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AUGUST 22, 1968 BILL'S BOYS - by Bill Thomas THIS TOWN ISN'T BiG ENOUGH FOR THE BOTH OF US.... AT'S RIGHT,.... JUST SIT WERE.... BUT IF YOU LAUGH Vit KNOCK YOUR BLOCK OFF Oi ,( BOY DaviD, IFI fy EVER GET MY HANDS J, 4 ON YOU..... 12 ft. THORNS Aluminium boat reg,$329.--sale$ 249, Ph. 3224 Terrace Bay Ph. 77 Schreiber TERRACE BAY NEWS SUGAR AND_ SPICE PAGE 9 / by Bill Smiley Our mass media You know, that postal strike wasn't all bad. I know it was a great inconvenience for some people, and meant a real financial loss for others. But there was a certain quiet satisfaction in knowing that you didn't have to answ- er those urgent letters. There was relief in the thought that you wouldn't be getting three or four bills every day. And there was positive pleasure in not being bombarded by ad- vertising flyers and _ other third-class mail. In short, there was a slight hiatus in our daily scramble. Of course, the day of reckon- ing came, when all the bills came in one bundle, and there was no way of putting off writing those letters. But there was a little peace there for a while in at least one | aspect of our bedevilled lives. It started me_ thinking about what would happen if the entire communications system was tied up by strikes. Everything: telephone, televi- sion, radio, newspapers, the lot. Do you think we'd sur- vive? I do. In fact, if the whole noisy, bothersome _ business ground to a halt for a couple of months, we'd probably all live a-couple of years longer. Those who would suffer most would be the young and the old. Taking away the squawk and thump of their transistors from the ears of teenagers would be like tear- ing a baby from its mother's breast. Robbing the elderly of their morning news and their evenings with the Beverly Hillbillies re-runs would be arrant cruelty. But I don't think the rest of us would suffer. I think we'd thrive and grow fat and calm and interested in real life, on a couple of months of peace and quiet. Those who have been out of touch with "civilization," on a hunting or fishing trip will know what I mean. One simply does not miss the omi- nous' headlines, the grave news reports, and the assort- ed garbage contained in our mass media. In such conditions, a news- paper is for lighting a fire with, or cleaning a fish on. Radio is completely unneces- sary. Lack of _ telephones means that nobody can get at you with bad news. And sit- ting around a fire with friends is a lot more enrich- ing than sitting around watching third-rate old mov- ies. Indulging in the mass me- dia, or surrendering to them, or allowing them to rule your day, is merely laziness and habit. And the deeper you sink into the slough of words, the harder it is to break out. Some people are addicted to the morning paper. It's like the first cup of coffee or the first cigarette. They are surly and uneasy until they unfold it. And what do they get? Wars and rumors of wars, strikes and rumors of strikes, a lengthy rehash and expansion of last night's TV news, pompous editorials stating the obvious, and as- sorted junk. Some never read a paper at all, but depend on their news from the radio. The thing goes all day long with a steady stream of commer- cials, semi-hysterical _ disc- jockeys pouring forth piffle, and the same news and weather reports, almost ver- batim, every hour. Don't think this doesn't erode the soul. Some make the telephone their news media. They're not interested in world or nation- al news, but only in the local gossip, and_ they literally spend hours a day exchang- ing inanities with other ad- dicts. I would not care if we never had a telephone in the house. One of my mottoes is that no telephone call is ever worth answering. Then, of course, there are some people who are hooked on all forms of communica- tion. As a result, they never read a book, never think an original thought, and can be led around politically by the nose. These mass media add a lot to life, but they take a lot away as well. Under their constant barrage, we fail to cultivate our own garden. I'm all for some quiet. Would you like to try it?