by Uliana Chubkina, guest writer
Stop, right there! What are you doing?!
Oh wait, I know! Get that: you are holding a palm-sized rectangle, or maybe you’re looking into one slightly bigger. And you know what you see in there? That’s right – everything you can possibly think of! No, seriously. How freaky is that? And I don’t even know how it works, honestly. But I do know that younger generations are almost born with a phone in their hand. They learn what a smartphone is by the age of four (best case scenario). Well, we’re not going to get into that. It is just too difficult for me to even try to understand. And I hope I’m not the only one who just sees their phone as a magical rectangle that gives me all the information in the world and takes great selfies, occasionally.
But should we appreciate it? Or maybe we should fear it? What are your thoughts on that?
Well, unfortunately for me and luckily for you, I can’t hear your answer, and we can’t get into hours-long conversation. But my father-in-law was not so lucky and had to engage my curiosity for quite some time. Though I do hope he enjoyed being the rock star of this interview. Shout out to Fred!
So, who is Fred? Fred is one of the meanest people I’ve ever met, and his monologues were torture for my ears. Psych! Just kidding. Fred is a very kind person, but the biggest weirdo! Ok, kidding again. I am, clearly, an ungrateful daughter-in-law. But in all seriousness, Fred is truly one of the kindest, wisest, and most well-rounded people I’ve ever had the pleasure to get to know. He grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. The first thing that comes up when you google this town is that it is a full-on Amish party. Lancaster is, in all seriousness, a pretty conservative place, where many people used to see TV, or even a theater, as evil. And, apparently, a lot of fun things were considered to be evil back then, even playing pool. Can you imagine? Well, Fred can! And while his parents were very conservative, “they were wise enough to know that TV is not evil. It is what’s on TV that can be evil,” said Fred.
Fred was 14 before his family bought a TV. And even though the signal wasn’t as good as it is today and it was very fuzzy, very grainy, black and white, you know what will make you jealous? Fred has watched the moon landing live! And don’t even think of getting all “conspiracy theorist” on me! It happened! Okay?… Or did it?… Anyway. Imagine watching it live! What a surreal experience it must have been.
And when you think Fred’s experience with TV can’t get any more epic than that, get this: when he was 6, Fred saw John F Kennedy get shot on TV. I was fascinated he remembered it so vividly, considering that he was so young. I mean, all I can remember from that age is eating dirt or something stupid. Not that eating dirt is not stupid. But you get the drill. But for Fred, that memory meant something bigger than just being a witness to history. It is a reminder of how the world has changed. And while Fred expressed his appreciation of how it evolved, I got a sense of sadness, that this evolution simultaneously brought some degradation of societal values. He says, “When Kennedy was killed, everybody mourned – nobody cheered, whether you liked him or not. And, nowadays, if a famous political figure, like Trump or Obama, would have been shot, the media would polarize it, and some people would cheer.” Don’t these words just ground you? If not – read again. Good, now they will definitely remain in your storage of wisdom. If you have one. Burn!
Sorry for that, Dear Reader. Let me make it up to you with some other remarkable memories Fred shared with me. Can you imagine a newspaper that is both liberal and conservative? A paper that is not biased; it does not persuade you to think one way or another. A paper that you could actually trust and not feel like you’re being manipulated. Well, again, Fred can! When he was a kid, he told me that his household read this “magical” newspaper that managed to do all of it. This newspaper was called The Intelligencer. This paper was one of the oldest continuous newspapers in the country (Penn State University Libraries, n.d.) This newspaper had two additions: the morning and the evening one. The morning version was considered to be more conservative, and the evening edition was more liberal. For some strange reason, just like the number 47 and Thursday seem related, that division seems very logical. A lot of the stories in the paper were identical, especially political ones. But the morning version would be written in a more conservative way, and vice versa. Fred emphasized that “They were never radical on both sides, and that’s why they could be trusted. It was not like today, where every newspaper or TV channel is trying to be manipulative.”
Do you want to know how you can be sure you can trust Fred? It is simple. He is a diehard conservative, but he is able to question his own bias. While talking about nowadays networks, Fred mentions CNN or MSNBC, saying that they misrepresent a lot of truths, and more conservative networks seem more balanced that way. And that’s when he stops and says, “But, you know what? Maybe I think that way because I am conservative.” How many people you know can do that? I hope, a lot. But not a lot of news stations do that, wouldn’t you agree? So, the old picture where you have only three major TV networks, such as ABC, NBC and CBS, paints to be quite pleasing. At that time, as Fred described them, they were not entirely independent, but nothing like it is today.
Have you already created a mental picture of Fred in your mind? Have you thought, “O, I know the type” yet? Well, get ready to meet his wild side. Ok, maybe not wild, but didn’t I mention he was a rock star? Just take a second…Can you imagine traveling around the country in a rock band in the 80s? Well, even here – Fred can! Their band was called Daybreak. And yes, you can find their music online. But, despite being in music himself, Fred did not “aggressively” listen to lots of music. He did experiment with some hard rock, but he says hard rock wass easy to grow weary of. And to us that probably does not seem very rebellious, but can you imagine his dad, who, almost exclusively, listened to religious music, looking out the window and seeing his son getting in the car to some hard rock music? Phew, that picture sets me on edge a little. But, as Fred remembers, “My dad never tried to ban me from it because he was wise enough to know trying to do that would be counterproductive.” What a well of wisdom of a family! And here, I am unable to resist saying that somehow my husband rolled far from that well. Ok, got that out, moving on.
What else should I tell you about Fred? That he gets flustered when he loses in board games? Which happens a lot, according to his brilliant wife Marilyn. Yes, I found a way to flatter her too. Get over it. So, what else…Oh! That he takes hundreds, if not thousands, pictures of insects? Or that I received dozens of photos of the moon from Fred? All that is true, but the most fascinating fact about Fred is that he raised nine children with Marilyn. All of them were homeschooled, just like he was. And all of them grew up to be intelligent and independent thinkers. Most of his kids were growing up in the time of Walkman and first computers, the boom of pop culture. But with all the new sources of media, Fred managed to instill a love for radio theater in his kids more than for anything else that was available. Radio theater was popular in the 1920s and started to lose its appeal in the 1950s with the invention of television (Western Canada Theater, 2022). Doesn’t this fact make it even more impressive? Well, it is very normal for Fred’s family. He also mentioned that, while the stories were made for a younger audience, he enjoyed them just as much. Seems a little boring. But can you imagine the creativity and imagination skills those kids have developed? Well, guess what – Fred’s kids can! And that is, undoubtedly, where TV loses to a radio.
So, what did you think of Fred? Do you agree that his media journey has shaped his personality? And if yes – remember that it was during the 60s and 70s. So, can you imagine how much media influences your life choices and shapes your journey? Can you? Because I can, thanks to Fred.
References
Anonymous. (2022, November 16). A play in your ear: A brief history of radio dramas. Western Canada Theater. https://www.wctlive.ca/blog/A-Play-in-Your-Ear-A-Brief-History-of-Radio-Dramas.htm#:~:text=Radio%20plays%20originated%20in%20the,a%20newspaper%20or%20a%20novel.
Penn State University Libraries. (n.d.). Lancaster Daily Intelligencer (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83032300/