MARSHALL M C LUHAN Hot & Cold Characters by: Micheal Dickens

Marshall McLuhan and the effects of media  Here “culture guru” Marshall McLuhan discusses what is a ‘Hot’ and ‘Cold’ Character  Hot: Too much like one’s self.  Cold: Too much like nobody important.  Now, let’s take a look at the medium of TV!

People on TV used to be called ‘Stars’!  McLuhan says to Peter Gzowski that, “There are no more stars on TV, they are all called TV Personalities.”  McLuhan states, “The medium doesn’t allow ‘Hot’ stuff!”  Gzowski then asks McLuhan about politicians; to which he replies, “If Hitler would have been on TV, he would have only lasted an hour.”  McLuhan then goes on to talk about Nixon and Sen. McCarthy

What is “too hot”?  “ It happened to Sen. McCarthy… one broadcast finished him.”  McLuhan says that when a person looks like himself or comes off as himself, then he is “too hot”, and will “flame out”.  No corporate image!  McLuhan says that the same thing that happened to McCarthy happened to Nixon.  He said, “Nixon had only a private image, and no corporate image.”  Babies?  “Maam, all babies look like me.”  Churchill's Charisma was to “look like everybody’s babies.”

Good TV Image is…  McLuhan explains, “To be a good TV image, you got to look like a lot of nice other people. THAT is charisma!”  So, What is the underlying message?

YOU tell me!!!

MARSHALL M C LUHAN Hot & Cold Characters by: Micheal Dickens