by Jenkathryn

Created on: October 28, 2008

Television has progressively become an arena in which Americans walk a fine line between First Amendment rights and abuse of those rights, between what is right and what can be made to seem right and between what is normal and what one becomes convinced is normal. There is a sense of entitlement on the part of some Television writers and producers that insist upon creating, for the viewer, an environment of permissiveness and promiscuity. The rules by which parents raise children about what is acceptable and what is not acceptable, become obscured by sarcasm and sassy cuteness. The involvement of children in adult situation comedies like Married with Children, and more recently, Two and a Half Men, give credibility to the normalcy of sexist attitudes, casual sex, and infidelity. Prime time viewing has included shows of this type for twenty-five years and their numbers seem to be increasing. Desperate Housewives and Swingtown, promote and glamorize marital infidelity and though they are geared to the adult audience they air early enough on the West Coast to be viewed by children. Parents often take the attitude that young children do not understand and therefore, no harm is done. Other parents, being more cautious, confine their viewing to their bedrooms, leaving the children to watch more age appropriate programming. In either scenario, television programming has an adverse effect on family values and family life.

With the rise of television came the decline of active parenting. As television ownership became more widespread, the role of the parent as educator, disciplinarian, and companion diminished. Children began to get their daily dose of familial lessons from Howdy Doody, Father Knows Best, My Three Sons, Bonanza, and Lassie. Star Trek, The Outer Limits, The Wonderful World of Disney, and The Twilight Zone fueled imaginations. Worlds expanded by watching shows like Sea Hunt, and Jacques Cousteau. Captain Kangaroo, Mr. Greenjeans, and Sesame Street gave pre-School lessons and social skills could be learned by watching Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and Lamb Chop. Every rose has its thorn and TV did, too. There was a difference between what went on in the TV households and what went on in real households. Sanitized versions of the American family can be found sprinkled throughout the history of television broadcasting. Commercial advertising and television programming seemed to set a standard by which societies should live. Expectations of children grew, dis-proportionate

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• Next Page >>