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Murray Bookchin Reads Time: History as a Television Series
Murray Bookchin, an anarchist and author, gives a critical reading of Time magazine. Libertarian socialist, founder of social ecology and author of Toward an Ecological Society, Bookchin tackles the pacification of world news through the pages of Time magazine. As the past, present, and future of America is blurred week-by-week, “Time obliterates time” Bookchin claims. By condensing all events into consumable chunks, Time creates a monotonous layout of our history, one that captures no true feeling or sense of perspective. Just as in watching TV, we are lulled into complacency because the news is given in a way in which all issues are treated the same, with the same bland mediocre tone. In 1982 Time Inc., the multi-billion dollar, international conglomerate that owned Time magazine earned only a fraction of its profits from the periodical. Time Inc also owned major book companies, over 100 cable systems, the largest chunk of privately owned land in Texas, and published half a dozen other popular magazines. Time magazine stands as another example of how giant media conglomerations sway toward quantity rather than quality of media products. Great example of PTTV’s early productions, with a classic hand-painted set, live-performance and a funky, homemade music video.
1982 TRT: 28 minutes #20