To Stephanie, I’d respond as follows:
- Using a calculator is not math
- Using a spreadsheet is not bookkeeping
- Using Photoshop is not painting
- Using a word processor is not handwriting
- Using a database is not organization
- Using CGI is not acting
- Using green screens is not scenic design
- A movie is not theater
- A recording is not making music
- Moveable type is not a manuscript
- A mechanical loom is not a loom
- A car is not a horse
- And I didn’t hand code my MB website
And I have no doubt that we lost something when each new invention replaced an older form. Believe me, as a theater historian, I am quite aware of the effect movies had on my chosen art form. But while we lost something each time, we gained something as well. And we can have discussions about whether what was gained was more than what was lost. People like Richard Sennett can write entire books about what is lost and people like me can stubbornly and passionately stick to my belief that theater is a superior art form to film and TV (or at least WAS superior before playwrights forgot that the stage is NOT the same as film or TV and requires differenttechniques). But as an argument, to say something is “not the same” as something else is pretty weak sauce.