We in all probability don’t must let you know that these are tense occasions in America.
After a decade of simmering tensions that some have described as a “chilly civil conflict,” we now face what guarantees to be an ultra-dramatic conclusion to a traditionally bonkers election season.
How did we get so far? Can we ever rebuild what we’ve misplaced? And if that’s the case, how will we maintain it from falling aside once more?
These are profound and necessary questions — and we’re not even gonna try to reply them right here.
What we are going to do, nonetheless, is discover a well-recognized patch of frequent floor in an effort to remind our fellow People of what nonetheless unites us.
We’re speaking, after all, concerning the fantastic world of tv.
Sure, TV — essentially the most American of all mediums.
Clearly, it exists in each nation on the planet, and most nations have their very own reveals and networks and tv personalities, a lot of that are (ostensibly, no less than) fully devoid of any affect from the US.
And the invention of tv was such a gradual, collaborative course of that no nation can declare sole credit score.
However it’s value noting that quite a few People have been instrumental to the method and acquired patents for improvements with out which the ultimate product by no means might have come to move.
It was an American who first used a vacuum tube to transmit photos and the world’s very first TV station broadcast out of Schenectady, New York in 1928.
However the technical facet is simply tangentially associated to what we need to discuss in the present day.
The thought of tv — the digital fireside round which the household gathers within the hours between dinner and bedtime to get pleasure from extremely polished leisure designed to fulfill each dad and mom and youngsters — that’s an invention of the post-war American empire.
From Howdy Doody and Ed Sullivan within the late ’40s to Lucy, The Twilight Zone, and Wally and the Beev within the ’50s, the world’s latest superpower was fast to plant its flag within the thrilling new panorama of TV.
Because the trailblazers of TV’s first golden age handed the torch to Dick Van Dyke and Andy Griffith within the ’60s, People gathered across the tube for extra than simply laughs and scripted thrills.
In 1960, the very first US presidential debate was broadcast to tens of thousands and thousands of People.
Three years later, that very same viewers turned to their units in horror when the younger senator from Massachusetts who charmed so many in his tv debut was gunned down in Dallas.
Once more, our objective right here is to not diminish the contributions of different nations.
As a substitute, we’re attempting to make the purpose that TV is as a lot part of the so-called American century as quick meals, baseball, jazz, or some other cultural contribution that makes the entire world consider Uncle Sam.
And if, as People, we will use these as reminders of our shared heritage, then perhaps we will begin to take child steps alongside the street to therapeutic.
If the remainder of the world can acknowledge (nonetheless begrudgingly) the numerous methods during which America remains to be nice, then why can’t we?
In any case, The Simpsons wasn’t only a scores juggernaut within the States. In actual fact, for those who be part of any of the numerous Bart-centric dialogue teams on Fb, you’ll seemingly discover it overrun with Brits and Aussies.
And for those who make a journey to Paris and activate la télévision in your downtime, you would possibly make the amusing discovery that the French are large followers of The Contemporary Prince of Bel-Air — a lot in order that dubbed reruns nonetheless air across the clock.
As TV’s first century gave strategy to its second, the medium skilled many ups and downs.
The 2000s received off to a powerful begin with The Sopranos, Mad Males, and Breaking Dangerous providing uniquely American takes on the trope of the troubled antihero (and constructing huge international audiences within the course of).
However as streaming and social media continued their sluggish takeover of the small display screen universe, it turned tougher for brand spanking new reveals to achieve footholds — at dwelling or overseas.
As we’ve beforehand mentioned, our fissiparous political local weather is mirrored — and maybe, partially, created — by the splintering of our leisure preferences.
We don’t assume it’s a lot of a stretch to say a nation that doesn’t watch the identical TV reveals is marginally much less prone to maintain the identical values.
The identical may very well be mentioned of films, after all, however no medium is part of our day by day lives fairly like TV.
And simply because the gadget receives alerts and beams the resultant photos into our eyeballs, so too do our perception methods each transmit and obtain.
In different phrases, we’re formed by tv, however we, as a folks, additionally configure the medium to go well with our preferences.
The TV of the Fifties helped to kind our nationwide id, nevertheless it was additionally a mirrored image of the values that already existed on the time.
In a means, our popular culture may be a greater indication of our prevailing beliefs than our politics. And it’s definitely extra unifying.
A Trump voter and a Harris voter won’t agree on a lot by way of coverage. However there’s a powerful risk that they’re each wanting ahead to the return of Yellowstone.
So perhaps TV can present a lens by means of which we will concentrate on our similarities, versus the variations which are amplified by social media each day.
The very fact is, sooner or later within the (hopefully very) close to future, we’ll have a brand new president-elect.
And because of that improvement, sure issues will change. Maybe somewhat abruptly.
It’s an intimidating thought.
However perhaps, in these unsure occasions, we will take some solace within the data that it doesn’t matter what occurs on Tuesday, NBC’s full slate of One Chicago reveals will air on Wednesday.
And People from each coasts and either side of the political spectrum are sure to tune in.
It might not be a lot, however no less than it reminds us that we’re not as totally different as we expect, and that after we work collectively, we will create fantastic issues … or no less than pleasantly diverting ones.
