TV! A WASTE OF LIFE.

Hi Dr.X,
This is only my personal values on having a TV. I personally don’t own one, but I do have access to one if I wish to watch an SBS/ABC doco. As I’ve stated in one other previous post, I mentioned ‘watching commercial TV is akin to brushing black paint over your eye balls. It doesn’t teach you to think for yourselves.’I also don’t know how people can find the time to watch TV? This post also relates to your previous one actually. A couple I know view me as ‘time selfish’ because I choose to spend my time allocated to property/investing, reading, Indy cinema, etc.(and perhaps they are right?) Sometimes I’m guilty of not wanting to go around to see them, because it invariably ends up with the 3 of us having to remain quiet because they are focused on the TV. There’s no real communication between us occuring. When I once questioned why they choose to watch so much TV at the end of the day (as they are struggling financially) they told me it’s there way of ‘unwinding’. I realise I was being obnoxious, but suggested why not read a book (Wilde, Shakespeare, “Kiyosaki”, whatever?) or go see a movie, Indy documentary/film, etc? In other words I was perhaps rudely suggesting that they can choose to become more of an actor in life, rather than being a (passive) ‘reactor’ in life by living vicariously via the TV.
I’m also in agreeance as to TV’s negative aspects on children. However one thing I wish to mention is from hindsight. When I was 16 at school I went out with this (might I add gorgeous!) girlfriend. Her parents wouldn’t allow having a TV in their home (fairly progressive thinking upon her parent’s part for the time!). One thing I did pick up on though, was that many of our peer cultural conversations/jokes at school related from the medium of TV. As a result, my girlfriend often felt a little left out from her peers and slightly ‘socially isolated’ from our peer group ‘at the time.’ Ironically, I could imagine those very ‘peers today’ are IMHO the ones who are truly ‘socially’ isolated! Perhaps her parent’s wisdom in the long run, offset any social peer distance that she may have felt as an adolescent. Perhaps the answer may be in institutionalising the use TV in the house hold. I also realise that this may be a lot easier in theory than in practise. I guess it’s up to us as responsible adults, to try and find a sensible balance.

As Othello said in Shakespeare;
‘It makes us, or it mars us, think on that.’

Cheers,
Gatsby!

“Sometimes the hardest thing to do in life is often the best thing to do.”

i must agree that watching commercial tv is akin to having your nuts placed into a vice and then haivng them slowly crushed whilst listening to the best of celine dion and michael bolton….however i have had foxtel for just over a year and i love nothing more than watching a great doco on the many discovery type channels available..as well as a good movie every now and then it can be a good break from a screaming 6month old!!!!

Cheers

Coops

Hi All,

I have not bought a newspaper in over 15-years.

I get all my info/news via the alternative Internet sites.

I do watch commercial television for a couple of hours in the evening (selective programs) (certainly NO reality TV) and when I do watch the ‘news’ programs I find it fascianting that stuff that I became aware of via the Internet anything from 2-days to 7-days previously is spouted as the ‘latest news’.

On the subject of pay TV we tried Austar for a while, but 10-months into a 2-year contract I cancelled the subscription because of the overwhelming US bias and propaganda that was presented, even on the history and national geographic channels.

Austra were astounded that I was prepared to spend $250 on the early pay-out clause to get rid of their service.

Cheers, Nobleone. [biggrin]

“Making mistakes is just another another tool for learning.”

Interesting topic! We have a great variety of opinions on these forum boards- from people who detest TV to people who offer their tenants a plasma TV as a way to increase the rent of their property.

I must admit that I do like watching some TV programs, from documentaries to ‘crap’. Not everything I do NEEDS to be educational or stimulating.
If I want to vege out in front of the TV and watch something others would call ‘crap’, I ‘let’ myself without having to feel guilty.

I have not restricted my children from watching TV nor do I set a limit- but amazingly enough they really watch little TV. I think kids/teenagers need to find out for themselves what is good material to watch and what is not. I think that they have become very good judges of what is crap or not.
I like to be fairly relaxed about things.

When the kids were little, I always had a lot of activities ‘on offer’ such as art/craft, reading, or outdoors activities. I think that if life away from TV is interesting enough for kids, then they will automatically choose to limit their own time in front of the box.

Celivia

A: Never. Ever read “The Richest Man in Babylon”? People have known how to create wealth for 8,000 years, why are we going to start listening now? And if you think TV is bad, what about anonymous forum posts? I can defame whoever I like and never have to prove anything, and then all of a sudden disappear into cyberspace. I can’t really see Peter Hitchener (or Derren Hinch) doing the same thing…

R

Dr.X, just out of interest, (because I love these little debates my family, too, sometimes have) we have heard your side of the debate that’s going on in your house, but I am curious to know what is being said on the other side of the debate.

I respect your points against TV watching, but what’rebuts’ have your family members come up with? Wanna tell?

Just asking because you do not all seem to agree or you wouldn’t have spoken of a debate.

So TV can be:

[biggrin]Escapism

[biggrin]Good entertainment without having ot go out of the house.

[biggrin]It’s free (unless people have pay TV)

[biggrin]Relaxes people.(Some people relax best when they can be braindead for a while) )

[biggrin]There are educational programs and documentaries that are interesting or fun to watch.

[biggrin]Gives people something to watch while doing other things, like knitting or peeling potatoes.

I’m sure there are some TV lovers here who can make some fun points to add to this debate?????[biggrin]

Celivia

To each, his or her own.

I watch ABC and SBS news most nights and watch Business Sunday and Alan Kohler’s business program on ABC on Sundays. Sometimes, I also watch documentaries like 4 Corners, The Cutting Edge, Foreign Correspondent and 60 minutes (depending on the issues – not the celebrities caption which I ignore and no, I did not follow the Corby trial – not interested at all).

I also enjoy watching a movie, for entertainment, usually on DVD some weekends.