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  I
think I wrote something on this subject earlier in the year, but
what the heck, here it comes up again. Years ago when I was a kid,
television was just coming into existence and was more of a
novelty than a source of entertainment. As I recall I think we had
three channels to choose from, all in black and white with nothing
able to be seen until sometimes late in the afternoons. No one
seemed to be overly ‘obsessed’ with the fact that we didn’t have
anything to be ‘glued’ to for long periods of every day. In fact,
the first programs that were broadcast could easily be taken or
left unwatched without any problems. We had other things to occupy
our time. We talked, we read, we visited our neighbors. For kids,
we played. We rode bicycles and did things kids are supposed to
do. Somehow over these past years this concept seems to have
changed. Now, we get regular reports on the number of hours in
every week that the average American spends watching their
television.
We have chosen to use the device as an escape from reality. What
truly amazes me and causes me to digress back to this subject
again is the new infusion of so called ‘reality’ shows, which are
coming on line for all of us to watch. Isn’t it ironic that
millions of people in the world are choosing to shut the door on
real life relationships and sit in front of some electronic piece
of machinery to watch how other people live? I truthfully believe
we are living in strange times, when the number one rated program
at this time is a ‘reality’ program centered around an aging rock
star and his family who can’t string more than four or five words
together without using a word of profanity. One word in general is
used so often that if it was eliminated from the program, you be
watching a silent movie. I suppose since we have umpteen numbers
of channels available twenty-four hours each day, it was
inevitable that television producers would soon run out of program
content. But, please do we really want to know what Anna Nicole
Smith and Liza Minnelli do in the bathrooms at their homes? I
don’t.
Who really cares if Sean “P Diddy” Combs knows how to make a
peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Have we morphed into such a
lemming like culture that producers actually believe we are
interested in peeking in on the lives of the famous and not so
famous people in order to fill up our days and make our lives more
enjoyable? Are we that shallow? I think not. I do believe we have
a segment of our population who cannot or will not interact with
other members of our society on a regular basis. Television is not
the problem. Addiction to television is a problem. At our home we
receive about three hundred channels of programming. On any given
day there may be one or at the most, two that I feel are actually
worth my time to watch. Not so much more than when television
first came out when I was a kid. I challenge you to do this, look
at the programming guide before you tune into some program.
If it says something like…”Two drifters, who robbed a bank get
picked up by a psychotic driving to Las Vegas where they encounter
a vampire cult.” Save yourself, run don’t walk to the library or
to your neighbors or call your mother. Our time is all the same,
we get the exact amount handed to us each day, we need to use it
wisely and with some thought, not to be squandered on the mindless
drivel that some entertainment production companies think we are
only capable of being interested in. Come to think of it, those
three channels operating for a limited number of hours each day
when I was a kid sounds like a pretty good idea to me.
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