a huge question, but I really need help.

[japanjapan]

Dear Teachers,
I am studying one article Is Storytelling Dead? It talks about TV. it was written by Douglas Rushkoff, published in TV World, Oct. 1996.

this article is very difficult for me, although I know most of the words, I can not grasp its idea. I subtracted some text which are most puzzling here.

I know this question is huge, but you know I am a teacher of English, I am to teach this article in ten days. so my students and I really need your help.

the following is the selected text, the blue parts are my questions.

.......
Our kids don't even go to rock concerts anymore; they go to raves, where there's no sexy singer for everyone to face. The rave dance, a spiritual event, is a great example of the third cultural phase, what I call "recapitulation".

-------- What is a rave? why is it a spiritual event?

Rather than relating to someone else's spiritual story, young people create their own. The rave event recapitulates a spiritual truth. It is spirituality. The monetary equivolent of recapitulation is the Federal Reserve note. It is cash, but it has no value in relation to some real metal. The dollar recapitulates the original function of money. It is money.

--------What the hell does " recapitulate" mean? I looked it up, dictionary says it means "describe what has already been done or decided, without repeating the details." and recapitulate=recap. but this explanation does not make sense here. this word is the key to my questions
--------why does cash have no value?

The recapitulation of TV (subtitle)
How does television become recapitulatory? Check out Beavis and Butthead. The experience of those two little animated boys recapitulates the experience of the child watching MTV. It is a screen within a screen. The viewer watches viewers watching television. Beavis and Butthead allow the screenagers to maintain a distance from the programming. In fact, they encourage it.

------what is Beavis and butthead? what does this example mean? this paragraph completely beats me.
and by the way, the author mensioned "screenages: those raised with interactive devices in their media arsenals, are natives in a mediaspace where even the best television produces are immigrants."

If a beautiful girl in an MTV video passes through the frame, a traditional viewer may be drawn into the trance. Before too long Beavis will exclaim,"Nice set!" The viewers are alienated from the sexy image, forced to keep their distance.

-------- what does" pass through the frame " mean?
-------- What does "nice set" mean? why can Beavis exclaim? is it a software to monitor tv set?

Mystery Science Theater 3000 teaches an even more advanced lesson in media literacy. The object of the game is to make connections between different examples of media. Two robots and a man watch bad movies, and make constant wisecracks. Their jokes always hinge on an obscure media reference. The delight of the show is in making the connection between the seemingly distant references. It is the same style of comedy that has kept The Simpsons alive so long.

-------- What is "Mystery Science Theater 3000" ?
------- what does the last sentence mean? why is it mensioned here?

thanks a million !!!

[rancher247]

Dear Teachers,
I am studying one article Is Storytelling Dead? It talks about TV. it was written by Douglas Rushkoff, published in TV World, Oct. 1996.

this article is very difficult for me, although I know most of the words, I can not grasp its idea. I subtracted some text which are most puzzling here.

I know this question is huge, but you know I am a teacher of English, I am to teach this article in ten days. so my students and I really need your help.

the following is the selected text, the blue parts are my questions.

.......
Our kids don't even go to rock concerts anymore; they go to raves, where there's no sexy singer for everyone to face. The rave dance, a spiritual event, is a great example of the third cultural phase, what I call "recapitulation".

-------- What is a rave? why is it a spiritual event?
check out the following website: Urban Dictionary: rave


Rather than relating to someone else's spiritual story, young people create their own. The rave event recapitulates a spiritual truth. It is spirituality. The monetary equivolent of recapitulation is the Federal Reserve note. It is cash, but it has no value in relation to some real metal. The dollar recapitulates the original function of money. It is money.

--------What the hell does " recapitulate" mean? I looked it up, dictionary says it means "describe what has already been done or decided, without repeating the details." and recapitulate=recap. but this explanation does not make sense here. this word is the key to my questions
--------why does cash have no value?
check out: Fiat currency - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "debate over a term" section

The recapitulation of TV (subtitle)
How does television become recapitulatory? Check out Beavis and Butthead. The experience of those two little animated boys recapitulates the experience of the child watching MTV. It is a screen within a screen. The viewer watches viewers watching television. Beavis and Butthead allow the screenagers to maintain a distance from the programming. In fact, they encourage it.

------what is Beavis and butthead? what does this example mean? this paragraph completely beats me.
and by the way, the author mensioned "screenages: those raised with interactive devices in their media arsenals, are natives in a mediaspace where even the best television produces are immigrants."
check out: Beavis and Butt-head - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If a beautiful girl in an MTV video passes through the frame, a traditional viewer may be drawn into the trance. Before too long Beavis will exclaim,"Nice set!" The viewers are alienated from the sexy image, forced to keep their distance.

-------- what does" pass through the frame " mean? =appears on TV
-------- What does "nice set" mean? why can Beavis exclaim? is it a software to monitor tv set?
see above link.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 teaches an even more advanced lesson in media literacy. The object of the game is to make connections between different examples of media. Two robots and a man watch bad movies, and make constant wisecracks. Their jokes always hinge on an obscure media reference. The delight of the show is in making the connection between the seemingly distant references. It is the same style of comedy that has kept The Simpsons alive so long.

-------- What is "Mystery Science Theater 3000" ?
check out: Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
------- what does the last sentence mean? why is it mensioned here?
Simpsons and Mystery Science Theater 3000 use the same type of comedy-Simpsons has been successful using this comedy type.
It draws a comparison with other television programs to expand their evidence base.

thanks a million !!!

Hope this helps.
In the future, try consulting google or wikipedia.org to find basic information to answer questions like What is "_________".

[Tdol]

Raves were fueled by the drug ecstasy, which made many people feel they were having a spiritual experience and not just dancing in a night club.

[japanjapan]

Hope this helps.
In the future, try consulting google or wikipedia.org to find basic information to answer questions like What is "_________".

I can not visit that wiki website. but now all I know is that those are two movies. but I still can not understand. I think this is culture.

I need more detailed instruction. just like "pass through the frame", it means "appear on TV". Now i know , thanks a lot.