“Bishop is an accomplished cultural critic and writer, and his wit and examples prevent the book from becoming pedantic or preachy. More suggests that when television strips away perspective, it is time to turn off the television. Highly recommended.” –Choice (2012, 49:06)
More is an engaging, liberal-minded rumination on what a society might lose when it allows exaggeration, spectacle, and collective distraction to become the dominant features of its public life. Bishop recognizes both the comic absurdity and the serious consequences of a popular culture without a sense of proportion.” –Kevin M. Moist, Associate Professor of Communications, Penn State Altoona
“From extravagant Christmas displays to showcase homes, Bishop reveals the way television has redefined our thinking so that joy is defined by extravagance and edification by a chore. More gives us much to think about.” –Norma Pecora, Professor, School of Media Arts and Studies, Scripps College of Communication, Ohio University
“An artful examination of the interplay between the images and messages of pop culture and the most basic activities of American life. If we can’t distinguish and evaluate the significance of one event over another–raising our children, what we should eat, how we entertain ourselves–how can we ever achieve the timeless values of health, balance, and meaning?” –David Wann, author of The New Normal: An Agenda for Responsible Living and Simple Prosperity: Finding Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle
[More] would make an excellent recommended text for courses in media and culture, persuasion, and journalism. — Pete Bicak — Communication and Research Trends
In each chapter, [Bishop] weaves together a variety of sources into a beautiful tapestry offering a clear illustration of the difference between what a given topic really is and the message the media conveys as normative. — sowhatfaith.com
Is there no ‘down time’ left to simply enjoy life or does it all have to be driven by a ‘bucket list’ up until the moment we die? Personal narratives and examples from recent news, popular television shows, books, etc. help to illustrate Bishop’s point about the importance of critically evaluating one’s desires and goals in an increasingly globalized and interconnected world that pushes people, politics, and lifestyles to their natural extremes. Highly recommended. — Midwest Book Review, 2011
About the Author
Ronald Bishop is Professor of Communication at Drexel University. A former journalist and newspaper editor, Bishop is the author of When Play Was Play: Why Pick-Up Games Matter and Taking on the Pledge of Allegiance: The News Media and Michael Newdow’s Constitutional Challenge. He lives in the greater Wilmington, Delaware area.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The primary contention is that the media suggest we treat every experience as significant, have as many experiences as possible during our lives, including many at the same time, expend maximum effort at all times, and act at all times with high degrees of focus and intensity. Events in our lives, from getting a speeding ticket to the birth of a child, are treated by the media as highly significant. We allegedly move through our days with speed, cutting and pasting, managing events that vie for our attention at the same volume.
Every path in life must be taken decisively—with enough photos taken of each stop along the way to create a lasting record. We are to be passionate about our jobs, our families, our country, our dogs, our cats, our hobbies, the state of our homes and our apartments, the condition of our yards—all of the choices we make, no matter how insignificant. More than that, though, we’re passionate about being passionate. We achieve solely so that we can become better at achieving. The subjects of our passion are not as important as developing and honing our ability to achieve them, or acquire them, or learn them, passionately. We have to be “on,” focused, “in the zone,” “on message”—ready to do rhetorical battle at all times, ready to mount an achievement charge at a moment’s notice. There is no room not only for slackers, but for those who don’t take life seriously every waking moment. And if you are a slacker, you have to “slack” with commodified style and flair. It’s not enough to do something well enough. And forget failure. Every moment in every aspect of our lives is treated as significant.
—adapted from the Introduction
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