TV -- PT. 3: GET MAD!! (YOU'RE GONNA ENJOY THIS!)

Peter Finch was the first person to win an acting Academy Award posthumously (Best Actor, 1977).

He won it for a landmark role in a film called "Network" -- and if you haven't seen this movie you should.

Finch played Howard Beale, "The Mad Prophet of the Airwaves," in the 1976 film. He gave so much to his role, some people at the time even speculated it killed him. (Well, he was also a hard drinking English-born Australian, so who knows?)

One has to be very careful getting information from a movie. Very careful. (That's why I have little respect for most war movies.) But there are nuggets of wisdom that come from Finch's character in "Network" that you must see... or watch again if you've seen them. They are truly iconic.

See the links below.

But be advised:

-- You'll notice that because Finch's character attacks TV, Hollywood had to make him a madman. Then he is automatically just a freak who can be discredited and the attacks on TV aren't valid.

-- The script focuses more on the problems that pour out of your TV rather than looking at the whole notion that televising "information" is a business owned and operated by a relatively small group of people.

And there are a few other things that aren't quite on the money, but if you keep your critical eye open, you can get a lot from these clips. They're moving. Finch killed in this role!

CLIPS:

"I'M AS MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!"

"WE'LL TELL YOU ANY SH*T YOU WANT TO HEAR!"

SLIGHTLY LONGER VERSION OF "MAD AS HELL"

Howard Beale was right: If you want anything to change, you do have to get mad. You have to get pissed off enough to get off your butt and reclaim your world, your life, your children's future.

And like the bumper sticker said: "If you aren't outraged, you're not paying attention."

Take care and get mad,
Adrian Zupp

IF THIS POST WAS INTERESTING TO YOU you might want to check out TV -- PT. 1: GETTING A GRIP ON REALITY and TV -- PT. 2: WHY TV MATTERS.