by Casey West

Created on: November 11, 2009   Last Updated: November 13, 2009

Television is responsible for all of life's social problems. Before TV, there was no drug or alcohol use, no spousal abuse, and absolutely no violence whatsoever. Now, we all want to be rock stars, shooting heroin and being depressed, or Samantha Jones in Sex in the City so we may permit ourselves to sleep with whomever we feel like; or dismiss the law like our favorite gangster, Tony Montana.

There is no black-and-white answer to this. No clear-cut scientific study to reveal the "right answer". Like wine, exercise, and red meat, TV is alright if taken in moderation. You must know what not to take in, just as much as when and how much to take in. Watching the news keeps you informed (assuming you're getting accurate news of course), certain documentaries enlighten to numerous subjects, and sometime you just need a good movie to relax to after a hard day. I said good movie.

Is it okay for 12 year-old teen girls to watch shows like What I Like About You, which depicts sex and relationships. I'm what you call old-fashioned, so the message that it's "cool" to have sex out of marriage is still stupid to me. I'm not making a religious point, I'm making a smart point. If everybody were to wait till they get married to have sex, we wouldn't know what an STD is. If she were to get pregnant, the mother would have at least one person for support and the child would have both parents to raise it , which already increases the chances of the child's success in school and all relationships, and anything else that has to do with life. I'm not even going to mention that a majority of a drug users, criminals, and promiscuous individuals come from broken and/or single parent homes.

Reading is scientifically proven to help intelligence. So is exercise. Playing music also helps. How much reading can one do with the TV one? What's easier- to watch a movie about sports or to actually go out and get some exercise? Exercise strengthens your heart while releasing oxygen to your brain, aiding in lowering stress which in turn helps in school and/or your job. Would it benefit us more to know what all our crazy celebrities depicted on TMZ were up to, or would it be wiser to be entertained by classics such as Crime and Punishment, Anna Karenina, Tom Sawyer, or any other number of literary works. Wouldn't it benefit you to read a documentary on individuals who overcame struggles such as Abraham Lincoln or Elizabeth Blackwell, so that you may remember them when life starts kicking your butt? You think Brangelina care what you're doing?

TV , in a sense, is like driving by a bad accident: You have to look even though nothing good will come out of it. As long as we don't take the media's advice on relational life (marriage, parenting, friendships, etc.), we should be fine. Everything you see on TV sends a message. The younger and/or more fragile you are, the more impact that message will have. If you see the same message over and over, you will accept it as normal and okay. What messages are shows sending to us and our kids?

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