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T.V. FAQ's

Isn't some TV worthwhile, positive ­ even educational?

There is some research which seems to demonstrate that children and adults can be educated by certain types of TV shows. It
is also true that some programming is informative and worthwhile. That being said, one should not immediately jump for the "on"
button, because we have to weigh these positive aspects of TV against the negatives.

Take a show like "Sesame Street," for example. Yes, there have been studies which have indicated that "Sesame Street" can
improve a child's ability to recognize letters and numbers, among other things. However, "Sesame Street," like the vast majority
of children's programming, is designed to hold a child's interest by flashing a barrage of sound and movement at a very fast rate.
There is compelling research which indicates that this barrage of sound and movement shortens the attention span. Thus, Suzi
might spend her first five years watching "educational" children's TV, and learn quite a bit from it. But when Suzi gets into
elementary school, all of her knowledge won't help her when she can't focus and concentrate on schoolwork (and life in general)
because she has a short attention span.

My point is this: Yes, TV can offer good programming. But that fact alone is not enough to outweigh the numerous negative side
effects of TV. Yes, if you watch a VERY little TV (1-5 hours per week) and are VERY selective about what you watch, you
will not suffer adverse effects. But even 1-5 hours per week of "educational" TV has dangers:

     The biggest danger of "selectively" watching TV is that it opens the door to un-selective watching. TV is like an addictive
     drug. The network programmers are like the drug pushers - they are doing everything they can to get you hooked on
     their product. A little bit of TV means that the TV is there, in your living room, waiting. Waiting for you or your children
     to have a spare moment and flip it on. Waiting for you to turn on an "educational" show and then get sucked into hours of
     crap TV.
     Every hour spent watching "educational" TV is an hour not spent reading, talking to your family, playing a game, going on
     a hike, building forts out of blankets, baking cookies - all of which are also educational activities. Watching "Magic
     School Bus" is fine, but wouldn't kids be better off in the back yard with a magnifying glass and a picture book about
     insects?
     Even "educational" TV is a product. No matter what you think, you don't get it for free. One way or another, you have to
     pay for it - in the cost of products the show advertises, in the cost of products sold by the companies that support the
     show, in taxes (if it's public television), in cable costs...SOMEHOW you are paying for the actors, the animators, the
     sets, the technical people, etc. You may be willing to pay the price, but most likely you just don't think about the costs.
     Even "educational" TV is still TV. The physical and health concerns are still there. The warped social messages may still
     be prevalent, etc.

For further thoughts on this issue, check my "5 most common reasons for watching" or some of my links.

Is it TV that's bad, or the people in the industry?

Tough question. Certainly I don't believe that the technology of TV is an inherently evil thing. A TV is just a box with wires,
silicon and glass inside. I also do not believe that everyone who works in the television industry is a ruthless, greedy,
self-serving, immoral person. One of my best friends, in fact, works for a cable TV company. However, I think some people,
particularly at the higher levels of the industry, are ruthless, greedy, self-serving, immoral people. They certainly must know of
the physical and psychological effects of TV on individuals, particularly children. They must know of its effects on society. The
must know it fosters materialism and greed. They must know that it keeps lesser-educated people from seeking to better their
lives, while at the same time decreasing self-worth and making people feel inadequate. They must know it's addictive (Don't
believe that? Try going without it for a month). Somewhere at ABC, at CBS, at NBC and at FOX, there are people who know
all of this. But they keep doing it. Why? To make a buck. I hope their money makes them VERY happy, because I don't know
how they can live with themselves.

What do people say when you tell them you don't watch TV?

They usually start telling me how they "hardly ever watch the thing." Except Star Trek. And the news, of course. And Oprah
sometimes. And....

Don't you EVER see ANY television?

I don't think it is possible to live in Western society and NEVER see TV. It's just ingrained in our society too much. That in itself
scares me. You find TV in just about everybody's home, in restaurants, in classrooms, in stores...it's all over. It's as if people
can't be without it. But back to the question. I can't speak for other anti-television activists, but as far as my own family goes,
we did not own a television for six or seven years. Recently, we bought a TV/VCR combination so that we could play
videotapes which we either rent or buy. I realize that may make me a hypocrite in some people's eyes, but I am comfortable
that the videos we see are not the same as commercial TV. Anti-television activism has many degrees - some people say all TV,
videos and video games are bad, some people just advise cutting down the number of hours your family watches. Personally, I
think a National Geographic video once a week for young children and a quality movie once a week for the older members of
the family is plenty.

How do you get any information about the world?

I don't think TV is a very good source of news and information anyway. I read two newspapers most days, and subscribe to
three or four monthly publications. I love to attend sports events at all levels and I listen to some games on the radio. I can get
my weather reports and breaking news from the Internet. I consider myself to be pretty well-informed, and I think that I would
have to watch TV 24 hours a day to stay as well-informed if I cut out all my other information sources. I realize that none of my
information sources are entirely free from commercialism. That's fine. I can live with that.

Aren't computers and the Internet just as bad as TV?

Not at all. Computers and the Internet have their downsides, of course. Certain games and types of websites can become
psychologically addicting if you let them. Nevertheless, for the most part, computer applications are interactive. They require the
user (note the word "user" instead of "viewer") to DO something, to think about something, then act, then think again. There is
somewhat less commercialism and definitely greater public access on the Internet. (Do you think I could get a TV station to air
the views I'm expressing right now?)

Isn't life without TV boring?

No. Quite the opposite.

Won't your kids be social rejects?

My kids will go to kindergarten with no idea who the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers are. But my four-year old typed me a
rather lengthy note on the computer this morning. He loves when I read him The Chronicles of Narnia, Ramona the Pest, The
Hobbit, and The Boxcar Children. He is helping his two-year old brother to sound out written words. Who wants their kids'
worth and popularity to be based on whether or not they saw last night's episode of ___________ (fill in the blank)?

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5 common reasons for watching TV - and how these reasons fall short

1) I watch TV for the news.

     Plain and simply, TV news content is determined by what will score high in the ratings, not by what stories are important
     for viewers to see. Of course, no news medium is completely free of the influence of advertisers. However, print media
     has a long tradition of news writers and editors who pride themselves on their willingness to print stories regardless of the
     flak they may take from their advertisers. TV newsmakers have no such tradition. Furthermore, TV news shows must
     depend more heavily on their advertisers because they do not have any alternate sources of income - whereas print
     media charge subscription fees.

     The end result is that TV news shows must do everything possible to ensure that people keep watching (so that their
     ratings, and their advertising dollars, don't drop). That's why TV news shows are filled with 30-second stories on such
     topics as gruesome killings, car chases, dancing bears, hot air ballooons, snake charmers, etc. These types of stories are
     much more interesting and exciting than, say, what your local congressional representatives are up to. These types of
     stories score high in the ratings - but are they really the most important news of the day?

     For more information on TV news, visit this site!

2) What's wrong with a little entertainment?

     Nothing, if that is all it is. Unfortunately, however, the purpose of television is not to entertain you. The networks want
     you to think that they produce TV shows just for your pleasure. Gee, aren't they nice? Think about it. It costs
     tremendous amounts of money to hire the actors, writers and technical producers for a TV show. It costs additional
     money for sets, studios, props, etc. Where is all that money coming from? From the companies that buy commercial time
     on the shows, of course. But where do they get the money? From the profit the companies make on the products they're
     selling.

     I know, I know. You are not affected by commercials. You leave the room or turn down the volume, or don't pay
     attention to them. The only problem is, why don't those companies go out of business, if they spend all that money on
     commercials that don't affect anyone? Those companies are actually making A LOT of money. They are not so stupid as
     to keep buying TV commercials if they don't influence us. TV's purpose isn't to entertain us - its purpose is to round us
     up, like so many cattle, so that we can be talked out of our money by any corporation that wants to buy commercial time.

3) It keeps the kids off the streets, or out of my hair.

     It used to be that parents raised their kids. Now, all too frequently, the kids are being raised by the X-Men, Mighty
     Morphin Power Rangers, Beavis and Butthead, and Rikki Lake.

4) TV is educational.

     OK, I will almost buy this one. I will admit that there is a miniscule amount of programming on PBS and some cable
     channels which can provide educational information. In fact, very often this programming is well-produced, well-written
     and beautifully-filmed. But certainly there are not 25 hours per week of this type of programming. Given the choice, do
     you think most kids will watch the educational programs? Of course not.

     Books are educational too, but I have yet to meet a kid who screams, cries, and throws a fit when he's told to close a
     book and go up to bed.

5) TV is the only way to see some sporting events, since ticket prices have skyrocketed.

     I am a huge sports fan, and I agree that TV is the only way that a lot of people can attend a game. But I am also
     convinced that TV has done more to hurt amateur and professional sports than anything else. Listen to some of the major
     complaints that sports fans have today: The athletes are over-paid crybabies who don't love the game as much as their
     big-money contracts; ticket prices are outrageous; the games are too commercial now; etc. Why do you think all these
     things have happened? It is because sports are controlled by the advertisers and the networks, who are out to make
     money. Ultimately, who pays for the multi-million dollar contracts and the new stadiums? The fans pay - in their taxes,
     their ticket purchases, but mostly, they pay in the form of over-priced goods which are advertised on TV during the
     games.

     You may hate the greed and commercialism in sports today, and you may think there is nothing you can do about it. But
     each time you turn on the TV and watch a game, the ratings go up, and you are sending a little message to the networks,
     the advertisers and the team owners that it is OK for them to take the sport down the road it is going.
 

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