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Living in the Dark
Lewis
Goldberg
06/01/2003
Life
without television would scare most folks today. I wrote a column recently
about a 28 hour power
failure, and how charming and undistracting that day of silence was.
Honestly, my life is not that noisy to begin with, and killing the TV was
the key to attaining that level of peace.
When
considering other families, my family is to the point where we don't even
think in terms of "they watch TV and we don't." It's just a part
of us [or not a part of us - depending on how you think of it.] The only
reason I thought to write on this topic is that it has been on my notepad
of ideas for columns for a long time, and needed to either get scratched or
used. I decided that this would probably be a good time to preach the
topic, since it's not a new thing, with unknown consequences and
experiences looming on the horizon.
One's
sense of what is normal and tolerable is tempered by exposure. Even people
who are exposed to a lot of killing become desensitized to it eventually.
So it is no wonder that liberal social values such as gay unions, teen
sexual activity, recreational drug use, cohabitation, and many other forms
of deviance and disobedience become the 'way things are.' We give up,
figuring 'the whole world thinks x, so why fight it?'
Think
about how much abnormality is pumped into your head through the tube. Now,
I don't want to hear about how you only watch Fox News and the football
games...they have commercials, don't they? Even when we as parents tried to
limit the programs the kids could watch in an effort to preserve Fox News
and the Home Channel for mom and dad, we failed because the networks
broadcast their filth and perversion in the commercials sandwiched within
episodes of Blues' Clues and Scooby Doo.
So,
out she went. That was 1998 and we haven't looked back. Our family gets the
news from the internet and radio, and if we want to watch a movie - well,
that's what DVD's and VHS tapes are for. Last weekend we got a two disk set
of The Beverly Hillbillies. Sixteen episodes of good, clean fun.
What a joy it was to see three of my boys sitting on the couch, laughing
themselves sick over those old programs that we saw so many times as kids!
My kids have never seen an episode of Friends, but they all know who
Uncle Jed, Jethro, Elly Mae, and Granny are now. The writers of TBH
had to actually think up stories...all the writers of Friends do is
figure out which character is going to fornicate this week, and with whom.
But
even in recorded media, commercials are a problem. Recently, we spent a
half a day pulling the first few minutes of tape out of all our movies to
get the commercials out of them, as well. With DVD's, they are made so you
can skip all that nonsense...for now.
I
know it's tough for some folks. The TV is like an old friend to many, and
like a drug to others. To both it is a pipeline of sin and recklessness.
Like the bumper sticker says - Kill Your Television. You'll be glad you
did.
Your comments and questions are encouraged. [editor@patriotist.com]
Patriotist
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