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TV SUCKS!....May 22 '01 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line I believe that TV has fundamentally alienated us from one another! Is the bumper sticker my husband and I sported on the back of our 1984 Dodge Mini-van. Yes, we were trying to make a statement, and this was before we had any children. From both of our experiences, television had aided in a non-thinking, almost brain dead way of life. It had been, for both of us separately, a mind numbing venue to "shut ourselves off." We still have the belief that TV Sucks! We do not have cable hooked up, nor a sattellite. We do, however, watch movies on those nights when we just don't want to be bothered with thinking. It is a concious decision for us. We choose what we are going to see. Having a child made me more aware (get ready for the rant) of what was actually on the television. I believe that there are definite positives to the TV. There are great learning tools out there, but they should not be the sole education for your child. I believe that advertising is the biggest antagonist that has caused the demise of our culture. I believe that we "bought" the image of a single family home with two cars and a television in every room. I believe this image has been shown to us over and over and over again, and has thus separated us from our community. We no longer live in extended family situations. We no longer have the communal support when raising our children, instead we are isolated. It is all about the nuclear family that Sears and Kenmore sold us. It has been proven that children today see less colors, and less vividly than children 20 years ago. Their senses have been dulled by the constant colors on the television. Children should be outside, exploring the many different shades and colors the sunlight shows us. On rainy days, why not paint or read. There are so many things to do. I am not going to blame violence on television, however, I do believe that it is the parents responsibility to filter what their child is watching, or to be right there to explain that this is only television. For example, my husband, who is 38, was a young child when Vietnam was happening. At the time, there were a lot of "army" shows on. However, they also "played" Vietnam on the nightly news. My husband, being a small child and subject to these other shows, thought that "Vietnam" was just another war show. To me, that is very sad. I allow my daughter to watch movies sometimes. Usually when I am fried and need to get something done and she does not want to "help." We do not watch violent movies, we do not watch "adult" movies. This child will have enough nightmares growing up in a world where people are still killed because of the color of their skin, or because of who they love, she does not need these celluloid images floating around in her child-brain. I use television as a last resort, if any. I am not going to tell you how to raise your children. I have never claimed to know it all, but I wholeheartedly believe that our society has become so dependent on this one machine that is constantly telling us lies. There is rarely a positive message to be seen. Commercials bombard us and make us believe that more is better. Thin, lanky women adorn the screens giving our daughters unhealthy self-images. Never mind that the boys believe this is what women should look like. We do not look good enough, we do not smell good enough, we are not good enough is what the TV yells! If you are going to allow your children to watch a lot of TV, sit down with them and actually take a look at the commercials. Ask your daughters how the images make them feel. Ask your sons if they believe that this is what it is all about. If your children are younger, watch how they react to that bright new toy that does EVERYTHING. Pay attention to your children's realities. Okay, rant over. Thanks for reading.  |
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