Turn Off Your Tv

Turn Off The Television!

In the book Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto, Gatto tells about many of the problems with children in today’s society. One of the major problems that have been making our nation less productive and less open-minded is television. Television is called one of the greatest inventions of all time. It has opened up the world of communication immensely, making it easier to keep up with sports teams, favorite television shows, and all the latest news and gossip. The modern person can do all of this without leaving the comfort of his bed, couch, or lazy boy. Even with the ease of the Internet, many people still resort to their televisions. Many people get so into their television that they become dependant on it. If it were not for sports and school, any kid would most likely be found at his house watching TV or playing video games. TV has a more negative influence on the children of the 21st century culture than it had in the last fifty years. Our American society needs to learn how to break its TV watching culture.

Many adults today are watching too much television. This is because some were brought up to think that watching television for hours on end was all right when they were children. Some adults are under the impression that they were not negatively affected by watching a lot of television when they were younger, so they let their children sit in front of the TV for hours on end as well. Breaking the hours in a day down, the average child spends most of his day sleeping and watching TV (Gallozz). Television has many negative effects on today’s society, and little progress has been made to make it better. There are a few main reasons why televisions have become such a big problem in today’s society. The type of programming on TV and the effect technology has on the brain have caused health, family, and behavior problems in our society.

The first issue with television that has been such a big problem today is the types of programs that are being aired. There are many differences between the television shows of today than that of the fifties, sixties, seventies, and eighties. Television in the past revolved mainly around shows that were considered family oriented and based on Judeo-Christian values (Eden). Today many shows involve sex, drugs, and crimes that are inappropriate for younger viewers. This kind of television is to blame for the corruption of children’s minds. Most children begin watching TV before they have even started school. For example, 70% of child-care centers use television every day. In a typical year, the average student spends about nine hundred hours in school and over one thousand hours in front of a television (Gavin). Many children spend so much time in front of a television when they could be doing more constructive things with their brains.

The next big problem associated with television is the technology and its effects on our brains. Our brains are partly at fault for our constant “wanting” to sit and watch TV. When visual senses detect the color changing, rapid flickering, and the contrast changes of the television, the viewer wants more and more of it (Mistry). It is what captivates us and makes us want more. With the newer technology, TV creates within the viewer an almost subconscious dependency on the shows being watched. People watch TV more because of its technological power, rather than its content. Robert Kubey wrote an article for Scientific America and said in quote "When the habit interferes with the ability to grow, to learn new things, to lead an active life, then it does constitute a kind of dependence and should be taken seriously." This is a good expression, and shows how television can limit our abilities to learn and grow as individuals.

The third major problem is our health, and it has become apparent to most of America that many people do not know that their televisions have been a contributing factor to the condition of their health. Watching hours of television is not fun, and we do not get much out of it, but we will continue to do it day in and day out just because of the visual sensations in our brains. At the same time, TV will get boring and people will find themselves getting bored and eating, or even drinking beer while watching. This is another reason why Americans today are so obese. There is a direct correlation between television watching and how the percent of obese Americans has risen to a whopping twenty four percent. According to a study done by the American Academy of Pediatrics, or the AAP, shows that children who consistently spend four or more hours in front of the TV a day are overweight (Gavin).

There are some other negatives that correlate with the television-watching problem that is sweeping American households. Studies have found that television can severely affect family communication within a household starting as young as four or five. “The average five year old spends only about twenty five minutes in close interaction with his or her father a week, while spending nearly twenty five hours a week in front of the TV set” (Welch). Another problem that occurs with too much