How does the medium of television fundamentally alter the public perception of reality and the nature of conflict? Michael J. Arlen, a prominent cultural critic for The New Yorker, examines the pervasive influence of television during the late 1960s. Through a collection of thirty-six essays, he argues that the medium does not merely report on events but actively reshapes the viewer's relationship with society, politics, and the Vietnam War.

Critics frequently cite this work as a foundational text for understanding the early impact of televised warfare on the American public consciousness. Scholars often highlight Arlen's prose as a model for observational cultural criticism.