TV and Thee

Television Blues

By Ed Vasicek

A horrible golfer asked his semi-pro friend,  "What do you think of my game?"

"Oh, it is interesting," replied the winner, "But I'd prefer golf!"

When it comes to becoming socially connected, some people are as bad as the untalented golfer: they are playing at something, but what?

Greetings, and welcome once again to the "social connectedness series."   If you are joining me midstream, not to worry: each article is meant to stand independently.   Thus far, we have surveyed a problem: Americans have become socially disconnected.  This decline has affected our levels of personal happiness, health, crime, and SAT scores. To convince you that such is the case, I have referred to statistics found in several sources, especially Robert Putnam's book, "Bowling Alone."

Let's turn a corner by discussing some of the reasons WHY this decline has taken place.  Let's start with the biggest culprit of all: television and its friends (video/computer games, surfing, etc.).

I have previous reminisced about the early 1960's, when neighbors lounged on their front porches during the summer, chatting with one another.   Although two candidates, television and air-conditioning, could be blamed for the collapse of this routine, the old-timers I've interviewed place the blame squarely on television alone.  I agree.  Nothing has devastated American social life like the boob tube.

The Kokomo Tribune ran an AP article on February 7^th, titled, "TV Is Getting Hotter, Sex Study Finds."   The report found sexual content in 68% of the 1999-2000 shows studied.    It is pretty tough to encourage young people to practice self-control and responsibility when their primary source of entertainment encourages living for the moment!   Have you heard about Cable TV dinners?  Ninety-seven choices, and none of them are any good!

But it is not merely the content of television shows that is nasty: it is also the quantity of time we watch TV that is obscene.  Robert Putnam writes,  "...Television is...the only leisure activity that seems to inhibit participation in other leisure activities.   TV watching comes at the expense of nearly every social activity outside the home, especially social gatherings and informal conversations.   The major casualties of increased TV viewing, according to time diaries, are religious participation, social visiting, shopping, parties, sports, and organizational participation.... Television viewers are anchored at home, and they recognize that fact themselves: heavy viewers generally agree that, 'I am a homebody."

Because it is the nature of television (or video games) to painlessly capture full attention, our ability to pay attention has suffered.   In all the discussion about the swell of "Attention Deficit Syndrome" cases, not enough care has been paid to our society's conditioning of children NOT to pay attention.   After being absorbed in high-intensity video games, euchre or monopoly tastes awfully bland.   Attention spans are growing shorter because people are watching more and more television.   The consequence: unless we have top-notch graphics or make learning "fun," we can no longer hold attention.   Television and its relations (in excess) are making us dumb, giving us "lazy brain syndrome."

The one positive exception in Putnam's study is this: news watchers are more prone to be involved in society.   Unfortunately, declining numbers view the news but thrive instead upon situation comedies or talk shows.

Becoming anti-social is not the only symptom of excessive devotion to the TV.

In his book, "Natural Prozac," Dr. Joel Robertson discusses how most television programs add stress to our lives, "...most are highly arousing [causing] tremendous tension that cannot be easily released, especially if we are sitting still while our brain chemistries are being manipulated."  Putnam informs us that television watchers are nearly twice as likely to suffer from headaches, indigestion, and sleeplessness as are light watchers.

When all is said and done, TV isolates us; the expression, "Get a life!" is tailor made for TV obsessives!    Don't let the actors on television live life for you, get your own!  My advice: limit the amount of time you watch TV.   Play cards, join a club, or invite friends for an evening.   Learn to enjoy people more than the tube.