Originally posted by Joe King:
To all Americans out there: please please please tell me that the guests on Jerry Springer do not represent the average American...
Not the guests, no, but think about it... this show (and the other horrible shows) wouldn't be ON unless a whole lotta people want it. THAT's the scary part for me--the fact that so many people watch this stuff that it's worth producing (and worth advertising dollars). Yikes. So the VIEWERS of these shows represent the average American, and that's horrifying
Bert and I got rid of our television several years ago (the kids survived just fine) and many of our friends have done the same. We saw a sticker recently, "Television promotes illiteracy" but I think it goes way past that. What do people do if they have no television? Read, listen to (and create) music, exercise, etc. at the least, spend more time on the internet, sure, but that's an *active* process instead of the passive tv thing, and even playing video games and surfing the net are much more engaging than television. I'd rather have my kids playing video games than watching reality TV (or worse -- television news!) and commercials any day.
Studies show so many negative effects of television, not the least of which is that sitting on the couch watching tv burns LESS calories than if you just sit on the couch and do nothing *without* tv on. It's scary what tv does to your brain waves and metabolism, and that's without even considering the CONTENT of what's on.
scientific american article on tv When Bert and I want to freak ourselves out a little
(a fun hobby we have), we just walk around the block about 8:00 PM on any night, and watch the faint blue glow coming from inside every single house on the block. It's like a horror/sci-fi movie where everyone is being brainwashed at the same time. Now, I'm sure that some of these folks are watching good movies, or maybe an educational program, but it's more fun (and scary) for us to imagine them slack-jawed, eyes glazed over, drooling slightly, with that flickering glow washing across them.
I wonder what America would be like if one day we walked around the block and found most of the people reading ("hey, there's a guy sitting by the fire with a book"), or exercising, or playing chess (oops--I mean GO) with their kids, or... ANYTHING but watching television. And having television going in the background doesn't count--you can't get into a flow state on an activity (because you can't become fully engaged) if the tv is on in the background. And if you're not paying attention to it, then why have it? There's no such thing as just video wallpaper. If you want sound, put on music--something proven to have *beneficial* effects on the brain and body.
So, KILL YOUR TELEVISION.
turnoffyourtv.com cheers,
Kathy