Why I Hate TV

We got married a month after college graduation. My husband was an engineer, interning at a company that moved us to a new location every 6 months. I was a nurse and it was easy for me to find temporary jobs. Being young and moving all over the country together was fun! And adventurous. I was always amazed how quickly we adapted to our new environment. We would try the regional foods, understand the dialects, and have pictures up on the walls in a short amount of time. We got used to the pace of the area in less than a week. That is when I discovered how adaptable humans are. And it is really amazing! Probably the reason we view so little minutes of TV our house. If I turn on the TV I am shocked! I cannot believe what I see on the screen and that this is ok with so many people. I am just not used to it, and because I watch it so rarely, I become disturbed by what I see. I know if my kids were watching this stuff day after day, Hollywood's definitions of what is acceptable would seep into their unconsciousness too. We start plopping our high energy toddlers in front of Big Bird so we caregivers can have a break, then move on to Disney channel which moves on to sitcoms. It is easier in the short term to have kids just sit in front of a TV. Life is hands down easier when kids are still, quiet and undemanding, being entertained by a box. We do not have to clean up toys, feed them unending snacks, negotiate disputes, or even play with them. But what are the trade offs? The little kids no longer have to learn to figure out how to entertain themselves and so do not learn how to entertain themselves. Thus begins, at an early age, being passively indoctrinated with values, while TV conduct insidiously becomes acceptable. We are adaptable creatures. What we see over and over on the boob tube becomes normal in our psyche. Not shocking at all. All acceptable. Sports, the last domain of unscripted human drama has become a showcase for highly paid men pounding on their chests or dancing in the end zone. News? No such thing. Only the commentary of the producers, slanted to convince you of their view. A doctor friend told us once he put a TV in the waiting room, complaints became nonexistent. I blame TV for society's loss of ethics, instead of independent evaluators of life situations, we have become passive and brainwashed and think everything is decent. Yes, TV is the opiate of the masses.