"People don’t actually read newspapers. They step into them every morning like a hot bath."
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"The price of eternal vigilance is indifference."
(Indifference/avoidance disorder?)
"All advertising advertises advertising."
(Brand-New Brand Branded-Branding Tool?)
"The specialist is one who never makes small mistakes while moving toward the grand fallacy."
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"When a thing is current, it creates currency."
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"When you are on the phone or on the air, you have no body."
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...Air-Conditioning as a McLuhanist "Warm Bath"
When you are in air conditioning, the difference between ‘are’ and ‘body’ disappears. Your not just bathing in media, you are the media; the cold turns on your furnace. Pretty soon you’d rather not go out, you’ve warmed to the bath water.
The bodies ability to cool itself diminishes if it's ability to deal with normal temperatures is not constantly tested, diminishing over the summers, and further reinforcing the behavior to stay inside, physically binding us to the media.
When you’re bathing in any media the universe becomes this subjective place.
When you read a book bathed in light, the reflection of light waves from the page activates neurons; the brain translates the icons into meaning… or where you think you are. One becomes, "swept away" with the story.
Thus, one could imagine a post modern future with advertising like,On The Special Tonight: Visible light!
And on Reality Great Channel, It’s Gravity Fields!
Your Reality the way YOU want It!
Great!
Or as REM put it:"That’s great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes, an aeroplane,
Lenny Bruce is not afraid"
Sources:
remrock.com Artist REM, Album: Document, Song: "It's The End Of The World As We Know It."
The estate of Marshall McLuhan, to ensure the integrity of his name and legacy.
mh
