Television has come a long way since the dawn of this technology, some 75 years ago. Television (TV) is a major marketing tool big corporations use to reach and influence viewers. This method of indoctrinating people has proved to be the most successful thus far. I am not concerned so much about the inculcation of children, although serious as I am worried about having to endure watching hours upon hours of cartoon violence running in all time slots.
When I was exposed to TV in the early 90’s there was not a trace of anything graphic in nature on regular channels. Society has degraded exponentially over the past decade. TV programming is a stark reflection of just that.
A few summers ago I had a project for summer school and I chose to do a report on the CRTC summit in Banff. I don’t have the actual essay, but I did find the notes. So I’m just going to restate them below.
Teens and children that watch violent programs on television are inclined to engage in aggressive and sometimes dangerous behavior. This was a prime concern to the National Institute of Mental Health as far back as 1982, when they submitted a report to the various broadcasters and later to the government informing them and the public of the potential dangers that viewing violence on television can have for children.
Psychological research has shown three major effects of seeing violence on television:
1) They may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others
2) They may be more fearful of the world around them
3) They may be more likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways toward others.
4) They who watch a lot of TV are less aroused by violent scenes than are those who only watch a little; in other words, they're less bothered by violence in general, and less likely to see anything wrong with it. For example in several studies, those who watched a violent program instead of a nonviolent one were slower to intervene or to call for help when, a little later, they saw younger children fighting or playing destructively.
Studies have shown that on average, children's TV shows contain about 20 violent acts each hour and also that children who watch a lot of television are more likely to think that the world is a mean and dangerous place.
After watching TV kids often behave differently after they have been watching violent programs on TV. In one study shows that about 100 preschool children were observed both before and after watching television; some watched cartoons that had a lot of violent acts in them, and others watched shows that didn't have any kind of violence. The researchers noticed big differences between the kids who watched the violent shows and those who watched nonviolent ones.
It seems as if all the watchdogs of TV are either sleeping or blind. Studies that warn of heightened amounts of violence on TV come out often and these people don’t seem to get the message. Day by by the violence in kids’ programming goes up one notch. I remember back in 1990-1991-1992 G.I. Joe used to be my favorite TV show. There was very little violence in it and it was very enjoyable to watch. At the end of the episode, one of the characters used to act out a scene that had a moral in it and then used to explain to the viewer for instance that drugs are bad. And I know, that had a positive impact on me. If it had an impact on me it would have for sure had an impact on everyone else who watched.
But today, the situation is frightening! This pokimon, digimon, yoh-gee-oh stuff is too much to stomach. I don’t know how these kids can sit there and watch that jerky animation. If the producers behind the cartoons really want to display violence they should at least use good graphics/animation. Kids programming should have at least have some teaching aspect. I remember reboot was the first computer animated show, and that was really good. It exposed young kids to computer terminology early. A few students in my grade 12 class were Sailor Moon addicts. And that show was unbearable! Looks like some people never grow up…
I think that parents should watch at least one episode of the programs their children watch. This way they'll know what their children are watching and be able to talk about it and discuss the dangers of what not to watch with them. When they see a violent incident, parents should discuss with their child what caused the character to act in a violent way. They should also tell them that this kind of behavior is not the way adults solve their problems in the REAL WORLD. They can ask their children to think about other ways the character could have reacted, or other nonviolent solutions that could have applied to that specific problem. Something along these lines makes for a TV experience that is truly a learning experience. The TV should teach the kid something not bombard them with violent nonsense until they become desensitized.
Parents should completely ban any programs that think are too offensive. They should encourage and make them watch shows that are more beneficial, such as documentaries, educational shows and so on. Most TV’s today have the interactive programming option. This should be used to limit which channels the kids watch. Some could be completely blocked off altogether. Kids should be taught to watch the news, CBC news at 9 perhaps, this has many benefits (although this is indoctrination too).
I think the best thing to do is to throw the TV out. This may sound talibanistic but many great people have done this. It pays off BIG TIME!
Waheguru ji ka khalsa waheguru ji ki fateh!
TV has more negatives than positives. It has been known to cause emotional distress in young kids. There is too much commercialism involved in todays media. Good post!
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