Television

[Jossalin]

(This is a speech I wrote mostly dedicated to my older sister.)

The topic of television is a tricky one; the television itself isn't the bad thing here, it’s what’s on it. Movies aren’t the same as TV shows, movies have a beginning and end, shows seem to never end. They have season after season and it never seems to come to a conclusion, even when the show ends it always leaves you hanging, so all that time you spent sitting on your couch not reading a book, not living life was wasted. You subscribe to these shows and live your lives around their schedule, and if not you record it for later, either way you become obsessed with watching them, and if you miss an episode you get upset. And the news, you’ll feel like it’s the end of the world every time you watch it. If you have your own problems, why do you want to worry about everyone else’s? It’s sad what happens to some people but you have your own shit to deal with, you don’t have time to think of these people suffering all over the world, sure it’s sad, but just because they have it worse doesn’t mean you have it any better. I want you to really think about this, when you watch television are you really thinking? The answer my friends is no, you are not thinking because everything is being said and projected to you, it’s being fed to you so you don’t really think or use your imaginations. The point of television is for the actors, producers and TV networks to get money while you get fat sitting on a couch all day. For some people, they live in those made up shows, they have a favorite character and deep down inside they imagine being them. What about reality shows? You really want to watch someone else live their lives while you’re at home alone, most likely with no money, watching these people be successful and famous. When you read a book, you imagine everything inside it; you see it how you want to see it, which means you’re using your imagination. You shouldn’t be glued to this square thing that projects everything to you, you should be out living your life, making friends, having fun, making a family, not glued to these shows that don’t really mean anything to you. Just Live.

[Jossalin]

thank you very very much!!! this was not a school assignment, it was something i felt after reading Fahrenheit 451 and it inspired me to this:)

[Wolfboy]

And i'm sure this will inspire others
Well written Jocelyn, that was really great!

[Jossalin]

And i'm sure this will inspire others
Well written Jocelyn, that was really great!

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!:))

[Dan]

TV shows can be a great storytelling medium just like books, movies and video games. However, I can't stand having to match my schedule to the network's so this is why I don't subscribe to cable.

I prefer to watch DVD releases which I can enjoy on my terms and as for news, I can get them all on the Internet.

[Jossalin]

TV shows can be a great storytelling medium just like books, movies and video games. However, I can't stand having to match my schedule to the network's so this is why I don't subscribe to cable.

I prefer to watch DVD releases which I can enjoy on my terms and as for news, I can get them all on the Internet.

think what you think..i believe the television and the news is brain washing.Staying alert with politics is different and you can simply learn more on the web.

[Dan]

think what you think..i believe the television and the news is brain washing.Staying alert with politics is different and you can simply learn more on the web.

There's a huge difference between mindless channel surfing and watching quality shows released on DVD.

[Dan]

Gotta agree with you there. I hate watching tv news! I just know that they're lying to us all the time, or at least not giving the full story. Magazines or the internet are much more reliable.

That's true for US news but not for all TV news.

[Delta]

Gotta agree with you there. I hate watching tv news! I just know that they're lying to us all the time, or at least not giving the full story. Magazines or the internet are much more reliable.

That's true for US news but not for all TV news.

I would say it is, however the degree varies a lot. There is likely a slight bias in every bit of political news, via every medium. US TV shows surely stand out in terms of magnitude, but good luck finding a bias of absolute zero.

[Dan]

I would say it is, however the degree varies a lot. There is likely a slight bias in every bit of political news, via every medium. US TV shows surely stand out in terms of magnitude, but good luck finding a bias of absolute zero.

A slight bias is not an outright lie.

I don't know for Germany but in Quebec we have one reliable network which we can trust for news: CBC/SRC which while it is government owned, is the only channel that will dare openly criticize the government when they screw up.

[Jossalin]

I'm loving all of this! I'm so glad I posted this!

[joeyn]

Although I wish I didn't, I have about five shows I regularly watch. Thanks to the magic of DVR, I realy don't have to adjust my schedule at all.

Still, I sometimes wish I didn't have a TV.

Joey

[Jossalin]

hmm well you do what you.read Fahrenheit and you might not like tv anymore.maybe

[Jossalin]

and the only two shows I would ever watch are family guy and the boondocks.
Family= amazing music and sometimes politics
Boondocks= many political views and views of an activist

[Dan]

Okay, I just found another reason to hate tv. In addition to the reasons listed by Jossalin and everyone else, tv is blatantly racist! I was flipping channels while eating lunch (I had nothing else to do during this short time), and I came across a channel I haven't heard of before: BET (Black Entertainment Television). That's right, an entire tv channel dedicated to African-American-related "entertainment." This just screams racism to me. I did read that a lot of activists have spoken out against it, but the sad truth is that it still exists. 

It's hardly a point against TV given the importance of freedom of speech and the existence of the remote control.