Two Aspirins and a Comedy: How Television Can Enhance Health and Society - Hardcover

Spencer, Metta

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1594511543 ISBN 13: 9781594511547

Publisher: Routledge, 2006

Synopsis

"An extraordinary book which makes a vital contribution to our understanding of the potential power for healing and goodness in 'television entertainment'." Arlie Hochschild, author of The Time Bind (2001) "Despite the light title, this is a serious book about the healing possibilities of television. ! Provocative and enlightening." Beth Montemurro, Penn State University Can television be a positive force in society? Can socially conscious entertainment change the world? Two Aspirins and Comedy arrives at surprising and unconventional answers to these questions. Metta Spencer delves deep into the significance and power of entertainment as a means to influence society. She finds current examples of socially constructive television and demonstrates how mass entertainment can better use its power to positively influence society. In a climate where television is often a culprit for society's woes, Spencer casts a redemptive eye on the medium. She asserts that television, like other fictional landscapes, offers invaluable lessons, emotional bonding and catharsis for a modern society whose members are increasingly isolated.

About this title

From the Publisher:

"An extraordinary book which makes a vital contribution to our understanding of the potential power for healing and goodness in "television entertainment." Personally I hate the ads, the violence, the speed, the escapism of American television, but I’ve learned a very great deal from this book about "the other side" of TV." —Arlie Hochschild, The Time Bind: When Work Becomes Home and Home Becomes Work (Owl Books, 2001)

"To solve global problems, larger numbers of people must be informed and also mobilized to act. This book convincingly points out a way to accomplish both objectives through entertainment. Now we need creative storytellers who will inspire and motivate their audiences (especially in film, radio, and television) to address the world’s environment, justice, and peace challenges." — Alexander Likhotal, President, Green Cross International and Global Green, USA

About the Author:

Metta Spencer, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto, authored ten editions of a textbook, Foundations of Modern Sociology (Prentice-Hall, 1984) and currently edits Peace Magazine.

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1594511543
• ISBN 13: 9781594511547
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336