Another classic dystopia. Huxley argued that a happy but carefully controlled society would be crippling to the soul. In an atmosphere of culture control and drugs, people can live calm, simple lives of ease, but human beings deserve the chance to develop as individuals. Because it thereby damages the spirit of the viewer, Mander wants people to turn off their TVs, for good. He's right on both counts.
Postman argues that the latter belief is the more common one, and that it's dangerously wrong.
The physical artifact that is an automobile carries a social change. Adopting automobiles into one's life means that one then comes to a value choice between using up the oil in the ground, alternative energy sources, or giving up cars. So the car brings with it the industry and results of oil drilling. Millions of people read newspapers, watch TV news shows, listen to the radio, in efforts to stay in touch with some important information. Herman and Chomsky argue that news is not objective information, but more like fairy tales with a truthful element surrounded by many layers of fantasy.