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| Yes | 23% | 1154 votes | Total: 5017 votes | |
| No | 77% | 3863 votes |
Yes
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Add to FavoritesIf television improved the society in which we live, I would have voted yes! Unfortunately this media has been a force for major change in our society, and unfortunately not all of it, good.
As an entertainment, television has a place in our homes, but what has actually happened overshadows any positives presented by the 'goggle box'.
To start with, this media format can take responsibility for much of the the breakdown of communication within the home. It has removed necessitating conversation, and in many homes taken the place of important family interaction. It is an ideal tool for overstressed and tired parents to devolve parent child communication, and in extreme circumstances, remove interactive responsibility. Much of the material produced for TV has little or no positive influence on growth or development in children. In fact, if we were to ask children the contents of a previous night's programme, many would struggle to remember. Of course they may remember the violence or negative impact a programme might have, but regrettably those aspects of society which are needed to improve and educate our youth, are rarely retained.
General household conversation has been relegated to single word communication, with 'yes or no' the limit to which many of our children extend. The effects of TV are however, truly reflected in our classrooms. Children have lost the art of listening. Even in the home, how often is it necessary for a parent to have to repeat a request or a statement before an answer is forthcoming?
The question has to be asked: How would our world change if there was no television?
To start with, children would either have to be entertained, or more importantly seek their own entertainment. It is assumed that computer and electronic games would also be a limited. We might even return to the days of having a meal round a table, of talking about the day, of story telling and, perhaps the greatest benefit of all, reading. There could of course be more imvolvement physical activity, playing sport or just playing around. Goodness, some children might even indulge in a hobby?
I would like to issue a challenge to the interested readers of this brief: how about trying one day a week without television? The howls of disapproval and disbelief can already be heard across the world! For one night a week, why not try a family board game, or perhaps meander out on a walk, maybe even count stars, if you're lucky enough to live in a place where the night skies are clear.
Television is an entertianment, which like any other entertainment, should have its limitations. It should not be the focus round which the family, the group, and indeed the society live their lives.
Parents who are able to raise their children without television, will in the long term, grow up with their kids, and their kids will grow up learning to listen the first time someone makes a statement.
Learn more about this author, Mataba.
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No
Don't walk under a ladder it is sure to bring bad luck, if you listen to rock 'n' roll music you will become a lewd sex maniac and now the television will make your children obese, illiterate and unimaginative. There aren't many things that can drastically alter our lifestyles but concern for our children's future is certainly one, at best this can lead to positive lifestyle choices, at worst it can lead to bizarre moral panics akin to superstition.
Watchin g television on a daily basis with its endless stations, programs and advertisements it is easy to forget or take for granted one of the most remarkable inventions of the twentieth century. The television truly affords everyone with access the opportunity to bare witness to some of the most important moments in our history. From its earliest days television has shown us the best and worst of mankind.
A good example is the infamous Berlin or Nazi Olympics of 1936. This was meant to be an opportunity for the Nazi regime to show off the virtues and superiority of the Aryan Race, only for Jesse Owens to spoil the party by winning four gold medals in one day. Would it really be considered responsible to restrict our children from watching such monumental moments?
Surely the same can be considered of Nelson Mandela's release, the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the massacre at Tienanmen Square and of course the moon landing. It has been argued that the television has encouraged violence, lest we forget that it was the television pictures of the bodies of US soldiers returning from Vietnam that ultimately led to the withdrawal and a subsequent intolerance of wartime casualties, both military and civilian.
I have to admit that I have cherry picked some of the most iconic moments in recent history, and the vast majority of time the television falls far short of these historic landmarks. However the television is an amazing source of entertainment, personally I have never read a book that can make me laugh or cry to the extent of a well written, well acted television program.
When TV isn't very good, well Jack Paar said it best, "I have never seen a bad television program, because I refuse to. God gave me a mind, and wrist that turns things off." To admit that it is better to raise a child without a TV is to admit that it has more influence over your children than you do. Just as it is important to feed your children a well balanced diet to promote their health, television should be used in a well balanced cultural diet that teaches your child about the world in which we live.
Learn more about this author, William J. Stevens.
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