What's Wrong With TV?
If you haven't already done so, head on over to Kelsey's blog about TV. Here's her main point: "...directors are sending out false advertisements! They're trying to send the idea out that the imaginary lives shown on t.v. are normal, and possibly fun. People see the imaginary lives on t.v, and find it appealing, thinking that the life-style on t.v. is just what "everybody is doing." I don't know if they're trying to convince the young-people of today to believe that an immoral life is normal, or fun; but I think that directors should be more careful about what they put on t.v. Or, if they don't care about anyone else, and are just wanting some extra "mula," they should go to the nearest discount store and buy even the smallest amount of a conscience they can get their greedy little hands on-'cuz they don't got any!"
First, I should tell you that I agree with almost everything Kelsey said about TV. It is immoral; it portrays licentious behavior as normal; producers will put anything on TV if they believe it will make money; and there is little redeeming value in television programming. Watching television is a waste of life. And even though we know that, we all do it. This brings me to the aspect of Kelsey's argument that I don't necessarily agree with. There's nothing wrong with television, and it's not the fault of directors, writers, and producers that TV has become the moral sewer that we all know it to be. It's our own fault...because we keep watching.
Television programming exists for one reason: to make money. Advertisers pay billions of dollars to the networks to run commercials during their most popular shows (when the most people are tuned in), so network executives will put anything on TV that people will watch. Let me repeat that: They will put ANYTHING on TV that people will watch. If no one tuned in to all the "filth" and "garbage" that pollutes the airwaves, it wouldn't be on. That's all there is to it. How do you think networks could afford to put anything on "free television channels" if they weren't making big bucks somehow? It may be hard for most of us to admit this, but the reason TV is such a wasteland of impurity is because we watch it. And I'm including all of us in this, not just the dirty-minded folks. We all may like to talk as if we are somehow above the ugliness that is TV, but would we know how ugly it is if we didn't spend a significant amount of time watching it? There's nothing wrong with TV. (It does exactly what it is supposed to do: Get people to tune in long enough to see the commercials so they will go out and buy the products being advertised.) The problem is with us.
If no one tuned in to the shows that reflect immoral behavior, they would all go off the air after one episode. By the same token, if millions of viewers tuned in to nature programming or religious fare, such shows would be on every channel all day long. The fact is that morality bores us while immorality excites us. It may be hard to admit, but it's the truth. Television programming is a product of the society, not the reverse. The people who write and direct TV shows are just giving the audience what they (we) want. If there has been a "moral decline" in America, it's not because of the media or entertainment industries; they just followed our lead.
This brings me to another issue I've heard about the quality of television: TV teaches immoral behavior. I'll let you in on a secret: TV doesn't teach anything to people who aren't watching it. It can't corrupt children if parents prevent them from tuning in to shows that do not meet their moral standards. The problem is that in the last thirty years (when TV and all forms of video entertainment have become huge), parents have let the media be the babysitter. And that is not the fault of TV producers. I agree with Kelsey that many of the people responsible for what is on TV are vile, soulless individuals. Knowing that as we do, why would we want them to "babysit" our kids with their brand of entertainment?
There are at least two buttons on every TV. One changes the channel, and the other turns it off. If you are offended by what you see on TV (which you should be), then use one of these two buttons. Don't, however, blame the producers of TV shows for doing their jobs well. If you are offended and you continue to watch, there's only one person you can reasonably blame: the one you see in the mirror every morning.
First, I should tell you that I agree with almost everything Kelsey said about TV. It is immoral; it portrays licentious behavior as normal; producers will put anything on TV if they believe it will make money; and there is little redeeming value in television programming. Watching television is a waste of life. And even though we know that, we all do it. This brings me to the aspect of Kelsey's argument that I don't necessarily agree with. There's nothing wrong with television, and it's not the fault of directors, writers, and producers that TV has become the moral sewer that we all know it to be. It's our own fault...because we keep watching.
Television programming exists for one reason: to make money. Advertisers pay billions of dollars to the networks to run commercials during their most popular shows (when the most people are tuned in), so network executives will put anything on TV that people will watch. Let me repeat that: They will put ANYTHING on TV that people will watch. If no one tuned in to all the "filth" and "garbage" that pollutes the airwaves, it wouldn't be on. That's all there is to it. How do you think networks could afford to put anything on "free television channels" if they weren't making big bucks somehow? It may be hard for most of us to admit this, but the reason TV is such a wasteland of impurity is because we watch it. And I'm including all of us in this, not just the dirty-minded folks. We all may like to talk as if we are somehow above the ugliness that is TV, but would we know how ugly it is if we didn't spend a significant amount of time watching it? There's nothing wrong with TV. (It does exactly what it is supposed to do: Get people to tune in long enough to see the commercials so they will go out and buy the products being advertised.) The problem is with us.
If no one tuned in to the shows that reflect immoral behavior, they would all go off the air after one episode. By the same token, if millions of viewers tuned in to nature programming or religious fare, such shows would be on every channel all day long. The fact is that morality bores us while immorality excites us. It may be hard to admit, but it's the truth. Television programming is a product of the society, not the reverse. The people who write and direct TV shows are just giving the audience what they (we) want. If there has been a "moral decline" in America, it's not because of the media or entertainment industries; they just followed our lead.
This brings me to another issue I've heard about the quality of television: TV teaches immoral behavior. I'll let you in on a secret: TV doesn't teach anything to people who aren't watching it. It can't corrupt children if parents prevent them from tuning in to shows that do not meet their moral standards. The problem is that in the last thirty years (when TV and all forms of video entertainment have become huge), parents have let the media be the babysitter. And that is not the fault of TV producers. I agree with Kelsey that many of the people responsible for what is on TV are vile, soulless individuals. Knowing that as we do, why would we want them to "babysit" our kids with their brand of entertainment?
There are at least two buttons on every TV. One changes the channel, and the other turns it off. If you are offended by what you see on TV (which you should be), then use one of these two buttons. Don't, however, blame the producers of TV shows for doing their jobs well. If you are offended and you continue to watch, there's only one person you can reasonably blame: the one you see in the mirror every morning.
posted by MRT at 6:23 PM
2 Comments:
Wow!! I really agree with this, but one thing I would like to add is that not all T.V. is like that. I know for a fact that some of the T.V. shows my family watches do not make immorality seem like the key. The sooner we find those shows that are good and clean, and find the ones we like those are the only ones we should watch!
Agreed!
MRT
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