The Evil Electric Eye
Television, with its continuously shifting images, is fascinating. Some viewers are addicted to watching—even if they don’t inhale or ingest any illegal substances from their TV sets. The mesmerizing power of this 20th century invention, including its recent offspring that can be held in your hand, is at least 2.5 million years old and predates another hand-held invention from Paleolithic time—the stone ax.
The magic of TV is prehistoric since our eyes are involuntary drawn to anything moving in our environment, and more movement increases our fascination. In the beginning there was the single picture screen, but now network programmers divide the screen into two or more different action frames. Added underneath this screen of divided images is also a moving line of changing text. To the right of this may be a box of shifting stock market figures or the daily weather report. All these contribute to making watching this image machine even more fascinating.
Fascinating, referring to what is irresistibly attractive, surprisingly comes from the Latin fascinare, to cast under a spell…especially by the “evil eye”! We mistakenly believe being bewitched happens only in fairytales, while it can and does happen today to hundreds of millions! Some are so spellbound their sets are continuously turned on all day long into the night, as they are in nursing homes, airports, doctors’ waiting rooms, bars and restaurants.
Tele (long distance) & vision (sight) is a miraculous invention that brings into your home entertainment, instant news, education and sports. Its benefits are so marvelous that surely some fairytale must possess an old magic charm to prevent the Evil Eye’s curse of addiction. Yes, but you won’t find it in any old storybook, but among antiquity.
The ancient Egyptians used a mascara as magic to protect them against the Evil Eye. Men and women applied this cream of burnt almonds and black oxide in circles around their eyes. In Egypt’s bright desert light they found mascara absorbed sunlight and minimized the sun’s reflective glare in their eyes. Football and baseball players apply it under their eyes for the same reason today and not to ward off the evil eye. Yet mindful of malicious fans of some rival teams they might secretly use it for its ageless black magic powers.
To be shielded from television’s spellbinding curse, you don’t have to encircle your eyes with mascara. Simply ration watching it by using its instant off button.
The magic of TV is prehistoric since our eyes are involuntary drawn to anything moving in our environment, and more movement increases our fascination. In the beginning there was the single picture screen, but now network programmers divide the screen into two or more different action frames. Added underneath this screen of divided images is also a moving line of changing text. To the right of this may be a box of shifting stock market figures or the daily weather report. All these contribute to making watching this image machine even more fascinating.
Fascinating, referring to what is irresistibly attractive, surprisingly comes from the Latin fascinare, to cast under a spell…especially by the “evil eye”! We mistakenly believe being bewitched happens only in fairytales, while it can and does happen today to hundreds of millions! Some are so spellbound their sets are continuously turned on all day long into the night, as they are in nursing homes, airports, doctors’ waiting rooms, bars and restaurants.
Tele (long distance) & vision (sight) is a miraculous invention that brings into your home entertainment, instant news, education and sports. Its benefits are so marvelous that surely some fairytale must possess an old magic charm to prevent the Evil Eye’s curse of addiction. Yes, but you won’t find it in any old storybook, but among antiquity.
The ancient Egyptians used a mascara as magic to protect them against the Evil Eye. Men and women applied this cream of burnt almonds and black oxide in circles around their eyes. In Egypt’s bright desert light they found mascara absorbed sunlight and minimized the sun’s reflective glare in their eyes. Football and baseball players apply it under their eyes for the same reason today and not to ward off the evil eye. Yet mindful of malicious fans of some rival teams they might secretly use it for its ageless black magic powers.
To be shielded from television’s spellbinding curse, you don’t have to encircle your eyes with mascara. Simply ration watching it by using its instant off button.
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