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phoenixx -> RE: SIMPSON FANS (9/9/2005 9:01:04 AM)
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*grabs soapbox.............online virgin soapbox even!*
*clears throat*
To me, "The Simpsons" and""Married With Children" ( to name just 2 of MANY), represent the insidious tv programs which should bear much of the responsibility for the many negative changes that have happened to children/parents/society in general over the last 30 years.
Whilst I acknowledge that they are "just a tv show", they carry many underlying "messages"( advertisements in particular, do this, and one that I happened to catch a short while ago was an ad for Levis....the one where the guy "fakes" his favourite Levis to give to his girlfriend - presumably to show her how much he loves her/is going to miss her - then we see he has his REAL ones still....................so what? Where's the harm in THAT??? Does no one else see the unspoken message in this ad? Does no one else see that this ad is saying it is OK to DECEIVE someone because a pair of jeans means more than TRUTH?) . I believe it is shows like "The Simpsons" , as well as much other stuff on tv, that have subtly, and not so subtly, caused many negative changes in family life and structure. I have no academic or scientific "back up" for these beliefs..........simply a lifetime of observing people, observing the human species. ( I am not a huge fan of the human race as a whole. Which might explain why I am somewhat of a hermit. *smiles*)
When I have tried to point out some of these things to people, they usually just say "It's JUST a tv show!! It's not REAL!!" TRUE, but what about the things that are implied, the "messages" sent? How many shows have kids "manipulating" parents, showing parents as stupid etc.? We all laugh at these parents, and so do the kids, but that doesn't stop the message from being taken in by the kids ( just using parent/kid shows as one example).Can't people see that these shows gradually alter how kids think about things? It's NOT an obvious message, it's NOT a blatant statement, but it IS insidious. I hesitate to use the word "subconscious", but that's the nearest approximation I can use to describe how tv affects people - and not just kids, adults are just as receptive to "unconscious" messages.
20 years ago , when my youngest child was 4, I acted on my fears about the future impact I believed tv would have on families/society. I sold my tv/video. About 2 months after doing so ( and having many moments when I almost wished i hadn't sold them), I received a letter from the school, asking to talk to me about my children's behaviour. Far from wanting to "complain" about my children, I was asked, "What have you done?? Your childrens' creativity has gone through the roof! They are amazing to watch!" ( Not exact quotes there, obviously, but the point comes across). I simply replied that we no longer had a tv. The teachers were shocked, as were many others who found out we had no tv.
As my children grew, and brought home friends, it was gratifying to see their friends go from, "You don't have a TV???!!!! What do you DO then???!!!", to - "Can I visit again soon??"
10 years later, when I felt they would not be so "influenced" by tv, I did buy another one. The strange (GREAT!!!) thing was, they had very little interest in it.....they would watch videos, play the odd video game, but tv ( and in particular the *%$## ads!), bored them silly. At home ,now in Texas, we have a tv.........we watch about 2 hours a week ( Stargate and Stargate Atlantis - Master and I both love sci-fi), and occasionally we watch a movie. We MUTE ALL ADS!!!!!
I find it difficult to put into words exactly what I believe tv does/has done to people. All I do know is that it horrifies me to see the changes that have occurred over the last 30 years. Many of these changes have borne out my earlier fears.
Television is an incredible "teaching" tool, of that I have NO doubt. Sadly, it has been used to "teach" many more negative things than positive things.
Even sadder, is that people just don't seem to either care about what tv does/is doing, or even deny that it has any impact on people, especially, children.
Bottom line? TV equals MONEY, ergo TV will continue.
*steps down off soapbox*
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