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| Yes | 23% | 1161 votes | Total: 5041 votes | |
| No | 77% | 3880 votes |
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Add to FavoritesPromise not to write me off as crazy before you read on. I was raised in a home without television....and I am not old, and my parents are not weird or Amish or anything like that.
For multiple reasons, my affluent, (and very cool) parents decided we would not have a television in our home. (Now I will admit, Dad did keep one up in the attic in case there was a national emergency and we needed to see what was happening, but it was not plugged in or attached to an antennae.) My parents were both raised in homes with Television sets, but when they had the 4 of us children, they began to reevaluate what a home life should look like. (You notice all the shows on TV rarely show families actually watching TV.)
They decided that a healthy home life requires interaction, communication, chores, outdoor activity, some family discussions, a few games of monopoly, ...I could go on. The point is, though television is not bad in and of itself, free 24 hour entertainment in the living room of a home is almost impossible to resist. News and weather reports are always available on the radio. Entertainment with moral or interactive value is easily found when there is no television around to compete for our attention. And there is something else that develops...a keen awareness of what we put in front of our eyes.
Medical research supports that every word we hear, every sight we take in, actually enters our brain and lodges itself in our physical memory. We may not think we are listening or that what we see will affect us, but for better or worse, we have already taken it in and let it become a part of who we are.
My parents chose to demonstrate wisdom and sacrifice. They taught us about self denial, family communication, and integrity. Without a television to tell me what we had to have, I grew up without the need for Barbie dolls and the latest Nike tennis shoes, no Strawberry Shortcake bedroom ensemble or desire to dress like Daisy Duke when I grew up. Now, as an adult, going without television hasn't made me a better person. It has made me conscious of what I watch and aware of the shallow life it portrays.
Today, in my apartment, a television sits in the center of the room. Continually, I fight the urge to waste another evening being a voyeur into the fictitious, hilarious world it promises to give me. When I do turn it on, I can avoid dealing with the awfulness of life. I can deny my mind the worries and cares of the day, and issues needing decisions, and friends needing called, and journal entries needing written. It keeps me from feeling lonely. It offers fashions and trends I should try to keep up with. It's all foolishness! My parent's decision to go without has profoundly affected me.
There is no reason we all should throw out our televisions, or forbid ourselves from watching. I just think the attic is a great place for them to be stored. I am committed to remembering all of this when I have my own home and children one day. Life is just too short to waste on trivial entertainment.
Learn more about this author, Tennessee Grace.
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No
Television, like many other pleasures in life, has its uses. It can educate or entertain. And it can be a great time waster. How it is used determines its value to the family members who watch it.
Children naturally gravitate toward the TV. To eliminate TV is next to impossible as they will always find ways to watch no matter if it's at a friend's house or at school. If the TV is eliminated, they can always find something to do on a computer.
Trying to regulate what your children watch by removing the TV is no more than a band-aid solution. It doesn't address the responsibility parents have in what they let their children watch. Much of what is on is worthless. Educational programs are few unless you are subscribed to cable and view National Geographic documentaries on the Discovery Channel.
Parents are solely responsible for what their kids should be allowed to see. It is their responsibility to pick out those programs that are most relevant to the child's education. For example, if the child is learning about France in school, finding a program to teach the child French culture helps broaden the child's mind. Videos can be rented to promote education. Biographical, historic and inspirational videos can teach a child about the value of life and about their own potential to become great leaders as adults.
Television should be a learning tool rather than mere entertainment. Certainly there's nothing wrong with watching cartoons and Disney movies on occasion. Much of the use of TV has do with what the parents themselves watch in the presence of their children. They can set a good example by what they view on TV. Violent movies and sexually explicit scenes should be viewed in the bedroom away from the children.
Daily news broadcasts have some benefit in teaching children about the world they live in. It can teach them that the world is not a perfect place. it is fraught with dangers that can make them victims of child abuse, molestation and kidnapping. But the parent should be present to screen out unnecessary pictures of violence or point out the wrong behavior often pictured on the daily news.
The TV has a use as an extension tool. Video games and movies can be uplifting only if they teach the child the value of life or some skill he needs when he becomes an adult. Unfortunately, most video games are violent and should not become regular activity for children. In the first few years of a child's life, the child should be prevented from playing violent games until he is old enough to realize that he is engaging in a fantasy.
Regulation as to how much time a child can spend watching TV is important. Since general TV programming has little value, children should be encouraged to be active. Playing ball in the backyard or joining a Little League team helps the child stay healthy and get the exercise he needs to avoid the epidemic of obesity that strikes those who are allowed to spend too many hours in front of the TV.
Television cannot be eliminated from children. It is up to the parent to insure that it's uses are directed more toward education than entertainment and leisure. Tossing out the TV eliminates parental responsibility but does nothing to provide the leadership children need from their parents. Taking away the TV is just as irresponsible as letting children view whatever they want. Both extremes will harm their future.
Learn more about this author, Mario Carini.
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