Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin terrificus, from terrēre to frighten
- Date: 1667
1 a: very bad : frightful b: exciting or fit to excite fear or awe (terrific thunderstorm)
2: extraordinary (terrific speed)
3: unusually fine : magnificent (terrific weather)
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terrific
By popular demand, to appease my adoring fan - and provide a more suitable outlet for my endless media reviews on facebook and, by extension, hopefully spur more active discussion, I give you, with great pleasure, the Super Terrific Happy Hour All-Media Blowout!
56 points to whoever identifies the popular media reference present in the blog title.
As an artist, and by extension a student of culture, I am fascinated by the media and all it entails. Messrs. Merriam and Webster define media as "a medium of cultivation, conveyance, or expression", and as the title of this blog suggests, that covers a broad spectrum indeed. There are some - and I've met a few of you, I know who you are! - who would uncharitably describe me as a "media whore". I find this expression utterly bizarre, as a) immersion in one's culture is a normal and laudable endeavour, and b) if I got paid every time I check cnn.com, we'd live in a very fine house with two cars in the garage. The bottom line, as I see it, is that the media and all it entails is an essential part of living in today's society, and absolutely critical for someone like myself who seeks to make a living as an artist, relying on an intimate familiarity with the pulses of culture in order to succeed and make meaningful contributions.
And yet, I have met several established artists who almost boast about their disconnect from the media: they don't watch TV - this includes news and current affairs programs. They only watch European or "artsy" films. They don't vote. They don't read works of fiction. I don't understand these people, but perhaps I understand the root of their revulsion. "Media" has become a byword for low things - it's contemporary common usage is in reference to tabloid journalism, mediocre films, violent video games, misogynistic lyrics, and general electronic things that spur people to violence or depravity; for example, juvenile crime is often flippantly blamed on "the media". So perhaps it makes sense that some people find "the media" repulsive...but that, in my opinion, is equivalent to saying that because you met three Chinese men who were real jerks, all Chinese men are jerks by association. It's an attitude of ignorance, and that's nothing to celebrate.
Books are fascinating. Television is fascinating. Film is fascinating. Journalism is fascinating. Marshall McLuhan famously (and I believe quite truthfuly ) said that "media is the extension of man". It seems like an obvious statement, so why the large percentage of the populace that feels such a disconnect?
Back to more personal notes. When I say this is an all-media blowout, I mean it. This blog will review and discuss TV, film, books, comics, websites, video games, music, current affairs, that elusive corner of the media for which we loftily reserve the name "art", and whatever else is available and applicable. My desire and purpose is equally to share a joy and spur discussion; to uncover and study the world around as thoroughly as possible. I'm very excited about the prospects of this, and really do hope that this blog attracts many readers for the sake of a greater diversity of debate. So tell all your friends!
That wraps up this edition. Next time on the Super Terrific Happy Hour All-Media Blowout: Bill C-10. What is it, what does it say about public film funding, what does is really mean for the industry, how does it compare to public funding internationally, and, most importantly, is it really censorship? Say tuned!
2: extraordinary (terrific speed)
3: unusually fine : magnificent (terrific weather)
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terrific
By popular demand, to appease my adoring fan - and provide a more suitable outlet for my endless media reviews on facebook and, by extension, hopefully spur more active discussion, I give you, with great pleasure, the Super Terrific Happy Hour All-Media Blowout!
56 points to whoever identifies the popular media reference present in the blog title.
As an artist, and by extension a student of culture, I am fascinated by the media and all it entails. Messrs. Merriam and Webster define media as "a medium of cultivation, conveyance, or expression", and as the title of this blog suggests, that covers a broad spectrum indeed. There are some - and I've met a few of you, I know who you are! - who would uncharitably describe me as a "media whore". I find this expression utterly bizarre, as a) immersion in one's culture is a normal and laudable endeavour, and b) if I got paid every time I check cnn.com, we'd live in a very fine house with two cars in the garage. The bottom line, as I see it, is that the media and all it entails is an essential part of living in today's society, and absolutely critical for someone like myself who seeks to make a living as an artist, relying on an intimate familiarity with the pulses of culture in order to succeed and make meaningful contributions.
And yet, I have met several established artists who almost boast about their disconnect from the media: they don't watch TV - this includes news and current affairs programs. They only watch European or "artsy" films. They don't vote. They don't read works of fiction. I don't understand these people, but perhaps I understand the root of their revulsion. "Media" has become a byword for low things - it's contemporary common usage is in reference to tabloid journalism, mediocre films, violent video games, misogynistic lyrics, and general electronic things that spur people to violence or depravity; for example, juvenile crime is often flippantly blamed on "the media". So perhaps it makes sense that some people find "the media" repulsive...but that, in my opinion, is equivalent to saying that because you met three Chinese men who were real jerks, all Chinese men are jerks by association. It's an attitude of ignorance, and that's nothing to celebrate.
Books are fascinating. Television is fascinating. Film is fascinating. Journalism is fascinating. Marshall McLuhan famously (and I believe quite truthfuly ) said that "media is the extension of man". It seems like an obvious statement, so why the large percentage of the populace that feels such a disconnect?
Back to more personal notes. When I say this is an all-media blowout, I mean it. This blog will review and discuss TV, film, books, comics, websites, video games, music, current affairs, that elusive corner of the media for which we loftily reserve the name "art", and whatever else is available and applicable. My desire and purpose is equally to share a joy and spur discussion; to uncover and study the world around as thoroughly as possible. I'm very excited about the prospects of this, and really do hope that this blog attracts many readers for the sake of a greater diversity of debate. So tell all your friends!
That wraps up this edition. Next time on the Super Terrific Happy Hour All-Media Blowout: Bill C-10. What is it, what does it say about public film funding, what does is really mean for the industry, how does it compare to public funding internationally, and, most importantly, is it really censorship? Say tuned!
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