My family watched TV all the day. After grades started coming in sub-par and I had a little chat with Ma, she limited hours to weekends only. Now we got one on honor roll, another on merit. And the oldest just lured in a letter from the highschool declaring her state testing scores to be those of a gifted child. So.

A few semesters back I had to write a diagnostic essay on how to convince Parents that television MIGHT distort their childs perception on the reality of things. I did a fifteen minute free write and gave up. Too many questions raised. So I thought perhaps we could discuss some of the ideas and questions below. I tried to organize it, but it wasn't working. It is a free-write and takes a bit to begin moving on its own.


Childhood is A Most Precious Time in ones life. Really....think about it. Screw watching cartoons.

it is a good idea for children to watch television with a supervising adult, or, ideally the entire family. TALK ABOUT IT, ALL OF IT.

The worst thing is to approach the tv aimlessly without any particular program in mind. channel surfing is like crack cocaine-no kidding.

During commercials it is very important to turn the volume down or to change the channel.

Incessant bombardment of 'information' does not allow for the brain to reflect, subjecting the child to the every whim of the media mind.

Being a child their cognitive abilities have not (fully) developed. Is it important for a child to (consciously) develop cognition independent of television?

Even If the child has good Judgment and Reasoning skills, can we trust that any of TV will not eat their imagination?

Even as an adult my perception of reality is distorted when I watch television, and I think myself to have adequate cognitive skills. So, how about that?

TV kills the imagination...it keeps the imagination confined to a finite arena. TV subjects the child’s imagination to someone else’s imagination, leaving their own imagination-muscle no opportunity to exercise ....no no no...television allows the imagination-muscle to lie dormant, eventually atrophying, becoming nearly nonexistent. there is of course the opportunity to apply an infinite imagination, BUT, it does not Demand that one do so. and people are lazy. And kids don’t know no better.

TV kills ones ability to concentrate what with all the constant pseudo-stimulation. TV reduces a Persons ability to focus and concentrate into commercial length blurts. Hell, I can’t even write this damn paper because I can’t focus in on one area and critically access it. Scattered.

TVs heavy stuff, kids shouldn't watch it! Nobody should. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeew.

regardless of TV being Good or Bad, there’s better things to do, right? Childhood is A Most Precious Time in ones life. Really....think about it. Screw watching Married With Children. What a filthy show.

I am comfortable saying that Teletubbies is perhaps the safest thing on TV. Isn't learning how to jump, play, sing, pretend, laugh, and Be an okay thing to teach our children? at least when in comparison to other available programs?
That and it, in an odd way, strongly resembles a friendly psychadelic experience such as mushrooms.

Most children are not capable of watching (most of) television in a constructive way, it is your role as the parent to build in them a reflective ability so that they may learn to constructively use the television experience.

With your parental guidance, that crack-cocaine-blipping-wide-eyed-in-the-corner-of-your-living-room can actually serve as a sort of educator on the 'reality of things'.

Regardless of statistics, regardless of whether or not a violent act on TV directly or indirectly influences a child’s behavior is really of no importance when it comes down to It. Don't you believe that that which does not enrich life, is if only in that way, detracting from? If you do not see the current function of the TV as some sort of terrible atrocity, I still trust that you believe that there are wholly Better and more VALUABLE ways for your child to use time. So why bother trying to solve the problem of TV? Break ‘em and be done with em. Amen.

As parents, it is our duty to explain to our children the desensitizing abilities of the TV experience. We can do this by teaching to them the tools necessary for critical thinking.

There are a few television programs that meet and exceed my ideas of what television should be. Unfortunately, these programs are either disappearing or conforming to the new pop media standard of obnoxious voice-overs and razzle-dazzle bright lights, disgustingly sardonic irony. what happened to the discovery channel? What happened to the Simpsons? Why does South Park, so crude and , appear more intelligent than anything on the news. For god sake, why was the Swan NOT

There is nothing to counter the television experience on television. this is getting messy... is it okay to use subjective and objective definitions in the same sentence? ...depends on your audience... ...who is my audience? the parents of elementary school students

It would be best to do some sort of stretching during commercials or between programs, or, and ideally, if you are not alone, talk about what was just watched.


It is important for me to say that the most demanding concerns I have with television are not merely about the content, their ratings, and the consequent behavior it elicits in our children, but with the very fact that people seem to prefer television to real life experiences, to substance. To 'good' 'old-fashioned' reality. TV is looking to be less and less part of our reality as a reality on to itself. Our children are growing up increasingly lazy and irreverent on EVERY level. ( I can’t think of or name any of these levels, but these are Decadent times, if only with regard to American Media. Ask yourselves, what reasonable person would readily submit to being pandered to as opposed to bettering themselves mentally, physically, spiritually or otherwise? Then again, reason could easily point the way to junk food, tv, sex and other base pleasures. Maybe it does all make sense.

It is important for us to ask ourselves, "What is it about the current state of things that allows my child to feel comfortable with themselves sitting mindlessly, or otherwise, infront of a television at hours on end. Why do the children of today overwhelmingly prefer a flaccid imitation to life than to the very real and very awe-inducing activity of being, of simply exercising ones free-will in a country that allows one to succeed as much as they are willing to work. Romantic and sentimental notions aside, talking a long walk is better than almost any physical non-participatory experience, especially any found on the boob tube. Yet, you don’t see too many people talking long walks anymore. Or maybe I don’t see too many people taking long walks anymore.

Our children’s life experiences are being reduced to two dimensional snippets of a bland manufactured 'reality'. What fond memories of childhood will our children have as adults? A particularly touching episode of Rosanne? Mama’s Family? Some trite cal on Full House? Or, god forbid, some junk on a Reality Show?

My younger siblings childhoods seem to consist of an unhealthy quantity of t.v. experiences. I watch them stare at the screen, at garbage like Sister Sister and CNN and MTV, and I think "they can't Really be enjoying that" "Don’t they want to get up and do something? be good at something?" "why do they all look so lost and defeated?" It seems like they feel they have no place in this world, they have no Meaning or Purpose or Value- may as well Veg-out. They are becoming increasingly hopeless. Daily, dozens of contradicting philosophies are crammed into their minds, negating one another until they are left with an empty, terrifying nihilism.

Tell your children to turn the television off, tell them to get up and Do something with themselves, to find their passion and smother their hearts in it. Television is threatening to replace reality with an abhorrent imitation of itself. It is removing us from the subjective experiences that nurture and encourage individualism. TV culture is experiencing itself collectively, but their is no merit, no substance. So we are collectively becoming duller, cruder, more base.

Images of heavenly faces without exception are suggesting that there is no good life to be had unless you got the right look. That unless you are extremely good looking, there’s very little pleasure for you to experience in this modern world. The plastic surgery phenomena is a direct result of television.

The drug like pleasures of t.v. will fade (or wont!), eventually people will demand More of themselves, of the media, and of their children, of life - as the Current Trend of the media and globalization is all too clearly leading the masses into an opiated non-existence, or Life As We Know It-ending wars. It is make it or break it time. People are becoming increasingly polarized. Things do seem to be reaching some sort of climax.

I trust people will get tired of being sick and tired. Until then, television will continue to have drastic consequences, of which we can only hope are reparable. (of course they are) (right?)

SOAP OPERAS! OH NO!...oh no. SOAP OPERAS! The people that watch them!??!?! What wastes. What dirt.

We must refuse to cater to nostolgia and escapism! TV goes nowhere! sentimentality goes nowhere! (where are you trying to go mike?)

When did life experiences lose their meaning? why does it seem that our children our retreating from life?

SO!!!....

who am i speaking to? the parents of elementary students
in what context am i speaking/my role? as principal
is it inappropriate to be more than a bit informal as a principal speaking to parents? ???
what is the problem? i am to convince the parents that TV distorts a child’s perception of reality. (are there people out there who don’t know that??? do they think such a thing is even debatable???? crazy.)
*********
hasn't tv become part of a childs reality?
isnt tv a reality in and of itself?
what is a childs perception of reality?
what is the reality of things?
how am i to approach the art of persuasion? with facts? by inducing a state of confusion? with questions?
where do i stand on the matter?
dont those who know, know, and those who don’t, don’t? what I mean is, how do i avoid singing to the choir, preaching to the converted mike
what do i mean when i say tv? TV as a whole (programs, commercials, news), or am i referring to those programs which I personally consider harmful. or the Idea of TV. i think i would attack the way the Idea of the TV has manifested itself in Popular Culture. OR maybe it comes down to human nature and the TV has just become a way for us to manifest our true nature in a most unpleasant way.
is it appropriate to think in blankets? no i don’t think that is of much use. oh but the details will drive you mad. There’s no end to them.


The art of persuasion is usually carried out with black and whites...can grays really be all that persuasive? am i really interested in persuading anybody? do i, for the sake of argument, speak in black and whites?

do i propose an answer if I propose a problem? do i have any answers? does it matter if they are subjective?

A safe approach is numbers. Numbers are objective if anything ever was. Numbers suggest factual information...maybe i should rely on statistics and remain as objectionable as possible....sociological approach
What percentage of American’s owns a television set? What percentage of American’s watch television? children? etc.etc. how much tv do people watch?
how does the amount of tv being watched correspond with other percentages, such as depression, crime, mental illnesses, amount of time socializing, the general consensus of 'where the country/people is headed', the intelligence of our children etc.etc.

In a world becoming increasingly polarized, we must teach our children tolerance and compassion, something that is ignored or refuted consistently in popular media culture.

As parents, it is our duty to explain to our children the desensitizing abilities of the TV experience. We can do this by teaching to them the tools necessary for critical thinking. By teaching them tolerance. By teaching them compassion. Encourage them to read books, to make friends. Talk with them. Ask them how they feel about things. Develop in them an interest in the classics, in history, in other cultures etc. etc. etc. If your too busy with work or other such B.S. then maybe you should get your priorities straightened out! These are our children!

If i could show to the parents how their own perceptions are (NEGATIVELY) distorted by television, could i use that to persuade them that Television must then affect negatively their children’s perceptions, considering that they are far less developed cognitively than themselves? that sounds about right...
Should we acknowledge television as being part of our perceptions of reality?
reality is all there is. this includes tv, right? if a group feels there is a problem with the reality of things, isn't saying that a specific entity is the cause of the General Problem with Things miniaturizing the Whole Thing? is tv the problem or are people the problem? are children people in the sense that they have as much responsibility for themselves as adults?
If i believe that there is a problem with television, and specifically, that it is harmful for children to watch tv, and that tv is a part of or reflects reality, aren't I saying there is a problem with the reality of things, or excuse me, there is a problem with the way that we understand the reality of things, and that a higher consciousness is necessary to solve this (or THE) problem?
what problem?
Don’t those who know, know, and those who don’t, don’t?
What’s the problem???

Machols,

I don't know what kind of response you'll get to your post because it's so long. I can't devote time to reading it in fully. Sorry.

My general take is, I think, the same as yours: TV can (and does) affect our lives and perceptions. Adults should monitor kids TV intake. Parents who use TV as "babysitter" are simply poor parents.

I enjoy TV. Probably more than I should. But my consumption and enjoyment of it is tempered by a life of reading philosophy. I know many academics who don't even OWN a TV set, but I'm not like that.

I haven't read your whole post. I apologize if I misrepresent your views.

You end with a question..."what's the problem?" It's easy to blame EVERYTHING on poor parenting, so I won't. But there's a LOT of poor parenting going on, and that's a damn shame.

I wonder what the kids who grow up on Spongebob will turn into. On the one hand, the show is pretty idiotic. But one thing you have to realize about Spongebob is that he takes his job making Crabby Patties more seriously than anyone would expect him to. He tries his hardest, and seems to consider that to be its own reward.

I actually try to live that way. Reality doesn't come with a cosmic justice machine to ensure that every good deed and effort goes proportionally rewarded, but I'll bet those who "irrationally" committ to trying hard, being nice, and making the right choices in every situation will find themselves to be "lucky" more often than those who will only do something if it brings them immediate gain.

Television should by no means be used as a babysitter. BUT, I don't think it is as bad as it is made out to be. I read an article in "USA Today" talking about child-care not too long ago think about all of the "Motivation" that occured in the eighties and early nineties, all of those ninth place trophies, those kids grew up to become my generation, some of them might be "Soft-skinned" but they are still working individuals. They will make it, education will eventually open their minds because they are trying to teach algebra to fourth graders, reading in kindergarten, etc, etc. It could balance out.

Do I agree with you Machols, yes. Do I see it as imprending doom? Nope.

There are some really pointless television shows for kids, but there are also some very good ones that encourage critical thinking and exercise.

Machols, your post covers a lot of ground.

One thing I strongly disagree with, myself being a "child" or "teen" is that this issue shouldnt be limited at all to children but to all people, parents and adults included. I think it has the same effects on all people.

Now, when you say "children" are you talking about a 1 year old or a 17 year old??? I believe the children above 10 or so should be able to make that decision for themselves. You may be surprised how much kids know and care about themselves and their well-being. I, personally, at 13 care more about limiting myself to tv than my parents and always have.

Childhood is a precious time of life, I totally agree, but isnt life a precious time altogether?

Now, is this post you wrote about telivision or screens altogether. Another issue that can be brought up is video games or going to the movies.

I think EVERYTHING in life is ok to do. As long as NOTHING is done in excess. I think it is absurd that one shouldnt watch ANY tv.

Personally, I used to watch when I was much younger, 2-3 hours a day on weekdays! My grades remained a's and didnt change. I dont watch nearly that much now and my grades havent changed slightly. I find it impossible that telivison could be responsible for that much of a grade drop as you pointed out.

The major reason why children watch television is because they are constantly bored and have nothing to do. Do you think tv is bad if you are still well-rounded with reading, exercising ect.?

Now, about spongebob, that show is currently watched and appreciated more by 16 year olds as a fashion statement than by kids. So that is not a right comparison.

Now, really, is there ANY proof that tv "Destroys your brain" as many people say? Or is that just for paranoid parents?

Again, this issue shouldnt include kids because it is not an issue only for children but one for everyone.

You are obviously correct, Elijah, but what Machols is TRYING to do is tell you a PERSONAL story, just like you did. Not everyone's genes or environments are the same. And, without a doubt, not everyone's awareness or concern for REALITY are the same. Yours are fine and so are Machols'.

The computer is obviously a screen, and I'm sure I'm abusing it, and I'm 49! Of course, if I didn't abuse this screen, I'd be watchin' more flicks in front of the other screen. The best to you and yours, E!

quote:

Originally posted by E.M.:
Machols, your post covers a lot of ground.

One thing I strongly disagree with, myself being a "child" or "teen" is that this issue shouldnt be limited at all to children but to all people, parents and adults included. I think it has the same effects on all people.

True enough. I think that children and teens often (not always) lack the kind of decision making abilities that adults are supposed to have. I assume that Machols could simply rest his argument on the claim that a grown adult has the capability to make a good decision, but children and even some teens haven't developed that yet. The cognitive psychology literature seems to indicate that teens, even older ones, tend not to plan ahead for life. Of course, I know plenty of adults who are the same way!

Well, I think the key is everything in moderation. The attitude 'keep tabs on everything your children watch and micromanage their entire lives' that seems to be popular in discourse today...I don't think it's really that necessary.

Let your children watch shows they want, but force them to keep it to maybe half an hour a day or so. When they've watched that show, make them get off the TV and go do their homework.

Or better yet, reward them with TV programs they like if they get good grades.

Children watching four hours of TV a day, never getting outside, and being so attached to it it distracts them from everything else is awful, obviously. But it's still important to give kids some freedom to do what they want in their free time, I think, and the TV's a pretty convenient scapegoat for all the problems children may have.

quote:

But it's still important to give kids some freedom to do what they want in their free time, I think, and the TV's a pretty convenient scapegoat for all the problems children may have.

As are video games. I was surprised about the banning the sale of "Violent or crude" video games to minors in Illinois, not because it happened, but because people made it out to be a big deal. In Florida, it has been in affect for a while. My little brother got carded for trying to purchase "Halo 2" when he was 16. The here is that you must be 17 or older to purchase games that are rated M for Mature.

And I pretty much agree with you completely Bob.

Mike, I believe Illinois was the first state to actually pass a law about it, actually. Most places that sell games, however, have taken the initiative in the interest of not getting negative media attention.

God, I love classic Nickelodeon. Maybe I should've started a new category for this, but did anyone read the story on the classic Nickelodeon showPete and Pete on Pop Matters. That article is so great I don't think I have anything to add to it, except that I now feel I have to buy Pete and Pete on DVD. If you ever watched Pete and Pete as a kid like me this is a must read.

I loved Pete and Pete when I was a kid. It's a great kid's show. But I doubt I'd like it the same way today.

I mean..the episode where small Pete tries to stay up 11 days just to defy his parents? He's a rebellious pre-teen's GOD!

"Pete and Pete" is classic Nickelodeon. Oh man, I'm getting old. Then what's "Dangermouse" and "You Can't Do That on Television" — golden age? (AND you haven't heard the Talking Heads!) Now I know what it feels like to be one of those obnoxious, uppity, older people. They do it because they're bitter and angry. All those wasted years...

Just read that hefty first post...for aboout 3 years during my childhood we went without TV. I think this had a positive effect on me.

I was thinking, for aspiring musicians, surely listening to music non-stop by-passes inspiration and drains your creativity? Perhaps...

back to TV...

I'm 17 now, I tend to think too much, sometimes I just need to 'veg out' in front of the TV...it does me more good than bad (in moderation of course).

You say TV is detrimental to a child's imagination, I beg to differ. I feel that some of the programmes I watched stimulated my imagination. As was the case with computer games, I was inspired to write my own stories by certain games, they re-ignited a spark in me...I also started reading more books as a result.

Watching sport always did me good, I pick things up very easily and watching a lot of sport serves me well when I play various sports...I don't think sports are a problem anyway.

computer games again, apparently they vastly improve hand-eye co-ordination...

I've played my fair share of computer games, watched my fair share of TV, I feel fine. I think that if you're a good parent, then you have nothing to worry about.

That's just a few scattered thoughts on various issues raised here...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: headinsand,

Yeah, it's really about moderation. You need to just limit them, and not then them go out of control with both the content and the amount of games that kids play. I always play sports games and shooter games. I think that a balance is worth something personally. Same thing with movies, just don't keep watching Predator uncut over and over, change it up with something else.

Yeah, the original post really is too long. I gave up on reading it all when I realised that the end of that post is at around the halfway point on the scroll bar (perhaps even a bit lower).

I think that most television is lowest common denominator garbage, but it isn't a dangerous influence on today's youth. The television set was not designed as a substitute for proper parenting; it's an accessible enough form of entertainment for developing kids as to be a convenient scapegoat. I don't think that any modern problems with society can be considered a "direct result" of television.

quote:

Originally posted by Biggles:
I don't think that any modern problems with society can be considered a "direct result" of television.

Agreed. I think some overuse of it does contribute to the problem, but I don't think that you can play cause and effect with TV and anything else that's bad.

i understand this post died months ago, but i never got around to reading any of the responses. wish i had. a lot of good points. really i had and have a very limited view of television given that i haven't watched more than maybe 15 hours in the past year. if that. (yes i am proud (very very proud)) any time i turn the tv on the damn sister has it set on the disney channel and i sit frozen in horror for a few minutes...in a stupefied daze... jam my thumb thru the button, disgusted. just want to shoot everyone who happens to stumble in my sight for the rest of the day (yeah,,, i have issues). but..comon now, im not evil or anything...its just that all them disney-children tramp-dancing, all the pre-pubescent moaning, the phony-bands posturing and selling their souls...it really makes you want to rage and weep. those shows are the devil. you know it. the goddamned devil. or its on sister sister. AGH. you know those girls are like 26 or something??? soul-less wretches.

so anyway. enough ranting. after reading thru the responses and remembering pete and pete, afternoons of goonies, the first time i saw hellraiser on an afternoon matinee, predator, early simpsons, first few years of the xfiles eating huge monster sized sundays with the neighbors...TGIF with early boy meets world...those are warm, relaxed times. tv as a tool or instrument is not the slow exploding atom bomb that my non-essay suggested it was. it is bad parenting. and bad genes. bad food. whatever. i agree...moderation.

but whats up with shows like swan? i mean...five of the 15 hours of television i watched in the past year were of that show (or was that the year before???). regardless... i was glued. one of the strangest shows i have ever seen on the tube. i don't even know what to say about it. did anyone else happen to viddy?

oh wait...maybe 20 hours...cause i did watch a lot of hells kitchen.. and that was fun.

remember twin peaks? one of televisions miracles. seinfeld? thats how i made it though middleschool. (someone argue how seinfeld could be seen as a terrible program to allow children or anyone for that matter to watch, cause you could...easily) curb your enthusiasm? still makes me laugh. actually...all three of those shows could be seen to be just as bad if not worse than a lot of what i personally would attack as garbage. they are cold, ironic, violent in their humor... but they feel so warm to me. anyway.

yeah its not television. its bad parenting.

but there are some rather cold individuals out there polluting the airwaves with rather life-negating garbage...thats really not that good for anyone. i mean, it could be better, and i wish people were demanding more from the producers and creators of tv programs. the tv does have a lot of potential. but. a lot of the afternoon childrens shows, the new cartoons. they don't seem to have the value and merit of the past generations programs. the reality shows are all-in-all bad. fear factor has become a monotonous farce of exploitation. and i really don't think shows like CSI are healthy...for anyone. developing that kind of attitude towards violent crime is unneccesarily desensitizing. and yes, i know its entertaining. but. but but but??? what? i don't know. this is scattered... and those are weak points.

quote:

I don't know what kind of response you'll get to your post because it's so long. I can't devote time to reading it in fully. Sorry.

quote:

Yeah, the original post really is too long. I gave up on reading it all when I realised that the end of that post is at around the halfway point on the scroll bar (perhaps even a bit lower).

...seriously...if a five minute read is too long for you guys...i donno...maybe your attention span is in need of some serious repair. perhaps one too many commercials? eh? eh? eh?

quote:

One thing I strongly disagree with, myself being a "child" or "teen" is that this issue shouldnt be limited at all to children but to all people, parents and adults included. I think it has the same effects on all people.

i agree with you...its just that:

quote:

A few semesters back I had to write a diagnostic essay on how to convince Parents that television MIGHT distort their childs perception on the reality of things. I did a fifteen minute free write and gave up. Too many questions raised. So I thought perhaps we could discuss some of the ideas and questions below. I tried to organize it, but it wasn't working. It is a free-write and takes a bit to begin moving on its own.

quote:

You say TV is detrimental to a child's imagination, I beg to differ. I feel that some of the programmes I watched stimulated my imagination. As was the case with computer games, I was inspired to write my own stories by certain games, they re-ignited a spark in me...I also started reading more books as a result.

quote:

TV kills the imagination...it keeps the imagination confined to a finite arena. TV subjects the child’s imagination to someone else’s imagination, leaving their own imagination-muscle no opportunity to exercise ....no no no...television allows the imagination-muscle to lie dormant, eventually atrophying, becoming nearly nonexistent. there is of course the opportunity to apply an infinite imagination, BUT, it does not Demand that one do so. and people are lazy. And kids don’t know no better

so i agree that television offers excellent opportunities to expand creatively. but teaching the skills neccessary is an often neglected responsibility of parents. and some kids just aren't that bright.

quote:

I was thinking, for aspiring musicians, surely listening to music non-stop by-passes inspiration and drains your creativity? Perhaps...

this would be an extremely interesting topic. im going to start it.

well creativity some how depends on individual to individual. and i don't agree that TV drains the creativity