TV or not TV? That is the question...
© Chuck Gallozzi
http://personal-development.com
Television is one of the greatest inventions of all time. For
example, at 2:56 am Greenwich Mean Time on July 20, 1969, we were
able to watch in our living room Neil A. Armstrong step out of
the lunar module of the Apollo 11 spacecraft and haltingly walk
on the surface of the moon. We were witnessing a milestone in the
history of humanity. Such is the potential power of TV to inform,
inspire, and unite.
Yet, in its current state, TV produces more problems than it
offers blessings. The first problem is no matter how noble our
intentions are to watch only worthwhile programming, once we
start watching, it is all too easy to become ensnared in its
almost hypnotic power to keep us watching regardless of the
banality of the content.
I'm changing the subject for a moment, but there's a reason for
it, so please bear with me. Now and then, an insect will find its
way into my home. No matter how small it is, once it's spotted,
my cat remains transfixed, and finally "attacks" the bug. My
cat's behavior is due to what is called the "orienting response."
That simply means that sudden movement grabs my cat's attention.
We, too, have inherited this primitive response; the purpose of
which is to alert us to the dangers of possible predators. Ever
jump in fear because of a shadow or cringe in horror when
something unidentifiable quickly moved across your path? They are
examples of the orienting response.
The rapidly flickering, ever changing colors and shifting
contrast of the TV screen seem to have the same effect. That is,
TV captivates and transfixes us. So, before long, we are watching
not for the content, but for the contrast, change, and
captivating swirl of images. That is the danger. We may decide to
catch a one-hour educational program, but find ourselves
immobilized by TV's power and end up "watching" longer than we
originally planned.
The behavior of many viewers supports the claim that we watch TV
because of its power rather than for its content. The behavior
I'm referring to is eating junk food and guzzling beer or pop
while watching TV. What has this behaviour got to do with the
reason we watch TV? Well, you don't munch potato chips and drink
beer while you're reading a book, do you? So, why is it done
while watching TV? The answer is because TV is boring, and
snacking helps to while the time away. By the way, according to a
1989 study by Larry Tucker at Brigham Young University, "Men who
watch television three or more hours a day are twice as likely to
be obese than men who watch for less than an hour."
TV also decreases one's attention span and weakens one's
imagination. It weakens our attention span because we grow used
to quick, short bursts of information. As a result, we grow
impatient if it takes a while to make a point. TV weakens our
imagination because everything is portrayed for us. All we have
to do is sit back and observe someone else's imagination. Books
are just the opposite. They increase our attention span and help
to develop our imagination. We need to be more like Groucho Marx
(1895 ~ 1977) who said, "I find television very educational.
Every time someone switches it on I go into another room and read
a good book."
The mesmerizing effect of TV brings us to an interesting paradox.
You see, after a day's work, many like to regain some energy by
first relaxing before the TV. But the "orienting response" and
swirling TV images that I mentioned earlier result in information
overload. This over stimulus of the brain sucks the energy right
out of us. That's the paradox, we watch it with the hope of
reenergizing, but get drained instead. Compare this with going to
the gym for a workout after a tiring day at the office. Instead
of growing more tired, we become energized. So, if you want more
energy, far better to engage in some activity than to plop down
in front of a TV.
Besides the hypnotic like effect it has, another major problem is
the way it is used by those who own and run television stations
and networks. TV is not made to entertain, educate, or enlighten
us. It is made to sell products and services. To quote Dr. George
Gerbner, Dean of the Annenburg School of Communications at the
University of Pennsylvania, "Living with television means growing
up in a world of about 22,000 commercials a year, 5,000 of them
for food products, more than half of which are for low-nutrition
sweets and snacks." TV, then, is the throbbing heart of the
monster called consumerism. Women are forced to go to work and
children see less and less of their parents, all so we can buy
more and more of the stuff TV tells us is indispensable for
happiness.
In the book "Abandoned in the Wasteland: Children, Television and
the First Amendment" another paradox of TV is mentioned; mainly,
"Every day, all across the United States, a parade of louts,
losers and con-men whom most people would never allow in their
homes enter anyway, through television." That brings us to the
next issue, TV violence.
Doesn't the extraordinary amount of violence on TV have an
adverse impact on society? Oh, I know intellectuals like to
disagree with that point. For instance, Dick Cavett mocked the
TV-violence debate by quipping, "There's so much comedy on
television. Does that cause comedy in the streets?" His remark
makes a nice sound bite, but shows little understanding of
sociology. We are socialized. We are taught how to think and feel
by society, which consists of our parents, peers, schools,
churches, role models, and, yes, TV. Of course it has an impact.
To deny that is to say advertisers spend billions of dollars on
TV ads that don't work. That's silly. TV ads influence us, and so
does everything else that appears on TV.
TV creates great harm not only by its influence, but also by what
it prevents. Marie Winn makes this point clear in her book "The
Plug-In Drug." She writes, "The primary danger of the television
screen lies not so much in the behavior it produces - although
there is danger there - as in the behavior it prevents: the
talks, the games, the family festivities and arguments..." The
three hours a day that the average person spends watching TV
could be used in countless ways to grow. Want to master the art
of digital imaging, write poetry, learn how to play a keyboard,
study a foreign language, learn how to dance, or just get out and
meet some interesting people? All that and more is possible
simply by turning off the TV and using that time more wisely.
There's much talk about life extension. People want to live
longer. A 20-year-old man who watches TV three hours a day until
the age of 70, could have extended his life six and a quarter
years merely by turning off the TV. Shutting it off not only gets
you to live longer, but to live BETTER.
I'm not suggesting TV is completely worthless. For example, I
immensely enjoyed John Kerry's nomination acceptance speech at
the Democratic National Convention. Yet, I am saying that even in
TV's finest moments, we could probably do better by turning it
off. What do you think?
Read a new article by Chuck Gallozzi in each
issue of Personal Development Newsletter
http://personal-development.com
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