Who Tube?

Philo T. Farnsworth: the man the myth the legend. Wait a second who? Have I heard this legend? The truth is, no, you have probably not heard anything at all about this man. Why? It seems to me like another case of “the winners write the history.” RCA, having won patent battles, would not be likely to publicize Philo T. Farnsworth’s true role in the invention of the television. Why should they? It would be bad for business to draw attention to such a seedy underbelly.

In light of our sociology class, RCA was the dominant group due to sheer volume and economic reasons. A majority in the sense of numbers, RCA with its deep pockets and established status had the power over Farnsworth. As the “Domination and Subordination” reading states “a dominant group, inevitably, has the greatest influence in determining a culture’s overall outlook—its philosophy, morality, social theory, and even its science.” RCA meets the aforementioned criteria of dominant. The fact that Farnsworth remains little known is evidence of the power exercised. Class and economic status can cause discrimination as well as race, gender, etc. Not having the resources to go toe to toe with RCA, is an example of economic disability in the case of Farnsworth.