The one thing I learned this week is that in order for an orality culture to exist, there should be repetitiveness in speech, the speech should be constructed in a way that allows people of a certain domain to understand it, and that there must be no knowledge of writing.

It is probably more noticeable to see repetitiveness in writing, and there is for sure, rules that govern writing in general; the proper use of commas, punctuation, the correct use of verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and so on. These to me are less noticeable in orality than written text.

In comparing Ong’s theories about orality, and watching “Manufacturing Consent” and “Outfoxed”, there is clearly a relation between Ong’s theories, and the use of them in the two movies. For one, Chomsky makes repetitive nuances to the media being a form of control over the masses in order to direct or redirect what information should be disseminated to the public for means of supporting government decision-making, or distraction of decisions that are made by the government. According to Chomsky, the media chooses what stories to disseminate to the public. It is the effective use of mnemonics and formulas to create rhythmic discourse, as well as distraction.

In the movie “Outfoxed”, Greenwald points to specific behaviors by FOX News that support Chomsky, and contradict FOX’s “fair and balanced” journalism. The repetitive sayings like “people are saying”, by news reporters appears to be a scheme to win the public over. After watching the movie, I was appalled by what was revealed to me through the uncanny journalistic behavior by FOX News correspondents.

Distraction or covert styles of journalism that capture the public’s attention are well thought out by FOX. I was attracted though by the genius of how FOX News is broadcast, and by the intellect that goes into their broadcasting, which apparently does win over the masses. News is business, and in order to make a profit, you have to “outfox” your competition.
In reflecting on Ong’s “verbomotor” cultures, he states that these cultures rely more on the effective use of words and human interaction, and less on visual inputs. In watching “Outfoxed”, I noticed that Greenwald points to both the effective use of words and visual cues in FOX’s broadcasting style. The American Flag as a backdrop to most stories, the use of the words “fair and balanced” as their credo.

My lessons learned for this week are 1) orality, while in all appearance seems to be simple is very complex. There are a number of elements that need to be considered in a culture that relies on oral communication. Words, sentence construct, sound, thought and expression, make for a complex dialogue. I do not agree with Ong that words are not signs. Text to me is symbols, and I believe symbols ARE signs, 2) orality, if effectively used, could be a good method in reporting the news. While my perspective of FOX News has been tarnished by watching the movie “Outfoxed”, I believe if they were to use orality in a more positive manner (based on my perception of “Outfoxed”) they could be a much more objective, fair and balanced, media.