Meet the Author
Ronald Bishop is professor of communication at Drexel University. Prior to his career in academia, he was a journalist and newspaper editor. Bishop’s books include More: The Vanishing of Scale in an Over-The-Top Nation (2011), When Play Was Play: Why Pick-Up Games Matter (2009), and Taking on the Pledge of Allegiance: The News Media and Michael Newdow’s Constitutional Challenge (2007).
Book Basics
The message of More is so powerful and different from that which consumers of American media expect that it would benefit from the following disclaimer: “The material within exposes the media’s obsession with exaggeration and lack of attention to scale. Those who uncritically consume media should proceed cautiously.”
As one who has great difficulty consuming anything uncritically, I appreciate Bishop’s assessment of the American media through his consideration of several topics. The message Americans hear several times a day every day is that there should be nothing ordinary about the typical components of life, including parenting, education, food, sports, and home improvement. Instead, we are encouraged to approach each with endless effort and incredible intensity thereby providing ourselves and others the illusion that each matters more than it really does.
As one who is at the lighter end of the consumption scale insofar as the popular media Bishop explores, I immediately recognized Bishop as a true subject matter expert. In each chapter, he weaves together a variety of sources into a beautiful tapestry offering a clear illustration of the difference between what a given topic really is and the message the media conveys as normative.
So What?
Americans consume more media than ever. Given the continued growth in how much information is available and how many people have easy access to such, the increases in consumption are likely to continue for some time. Within this environment, the media’s expectations for media consumption by the average American offers an example of the loss of perspective with regard to scale and the awkwardly inserted need for the consumer to consume with intensity.
- Why does the media’s loss of perspective insofar as scale and misappropriation of effort and intensity as ideals matter?
- How do you recognize shortcomings and bias in any given advertisement, tv show, movie, or news story? How often do you engage the content in such a way as to be aware of such?
- As a person of faith, what does your religion say about this topic?
Ronald Bishop. More: The Vanishing of Scale in an Over-The-Top Nation (Baylor University Press, 2011). ISBN: 9781602582583.