Thanks for giving us all "the rest of the story..on Unic." ala Paul
Harvey??
No matter what I write about, seems like someone comes up with some
interesting personal knowledge to contribute. This is as it should be
and via the unlimited scope of the internet, it is possible for
viewers from everywhere in the world to join in.
My dad always said that he had lived through possibly the most
exciting period in mankinds entire history.
He saw the start of electric lighting, the steam powered ship
supplant the sailing ship, the airplane, the automobile, the
telephone, television, atomic power, antibiotics, remarkable medical
strides, lowering of the prices of many services and goods once the
provence of the wealthy, investment opportunities made available to
common people, education available free or at affordable costs, mass
communication via free radio and TV, cheap newspapers for all and a
host of other major and minor changes and inventions.
I once asked him what "one" thing (from his general list of changes
seen during his life) seemed to have the most affect upon our lives???
?
I expected the answer to be possibly in the medical field.
In his wisdom (far greater than my own), he stated that it was the
"mass communications" of the entire public news media (papers, radio
and TV) being able to quickly inform the public on every possible
event, political wrong doing and exposing of things normally kept
secret, which had literally transformed the populations in those
parts of the world able to receive such media coverage.
This has had dramatic results in the areas of public opinion and at
the voting places and has forced through major changes in the way tax
money is spent as well as the quality of life which this results in.
At the time I did not fully grasp his far reaching remarks but now I
do see that this could well be the one single thing which has
affected humans the most.
I look now at the roads, bridges, parks, schools, libraries, clinics,
govt. decisions etc. etc. which would NOT have likely been built or
carried out...if the public was not well informed and demanded these
things or programs.
Many of the other inventions and developments have been made possible
or encouraged in part because of some of these basic conditions being
in place thanks to "mass communications."
Perhaps some of you on this LIST may contribute your own viewpoint
and thoughts. I'm sure everyone will enjoy reading your opinions.
Dick T.
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