Next, On 'What You Don't Know Might Kill You' -- Are You Inhaling Radioactive Waste While You Sleep?
I spent most of my childhood with about eight TV channels. When I was really young, we had cable, but I think Dad got more use out of that than the rest of us--as for me, I watched "Sesame Street" on PBS and played outside.
Then, I came to college.
Here, TV is an enigma. We spend so much time mindlessly flipping through channels, convinced there MUST be something worth watching. It serves as a form of escape. Avoidance, really, something to distract us while we duck homework and studying.
The true travesty comes with what we usually end up watching. Spanish soap operas. "All In The Family" reunion show marathons. Infomercials for spray-on hair. Far too often, the TV Guide channel--you know, the one with the listings for the rest of the channels.
The thing that gets me is that most topics have their own channels now. TLC is for home remodeling shows. SOAP is for soap operas. Animal Planet. The History Channel. The Travel Channel. The Weather Channel. ESPN (and it's four other channels). MTV. Cartoon Network. Disney. Toon Disney. Home & Garden TV. Thank God there isn't a reality show channel yet. I shudder.
The networks aren't helping things any. Most every network has it's one big thing, then five other shows closely related. If not, they have their nights grouped. "Comedy Monday!" "Cop Show Tuesday!" "Reality Wednesday!" There's no variety here.
Most of it is so brainless, too. You watch it if you want to veg, or if you just don't mind your IQ dropping. (What other point is there to reality shows? I've never really understood those things.)
It's a creativity killer, an activity killer, that thing which keeps kids inside on a nice day.
But, 'tis also a good time killer. As though we should be killing time in the first place. Ha! That would imply I'm always caught up on my homework!
*Sigh.* Will we ever learn?
Latest survey shows that 3 out of 4 people make up 75% of the population.
Then, I came to college.
Here, TV is an enigma. We spend so much time mindlessly flipping through channels, convinced there MUST be something worth watching. It serves as a form of escape. Avoidance, really, something to distract us while we duck homework and studying.
The true travesty comes with what we usually end up watching. Spanish soap operas. "All In The Family" reunion show marathons. Infomercials for spray-on hair. Far too often, the TV Guide channel--you know, the one with the listings for the rest of the channels.
The thing that gets me is that most topics have their own channels now. TLC is for home remodeling shows. SOAP is for soap operas. Animal Planet. The History Channel. The Travel Channel. The Weather Channel. ESPN (and it's four other channels). MTV. Cartoon Network. Disney. Toon Disney. Home & Garden TV. Thank God there isn't a reality show channel yet. I shudder.
The networks aren't helping things any. Most every network has it's one big thing, then five other shows closely related. If not, they have their nights grouped. "Comedy Monday!" "Cop Show Tuesday!" "Reality Wednesday!" There's no variety here.
Most of it is so brainless, too. You watch it if you want to veg, or if you just don't mind your IQ dropping. (What other point is there to reality shows? I've never really understood those things.)
It's a creativity killer, an activity killer, that thing which keeps kids inside on a nice day.
But, 'tis also a good time killer. As though we should be killing time in the first place. Ha! That would imply I'm always caught up on my homework!
*Sigh.* Will we ever learn?
Latest survey shows that 3 out of 4 people make up 75% of the population.
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