art ed + web 2.0 + [e]merging media blog

I think this question relates to the idea that the "consumer is the producer." Americans who consume images of presidents like the one on 24 or The West Wing are not going to "produce" an overweight or extremely unattractive president. But television is more than just images. When we watch presidential characters on TV, we also hear them speak, which is part of what conveys their "gravitas." I think moving from being a book culture to a culture of electronic media has fed the anti-intellectualism of our society. And I think this sentiment can be linked to a distaste for candidates who don't project a certain non-bookish, non-academic, non-intellectual image. Attractive people are more successful in life. It's interesting to wonder if television is the genesis of this reality, or if it has heightened it, or if we were really just that shallow to begin with. Evolutionarily speaking, what makes a handsome man a better mate? I suppose it could have to do with freedom from disease or deformity. Since I'm really off topic now, I'll stop.