized that Obama may actually have a chance---interestingly, enough---they ran with him and promoted his popularity. Today, on NPR—I’m a rather avid listener---they traveled to West Kenya, where apparently Obama memorabilia is being sold in the marketplace. They also reported that a life-sized cut-out of Obama is in his Kenyan grandmother’s house. They predicted that regardless of the results of the election, this cut-out will probably be displayed somewhere within the community—as a testament of Obama’s position as a hero and role model .
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