Salon | Letters to the editor

Correction
In the June 12 Media Circus about Steven Brill's new magazine, Brill's Content, it was stated that Content staffers were "caught flooding Content's new Web site with ... phony letters." This statement, which was based on a story in the New York Post, was inaccurate: The posts on AOL were not letters but discussion starters. Salon failed to identify the source of the allegation and to independently verify it. We regret the error, which we have corrected.

_______________ THE BOY IN THE CELLULOID BUBBLE BY CHARLES TAYLOR (06/05/98)

"The Truman Show" offers a grand metaphor for contemporary American culture. Its message is that we are immersed in a media landscape of lifelike fantasies that serves the interests of those in power. If we want to be free and have a chance at an authentic life, it tells us, we will have to distance ourselves from the safety and comforts of our media-saturated culture and be willing to live in the world as it is.
What many critics don't fully appreciate is that "The Truman Show" is only the latest in a series of books, movies and television productions that have conveyed this message. Most of these works have the same plot, with variations in character and settings and slight alterations in their basic elements.
Typically, the characters in these stories -- and often the societies they live in -- are trapped in prisons disguised as ideal places. An entire society may be in an enclosed, high-tech city of self-indulgence that is really a death camp, as in the movie "Logan's Run." Or it may be stuck in a shared, drug-induced hallucination of a world of futuristic conveniences that covers up the fact that the actual surroundings are in a state of collapse, as in the book "The Futurological Congress."
As the main characters realize that things aren't what they appear to be, they try to make an escape, only to be blocked by malevolent simulators and high-tech manipulators who are intent on keeping them inside. In the end, they often break free and they free the societies that are trapped as well.
When you examine these works, it is obvious that humanity is using these stories to warn itself of the danger that we will lose ourselves in environments of media simulation and high technology. All the realms of lifelike fantasy the characters find themselves in, whether they are themed stage sets, as in "The Truman Show," or virtual realities, or hallucinations, are depictions of our media culture in which television, computers, theme parks, et al. are surrounding us with simulations that masquerade as something authentic.
The message of these works is unmistakable -- media and advanced technology could cause us to regress into a new infantilism in which machines and human manipulators feed us fantasies and lifestyles of endless gratification. These works call on us to resist these temptations and, like most of their heroes, to make a journey of mind in which we are free from manipulation and illusions.
Having studied these works for 20 years, it is gratifying to me that "The Truman Show" is finally getting the message across. What is really happening is that our media manipulators -- the giant entertainment companies, the corporations, news organizations and politicians -- have become so powerful and pervasive, and so willing to violate ethical standards, that these issues can no longer be kept under wraps.
The question is: Why do we have to become so similar to the caricatures of fiction before we are willing to start discussing what is really going on?
-- Ken Sanes
Boston
I simply wish to second the eloquent letters written in protest over Charles Taylor's review of "The Truman Show." I, too, experienced profound disappointment with Salon's joining the media love fest inspired by this sadly fatuous Hollywood production. The movie was neither telling about our media-obsessed culture nor did it succeed on even the most rudimentary dramatic storytelling level. It was, in short, as stupid as a pile of rocks, and to see Salon confuse these rocks with diamonds was even more disheartening than the movie itself.
-- Dean Graves
_______________ WHY MUST I BE A TEENAGE VAMPIRE SLAYER IN LOVE? BY JOYCE MILLMAN (06/08/98)

Thanks for your great review of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." I'm a huge fan of the show and it's wonderful to have the show reviewed by someone who watches it and understands it! Yippee! Another reviewer who loves it said that "Buffy" floats to the top of whatever category you place it in: comedy/horror/action/romance/thriller/teen angst ... How true!
-- Bob Vaillancourt

_______________ GEEK CENTRAL BY ANDREW LEONARD (06/15/98)

Your article about slashdot.org is pretty good, but I think it might be time to revise your image of a geek/nerd. What follows is some info with regards to the image at the top of your article.
A few hints about geeks/nerds:
1. I don't own a pocket protector, and you will be hard pressed to find a nerd that does.
2. I don't button the top button of my shirt while not wearing a tie. In fact, you are 100 percent more likely to find me wearing jean shorts, a T-shirt and sandals.
3. I have never seen anyone, not even a geek, make that face.
I really don't mind that these stereotypes exist. If people think that's what a nerd or a geek looks like, then that just makes it easier for me to sneak up on them.
-- Aaron Hoyt

_______________ SALON MAGAZINE

I must thank you for being a cultural savior. I thoroughly enjoy your electronic mag. You reveal what culture is and should be. America is a cultural vacuum -- littered with malls, stuck in TV world, chained by provincialism. By contrast, you give me hope that fellow Americans can rise above the muck.
You expand my experience through fascinating interviews, riveting guest columnists, techno-age discussions, provocative and touching Mothers Who Think, fresh news commentary, enlightening movie reviews and alternative views. With Salon, I'm connected to the best of American reality.
-- Jane Christensen
SALON | June 17, 1998

R E C E N T L Y+| "A WEAPON SO POWERFUL, IT WILL DESTROY THE WORLD" BY SARITA SARVATE

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Letters may be edited for clarity and conciseness.
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	Correction In the June 12 Media Circus about Steven Brill's new magazine, Brill's Content, it was stated that Content staffers were "caught flooding Content's new Web site with ... phony letters." This statement, which was based on a story in the New York Post, was inaccurate: The posts on AOL were not letters but discussion starters. Salon failed to identify the source of the allegation and to independently verify it. We regret the error, which we have corrected.
_______________ THE BOY IN THE CELLULOID BUBBLE BY CHARLES TAYLOR (06/05/98)
	"The Truman Show" offers a grand metaphor for contemporary American culture. Its message is that we are immersed in a media landscape of lifelike fantasies that serves the interests of those in power. If we want to be free and have a chance at an authentic life, it tells us, we will have to distance ourselves from the safety and comforts of our media-saturated culture and be willing to live in the world as it is. What many critics don't fully appreciate is that "The Truman Show" is only the latest in a series of books, movies and television productions that have conveyed this message. Most of these works have the same plot, with variations in character and settings and slight alterations in their basic elements. Typically, the characters in these stories -- and often the societies they live in -- are trapped in prisons disguised as ideal places. An entire society may be in an enclosed, high-tech city of self-indulgence that is really a death camp, as in the movie "Logan's Run." Or it may be stuck in a shared, drug-induced hallucination of a world of futuristic conveniences that covers up the fact that the actual surroundings are in a state of collapse, as in the book "The Futurological Congress." As the main characters realize that things aren't what they appear to be, they try to make an escape, only to be blocked by malevolent simulators and high-tech manipulators who are intent on keeping them inside. In the end, they often break free and they free the societies that are trapped as well. When you examine these works, it is obvious that humanity is using these stories to warn itself of the danger that we will lose ourselves in environments of media simulation and high technology. All the realms of lifelike fantasy the characters find themselves in, whether they are themed stage sets, as in "The Truman Show," or virtual realities, or hallucinations, are depictions of our media culture in which television, computers, theme parks, et al. are surrounding us with simulations that masquerade as something authentic. The message of these works is unmistakable -- media and advanced technology could cause us to regress into a new infantilism in which machines and human manipulators feed us fantasies and lifestyles of endless gratification. These works call on us to resist these temptations and, like most of their heroes, to make a journey of mind in which we are free from manipulation and illusions. Having studied these works for 20 years, it is gratifying to me that "The Truman Show" is finally getting the message across. What is really happening is that our media manipulators -- the giant entertainment companies, the corporations, news organizations and politicians -- have become so powerful and pervasive, and so willing to violate ethical standards, that these issues can no longer be kept under wraps. The question is: Why do we have to become so similar to the caricatures of fiction before we are willing to start discussing what is really going on? -- Ken Sanes Boston I simply wish to second the eloquent letters written in protest over Charles Taylor's review of "The Truman Show." I, too, experienced profound disappointment with Salon's joining the media love fest inspired by this sadly fatuous Hollywood production. The movie was neither telling about our media-obsessed culture nor did it succeed on even the most rudimentary dramatic storytelling level. It was, in short, as stupid as a pile of rocks, and to see Salon confuse these rocks with diamonds was even more disheartening than the movie itself. -- Dean Graves
_______________ WHY MUST I BE A TEENAGE VAMPIRE SLAYER IN LOVE? BY JOYCE MILLMAN (06/08/98)
	Thanks for your great review of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." I'm a huge fan of the show and it's wonderful to have the show reviewed by someone who watches it and understands it! Yippee! Another reviewer who loves it said that "Buffy" floats to the top of whatever category you place it in: comedy/horror/action/romance/thriller/teen angst ... How true! -- Bob Vaillancourt
_______________ GEEK CENTRAL BY ANDREW LEONARD (06/15/98)
	Your article about slashdot.org is pretty good, but I think it might be time to revise your image of a geek/nerd. What follows is some info with regards to the image at the top of your article. A few hints about geeks/nerds: 1. I don't own a pocket protector, and you will be hard pressed to find a nerd that does. 2. I don't button the top button of my shirt while not wearing a tie. In fact, you are 100 percent more likely to find me wearing jean shorts, a T-shirt and sandals. 3. I have never seen anyone, not even a geek, make that face. I really don't mind that these stereotypes exist. If people think that's what a nerd or a geek looks like, then that just makes it easier for me to sneak up on them. -- Aaron Hoyt
_______________ SALON MAGAZINE
	I must thank you for being a cultural savior. I thoroughly enjoy your electronic mag. You reveal what culture is and should be. America is a cultural vacuum -- littered with malls, stuck in TV world, chained by provincialism. By contrast, you give me hope that fellow Americans can rise above the muck. You expand my experience through fascinating interviews, riveting guest columnists, techno-age discussions, provocative and touching Mothers Who Think, fresh news commentary, enlightening movie reviews and alternative views. With Salon, I'm connected to the best of American reality. -- Jane Christensen SALON \| June 17, 1998