Originally posted June 10, 2013
Most people will find this hard to believe or may not even believe it at all. We do not own a television. We repeat. We do not own a television and have absolutely no desire to have one in our home.
We have not watched regular television programming for over 20 years. We have only had cable once for a few months in Barrow, Alaska and realized we weren't watching anything on it, so we turned it off. We have watched our fair share of movies off and on. When we lived in Alaska we watched Netflix movies for a few years.
Why did we quit watching TV? We realized a long time ago that most programming by the major networks were being manipulated by Madison Avenue. The goal was to get us to think a certain way, shop a certain way and act a certain way, because if we didn't, we were some how lacking. We began to find that most television programming was offensive, demeaning, sexually suggestive, rude and a waste of time. This still holds true today.
When we realized how much TV promotes certain political, religious and moral views, it was plain that our conservative, Christian, pro-life values were and are under attack. Everywhere we go we hear, "Did you see.......?" Is this random, by chance or a deliberate constructed means of influence and control? It appears to us to be a very effective means of destroying the family, stimulating moral decay and swaying the political views of most people.
Are there some programs on TV that are good, wholesome, informative programs? Sure there are. We know families that limit the amount and type of viewing allowed in their homes. One of the keys to anything is self-discipline and moderation. We have just chosen a different avenue.
How do we even know what is on TV now days? It is seldom we go to someone's house and the TV is not on. You can't sit in a doctor's waiting room without being subjected to a television. As educators, we can see a marked change in the way children act, dress and interact with other children and adults. Terms like 'freeken', 'what the....' are only cute little ways to curse and are not allowed around us. When a whole generation of children is raised viewing and speaking in the manner of current TV programming, they do not know any different and for them it is 'normal'. We choose not to participate in this 'new normal'.
We choose the news we read and the images we view by using the internet for our information. The choice is ours to read, think and analyze information - not some talking head on a television. The results are remarkable. We are better informed today than we ever were when we only watched television news. This does not mean the internet cannot supply the same types of information and indoctrination that television does. It has the same lure and addictive possibilities. The key is in the choosing.
Whether the content of TV influences society, or society influences the content of TV, we are in serious trouble. Something to think about. Choose what you fill your mind with. Don't let others choose for you.
Frank and Fern
We live in a very large city in CA. When Comcast (a cable company in our area) went house to house to sell their service, a young man came to our house and gave the presentation to me at the front gate. The look on his face, when I told him that we didn't have a TV, was priceless!! He left his card and said, "When you get a TV give us a call." We do have a TV now but we use an antenna. There is no way I am paying for TV! I agree that there is next to nothing of value to watch.
ReplyDeleteBrenda, thank you for the comment. Sometimes when we tell folks that we don't own a television, I believe that they think we are not telling the truth, or for some reason, we are just in between televisions, and will obviously have one soon. I go to church with a fella that every time I see him, asks me what I thought about a certain football game. And I just tell him, I'm sorry, but I can't comment. I think he's testing me, in his own little way, to try to catch me in a lie. He does it every time. Strange world we live in.
DeleteFrank
Yes, I like the re-post. At my age, a good memory is not my long suit and if I have failed to bookmark something in particular that appeals to me, it is lost. Incidentally, I still have my TV, but I haven't turned it on in over a year. I agree wholeheartedly with your analysis of TV programming and what passes for news. Thank you for reminding me.
ReplyDeleteVicki, you are welcome. I think even adults need to be reminded occasionally, or maybe often, about priorities in life. Vicki, a note pad comes in handy, one of those little 3 x 5 jobs and a ball point pen. It's great for keeping reminders. Now, if I could just remember where I put it......
DeleteFrank
I think I'll enjoy the reposts. I probably won't have read most of them before anyway, since it hasn't been that long ago that I started reading your articles.
ReplyDeleteHi C.M. The re-post was an idea we had pondered for quite some time. So far, we have received a positive response. I guess in the future we will continue this practice. Thank you for the comment and thank you for reading.
DeleteFrank
As a relatively new reader ( found you from reading Rural Revolution) I appreciate the repost. Really enjoy your blog and appreciate that you continue to encourage people to take stock and think! We had a 9 inch black and white TV with rabbit ears the first year we were married, been 25 years without TV now . Had occasion to stay in a motel this May and found the telivision so replusive we couldn't stand it on. Thought there was a marked difference in it from the last time we saw it. Wish people would wake up. Keep up the good work Frank and Fern. From Oregon ............
ReplyDeleteHello. Fern and I had the occasion to stay in a hotel about 10 years ago. The hotel had pay for view channels and free channels. I was astounded at some of the things I saw late night on the free channels. There were things that I cannot discuss even with most groups of just men. And for the life of me, I cannot understand how people can watch this type of garbage and find any means of justification to do so. But people do it everyday, and many do it with their families sitting right beside them. I know that kids watch these type shows with their parents because they talk about it at school the next day. Our society has deemed this type of behavior perfectly okay. I mean little kids, are watching hard core porn while sitting next to mommy and daddy. I'm sad to say that there is a larger percentage of families doing this than any of us would like to admit. But, in fairness, there are also many kids that are unaware of these activities because their families do not participate. But there is a large group of families that do. We are going down a slippery slope quickly. Sorry to share this with you.
DeleteFrank
I didn't catch the original post so I liked reading this one. I can only wholeheartedly agree! When television went digital we did not update. Like we're gonna pay to be brainwashed and lied too, LOL. We still have our old analog model and use it to check out DVDs from the library for pizza night. All too often we end up turning it off for the reasons you mention. Even children's movies (which one would think would be "safe") are filled with potty humor and rude smart alec dialog, not to mention pantheism, materialism as the only good, and elevating science to god. Here on the homestead, we've learned that our life and especially our animals are so much more interesting than anything they can put on the tube.
ReplyDeleteLeigh, we agree with your comments wholeheartedly. In the 60's I was a teenager and TV was not the same, even remotely close, to what it is now. Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore, even though married on TV, still had separate beds.
DeleteFast forward to about 1985. This is before cable. I was standing in a Sears store and Fern was looking at something. I was grazing through TV land. Three TV's each on the three major networks, about 1:00 in the afternoon, all showed a man and a woman under sheets together. Big change from the middle 60's to the middle 80's. But at least in the middle 80's they were under sheets.
I was shocked at the scenes I was watching in the Sears store, and that was almost 30 years ago. I just can't understand, well yes, I can too. I can understand why people watch TV. It could be an issue of choices, and the choices are good and evil. We have a significant population that chooses evil. I find this topic difficult. Thanks for the comment.
Frank
They don't call it the boob-tube for nothing! Enjoyed reading this again. We do have TV. I hadn't turned it on in several months till yesterday while I was recuperating from some ailment, where I had my son turn on the DVD for me so I could watch a carefully selected movie. As I was scrolling thru (actually trying to turn the thing off) I saw some really weird stuff. Most of which made no logical sense. Left is right and upside down is backwards. Had to get the son in to turn the blasted thing off. It is a propaganda machine. We are far better using our time elsewhere in constructive activity. ~Sassafras
ReplyDeleteSassafras, hope you're feeling better. Our TV exposure is similar to that. The occasional friend or relative's house is our exposure to TV now days. It's an interesting study of the mind, and what drives people to continue to submit their mind and soul, to ongoing exposure to various forms of influence and propaganda. It's fun, but sad to study folks reactions to different forms of stimulus. We humans are interesting creatures. I look forward to seeing where society is going to take us in the future. Fern and I discuss on a regular basis whether we form society or society forms us. Interesting concepts. Thanks for the comment.
DeleteFrank
Excellent repost. We do not own a TV either. I used to have one but found I really only used it to watch Movies I rented. TV could be such a boon for learning but instead is basically useless...the reality show craze was the last straw for me. I do use the Computer to watch some things I learn from like cooking shows and you tube how to videos. I find the big push to entitle women to do anything they want and not be sex objects is completely ignored by Media advertising and show content. [The great Mystery of 6" spike heels"
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this repost. Thank you for doing it.
God Bless you both!
Fiona, back before the internet, and the PC, we really enjoyed watching Saturday morning shows like This Old House and Victory Gardening, and we had a local statewide show called Oklahoma Gardening. I also use YouTube. I have watched things like how to solder a connector and how to plow. The internet could be such a great tool, and for what I use it for, it is.
DeleteI agree, television could have been a great tool. And I guess, in some ways, it is. It is a great tool to control thought, and our government uses this tool to pacify and control the masses. As I state often, our society is not going to survive. I hope there are enclaves that will make it through when this is over. That's my hope anyway, because we are going down a serious, totalitarian path. I don't see a chance for recovery. The elections are skewed, honest public opinion is suppressed and punished, and decency is ridiculed.
Think I'll go take a nap. Thanks for the comment.
Frank
I don't mind the re-post at all! My husband and I do still have a TV and watch it on an almost daily basis. However, we usually stick to the educational channels - Animal Planet, Discovery, etc.. My husband likes to watch the evening news, though I avoid it because I find it so depressing. My favorite channel to watch is Hallmark, especially when they are showing Little House on The Prairie or The Waltons!
ReplyDeleteVickie, there are some good shows on television. TV has the potential to be a great educator. I just wish that there were more quality shows. Thank you for the comment and thank you for reading.
DeleteFrank
Some years back, when I was still single, my sister called me for help because the TV in her kids' bedroom bit the dust and asked me for a loan to buy a new one before they drove her nuts. I didn't have the cash available, but I did have my old TV. Since I seldom watched it, unless for a ball game or a movie, I gave it to her. Did without for about 2 years, didn't miss it much. Ball game I could get on the radio or at a friend's house. Movies .... meh.
ReplyDeleteThe wife and I have satellite TV feeding two TVs. She watches all kinds of junk that makes me crazy and refuse to watch with her. Seriously, "Sister Wives" about a polygamous Mormon family? But she grew up in a TV-addicted home and refuses to even think about changing her habits. At least I can watch the ball games again. But if I had my druthers, we'd do without completely. 95% mind-rotting junk, 4% innocuous fluff and maybe, at best, 1% useful and good content.
Thanks for the re-post, as I too missed it the first time around.
Ron, thank you, and thank you for sharing. I would agree with your numbers. I guess just focus on the 1%. I'm guessing that in the future, none of us will have television. I hope I'm wrong, but there are just too many indicators leaning toward some type of major disruption. Again, I hope I'm wrong. Take care.
DeleteFrank
Thanks for the re-post and you are right on target with your decision to keep the poison (TV) out of your home. We still have the television and cable. I have asked that we stop cable service and stop watching TV but my husband tells me he is not ready to give it up yet.
ReplyDeleteYour re-post states: "most television programming was offensive, demeaning, sexually suggestive, rude and a waste of time. " It is still true only more so now I am sure. I cannot stand to watch much of anything and definitely not the complicit news media actors. If I do happen to be subjected to them, I find myself yelling at them in frustration. Even the commercials seem determined to degrade and/or humiliate one segment of the population or another and would have been considered pornographic not too many years back.
I am going to share your re-post with my husband in hopes he will take your advice and get that purveyor of evil out of our home and lives.
Thanks Frank and Fern.... keep 'em coming.
Shannon
Shannon, I've read that the average person watches 4 to 5 hours of TV a day, and I'm sure there are some people that are doing other tasks at the same time, like canning, sewing, or fixing something. But the reality of it is, most aren't. Most are sitting there being fed what to think, how to act and how to respond. I don't have 4 hours a day to do something worthless, so I will give my 4 hours to somebody else. That means that person can watch TV for 8 hours a day.
DeleteA number of years back it dawned on me that Oprah, and later on, Dr. Phil, were directing serious thought paths for many adults. How did we so quickly get to this point in life where individuals don't have the ability to develop conscious, logical thought? But we're there. It's going to be interesting to see how the next generation responds.
Thank you for your comment.
Frank
I think a well-written post SHOULD be reposted occasionally. A finely crafted phrase or an interesting topic is always worth revisiting.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I'm asked "Did you see so-and-so on cable TV last night?" I respond with my standard:
"I don't have cable TV because I refuse to pay someone else for the privilege of wasting my own time."
(I wear my "cable-less" existence as a badge of honor. I'm probably insufferable to those around me.)
Just Me
"A finely crafted phrase or an interesting topic is always worth revisiting." Thank you for the above comment. We're going to try to re-post every week or two and see how it goes. Thank you again, the above statement is well put.
DeleteFrank
My mother is 90 years old. She has cable....costs her $125.00/month which she cannot really afford but is unwilling to let go. When I am there, I often must leave the house and sit on the porch to get away from the noise of it and the horror of it all! She leaves it running on a channel that is some kind of sexual crimes investigations and I can't stand hearing the words and the images that the sounds coming from the box leave in my head. I'm dumbfounded as to why my own mother has such things blaring into her mind all the time!
ReplyDeleteLorraine, it baffles us also, why people watch some of the things they do. What astounds me the most are the head games that people play with themselves. I have seen people use every rational to justify watching what they watch. It's like at Christmas, the TV is the centerpiece of the room. It's sad. Thank you for sharing.
DeleteFrank
Thank you for the re-post.
ReplyDeleteWe have a television. but it is not hooked up to any cable, satellite or antenna. The only thing that we use it for is movies, either DVD's or VHS.
Haven't had the lame stream media in my home for over 20 years. Do not miss any of the programmed pablum the they spew out to control the minds of the viewers.
I always advise folks, that if they have a one eyed monster in their home that they use to watch the programmed garbage, they should un-plug it, take it out 300 yards away, and use it for target practice.
Bob
III
Hi Bob. 300 yards is a long ways away, Bob. For a number of years in the past we also had televisions, but their only function was to watch rented, or occasionally purchased, videos. Some people comment that videos are just as bad, and that's very true. But I choose the videos that I watch, which actually in the last six years I have watched, maybe two, maybe three. When I'm reading the news and they talk about music or Hollywood type awards, I seldom can identify any of the folks. So, if their car breaks down near my house, I will not know that they are royalty. Sure hope Hillary Clinton never breaks down near my house, especially if I've just finished eating a good meal. Thanks for the comment, Bob.
DeleteFrank
Wow! You guys lived in Barrow, Alaska...would love to hear more stories about that! I hear you on the TV....I want to get the Little House on the Prairie dvd set and watch it with the family this fall/winter season! God Bless!
ReplyDeleteHello, Casey. Yes, Barrow was an interesting experience, but everybody has interesting experiences everyday.
DeleteIf I may recommend, after you watch the Little House on the Prairie DVD series, read the Little House on the Prairie book series to your family as a group. Those old enough to read can all participate. Fern read them to me a summer or two back. It's a great read about survival in some really hard times.
I am sad to say, but I have never seen a Little House on the Prairie show. Even before we quit watching TV, it was never a big part of my life. Thanks for reading.
Frank
We also have been without a television for 24 years now. When the TV died, we decided to see how long we could live without it...I'm sorry to say it wasn't a moral decision. It was the best thing we ever did for our children. We were shocked over the years to see the changes in programming when we visited my parents or elsewhere. One of the major things I have learned by not having a television is the power that images have upon us. I listened to 9-11 on the radio, but it didn't emotionally impact me until I went to work that afternoon and saw the images on the televisions there. Many news items since, I have seen the impact upon our emotions and thus our decisions of the images that others choose for us to see. I have to completely agree with you that we must be careful how we are influenced. BTW, how odd it is it that conversation around the water cooler always comes back to what the video box (TV) that shows adults pretending for a camera (stars) had on it last night. And how silly is it that you and I are thought odd for not being caught up in the pretenders imaginary stories (shows). Bourbonred in KY.
ReplyDeleteHello. Thank you for the comment, your concerns are very well articulated. It is strange to be the odd duck out when you don't participate in what as seen as normal activities. Imagine if everybody at the water cooler were talking about the newest designer drug, and you were the one that did not participate, then yes, you would be scorned for that also. It's the same type of relationship. They're both, TV and designer drugs, undesirable addictions. Good comment, and thank you.
DeleteFrank
TV is poison, nothing but mind numbing propaganda. I salute you!
ReplyDeleteWe, too, have forsaken the box for more interesting and fulfilling endeavors.
I agree wholeheartedly. I wish other people could see what it is doing to their minds and thought patterns. Thank you for the comment.
DeleteFrank