Advertising diatribe

[C. Harald Koch]

In message <373B2B79.4D82@e2.empirenet.com>, hixon writes:
> 
> Oh, come now, Holly - television is not such a terrible thing. It is a
> tool like a knife is a tool. You can use a knife to cut your food, or
> you can use it to stab someone, dead or otherwise. 

Firstly, You're taking it out of context. We're talking about raising
children, not personal entertainment. Even while I'm against letting my kids
watch saturday morning cartoons, I'll let them watch a couple of well done
shows, and PBS documentaries. And on top of that, *I* still watch TV, just
after the kids are abed.

But the fact remains that TV advertising is targeting younger kids all the
time. TV is *not* a teaching tool, even with "educational" children's
programs. It lacks the required feedback loops, an so teaches children to
blindly accept what they see.

Secondly, there are lots of other things you could do with your time, provided
that you are mobile (and I understand that you are not), that are more
worthwhile than watching TV. Exercise is the most important; go for walks or
whatever. Go watch amateur sporting events instead of watching professional
sports on TV. Go work in a garden. Go volunteer.

Finally, I don't believe that TV is like a book. More effort goes into
producing books than TV shows; the stories and characters are much better.
Books encourage the imagination; TV discourages it. I can go outside on a nice
day and read a book (or I can go out to a pub or restaurant on a bad day and
read a book :-).

I'd like to watch less TV than I already do; unfortunately, I'm an addict for
storylines; I have to see what happens next... *sigh.

-- 
C. Harald Koch     <chk@ve3tla.ampr.org>

"It takes a child to raze a village."
		-Michael T. Fry