The Tube

Introduction

Thought about the famous speech from the movie "Network" and how one can slightly modify it and get a fairly meaningful text today about YouTube as opposed to Television as he was talking about in the movie. Will write [YouTube] where "Television" has been replaced by me.

Have also cut up the speech a bit to have a more coherent speech and one that is fitting the "YouTube generation". I will write "..." where bigger parts of the speech has been cut away.

Disclaimer: I don't think there's anything wrong with YouTube as such and actually love it, but it depends on what one watches there.

Speech

"And woe is us! We're in a lot of trouble!!

...

Because less than 3 percent of you people read books.

Because less than 15 percent of you read newspapers.

Because the only truth you know is what you get over this tube.

Right now, there is a whole, an entire generation that never knew anything that didn't come out of this tube.

This tube is the gospel, the ultimate revelation.

...

So, you listen to me. Listen to me!

[YouTube] is not the truth. [YouTube]'s a goddamn amusement park. [YouTube] is a circus, a carnival, a traveling troupe of acrobats, storytellers, dancers, singers, jugglers, sideshow freaks, lion tamers, and football players.

...

But, man, you're never gonna get any truth from us. We'll tell you anything you wanna hear. We lie like hell. ... We'll tell you any shit you want to hear.

We deal in illusions, man. None of it is true! But you people sit there, day after day, night after night -- all ages, colors, creeds. We're all you know!

You're beginning to believe the illusions we're spinning here!

You're beginning to think that the tube is reality and that your own lives are unreal.

You do whatever the tube tells you --

You dress like the tube.

You eat like the tube.

You raise your children like the tube.

You even think like the tube.

This is mass madness, you maniacs!"

Fairly fitting, right?