I read a
fascinating article by William Grimes in
The New York Times this morning about the social impact of the remote control – whose creator, Eugene J. Polley, died May 20 at the age of 96. Saul Bellow once denounced the remote control saying that it “makes mental mincemeat of us.” Ellen Goodman said it was “the most reactionary implement currently used to undermine equality in modern marriage,” pointing to the fact that men tend to dominate control of the remote – and thus set the agenda for scores of hours of television viewing.
Who controls the remote at your house? Is this the last bastion of male domination? Is it a passive aggressive thing? Does the person who has a higher acumen for electronic gadgetry get the wand of power? Grimes notes that conflict and male/female issues over the remote are widespread. He writes:
“…simmering resentment is more the norm. Social scientists became intrigued by the sexual politics of the remote as the device became ubiquitous in the late 1980s. Men and women, it seemed, used it differently. Men were obsessive clickers, flipping through channels out of boredom, restlessness, the sense that something better might be on elsewhere or because they wanted to watch two programs at once. Women tuned into a specific program, which they then watched. Alexis J. Walker, who studies the sociology of the American family at Oregon State University, examined remote-control use among 36 couples in 1996 and finished up by interviewing her subjects. “I would say that the only thing that’s frustrating for me is when we first turn on the TV and he just flips through the channels,” one woman said. “It drives me crazy because you can’t tell what’s on, because he just goes through and goes through and goes through.”
I laughed when I read this because if I’m watching live TV – which is rare now, as we usually only watched recorded programs – I typically have 2 shows going at once: the primary show I want to watch, and the backup program I watch during commercials, all of this to the great annoyance of my wife.
It’s a brilliant article & well worth the time it takes to read. The funny thing is, our attention spans have been so effectively diminished by our years of remote control usage chances are you’ll just read the first three paragraphs and move on! Just so you won’t miss the special sidebar features, here is a look at the future of the remote control.
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| The Magic Wand is a Harry Potter type of wand that will perform 13 basic functions when you learn the right flourishes to make. This give new meaning to the wand of power. |
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| The NeuroSky headset goes with the Brainwave TV and is meant to replace the remote control altogether. No word yet as to whether there will be his and hers version, so that fighting over the remote can take on a more existential element. |
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| Brookstone sells a Pillow Remote – the sole selling point is that it will never get lost between the couch cushions. Why not just chain the remote to a two by four like they do with the gas station restroom key? |
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| One part remote control, one part beer bottle opener equals sheer genius. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this invention. |
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| This remote is called the Pultius & it has a button for every channel. It is 20 inches long and created by the Art.Ledbedev Studio… you really have to wonder if the Russians are compensating for something… |
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