TV or Not TV?

[Connie]

Great article:

LDS Living Magazine - TV or Not TV?

[Hemidakota]

Hmm...now makes me wonder how much time do I actually devote to the History Channel, BYU TV, Science Channel, the Military Channel. and so on.

I do agree with the author perception being projected from Hollywood is the real worlds view is not even close on what Americans do think and believe.

[Connie]

Wow!! Very powerful talk by M. Russell Ballard in the April 1989 General Conference:

LDS.org - Ensign Article - The Effects of Television

[Guest TheLutheran]

This is not a new concept. TV Turnoff Week began in 1994 and has now morphed into Media Detox Week (or something like that). I'd post a link to the wikipedia entry but I haven't spent enough time on the 'puter to figure out how to do that!

Our family began giving up tv for Lent (ok . . . we're Lutheran so we do that sort of thing) in 1996. It wasn't difficult for my farmer hubby since he doesn't watch tv anyway but it was challenging for our daughters. With each year we found that our abstinence from tv would somehow go beyond the 40 days of Lent. In fact, in 2004, we didn't fire up the tv again until the Summer Olympics started in August.

If someone came to your door endorsing the ideals presented on many tv shows you wouldn't let them in, let alone near your kids. Don't let them sneak in through that box with the screen!

[Connie]

Indeed. I feel like I needed this reminder and i don't even watch television, just movies and internet.

Here's a few more:

LDS.org - Ensign Article - It’s “Only†Violence

LDS.org - Ensign Article - “But That’s My Show!â€: Weighing the Value of Watching Television

LDS.org - Ensign Article - Screening Out the Garbage: How to Teach “Correct Principles†about Television in the Home

[lilered]

Let me share an interesting story. My brother and sister-in-law decided when they got married, they would only allow their family TV (1) evening a week. They would watch TV as a family and the programs they would watch would only be those that were favorable/positive for family viewing. Over the years they had 8 children. During the other 6 evenings, they played music, read books, worked on crafts, played games, etc.. but no TV. The children are now all married but one (senior this yr). Several have children of their own. All of his boys and 1 girl went on a mission. All the girls are very musicially inclined. His sons are all Dr.s or studying to be Dr.'s.. All have been married in the Temple. All graduated from high schoold with academic honors and also did so in college if they attended. His daughters attended college and either graduated or got married and supported their husband so they could finish school.

The kids adopted the same policy and are now raising their children without being glued to TV.

When they or their kids etc. come to visit, we never turn the TV on. They entertain us with their talents, etc... Same is true if we go to visit them

Bottom Line: I have witnessed that Limiting TV is a good thing.

[Maureen]

If I fasted from TV for a whole month, I'd get too much done.

[checkerboy]

OK not pointing fingers at anyone one here (more like pointing at the writer of the article) but I hate self-righteous people telling me that I need to do this or I need to do that. I loved the sanctimonious tone that the writer of that article used when "challenging" me to stop watching TV. Like I am somehow gonna burn in hell if I don't do what he says. I understand the effects of TV on my life and I do what I can but I feel that Mormons can be so self-righteous at times it makes me sick.

[pam]

I watch very little tv. Mainly because the shows just don't interest me. I think when I do have the tv on it's usually on HGTV.

[Iggy]

OK not pointing fingers at anyone one here (more like pointing at the writer of the article) but I hate self-righteous people telling me that I need to do this or I need to do that. I loved the sanctimonious tone that the writer of that article used when "challenging" me to stop watching TV. Like I am somehow gonna burn in hell if I don't do what he says. I understand the effects of TV on my life and I do what I can but I feel that Mormons can be so self-righteous at times it makes me sick.

Where did you find self-righteous in that article? Seems to me, Checks, that the article hit really close to home with you, otherwise you wouldn't be so inflamed by it.

Your signature (Checkerboy = sarcastic) proves that the spirit of contention is pretty dominant in your life.

note:

from Dictionary.Com

sar·casm /ˈsɑrkæzəm/ [sahr-kaz-uhm]

–noun

1.harsh or bitter derision or irony.

2.a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark: a review full of sarcasms.

[Origin: 1570–80; < LL sarcasmus < Gk sarkasmós, deriv. of sarkázein to rend (flesh), sneer; see sarco-]

—Synonyms 1. sardonicism, bitterness, ridicule. See irony1. 2. jeer.

You are coming across as pretty self-righteous right now.

I don't watch TV. When I became single I could not afford to pay for cable/satellite dish, nor could I afford to buy a TV. Husband took the big screen TV and kept the satellite dish.

I found that the dissension, anger, negative thoughts slowly disappeared from me the more I was NOT watching TV. Then I would visit with a friend who had TV, she would invite me to watch a TV series and/or made for TV movie with her and I would feel the anger, dissension, negative feelings pour over me, and over power me.

Even when I was careful of the programs that I watched - I was still blasted by crap - the commercials are full of it!

I have been TV free now for 10 years. I haven't missed a thing, not one single thing.

[MorningStar]

My sister-in-law and brother-in-law both stopped watching TV after she suggested doing so. She felt addicted to it and said it's all she did when she got home. She felt like she was being negatively influenced by it. It's too easy for her to watch it all the time because she has a severe social phobia and it enables her when it comes to hiding away from the world. She is so determined not to watch television, she wouldn't even turn it on for the Olympics even though she really wanted to. She does watch movies, but not for very long and she thinks the advertising on TV is the most harmful part. She wanted the whole family to go without it for a month. When I suggested it to my kids, my son said on her answering machine that he wasn't going to do it and started cracking up. She thought it was hilarious.

I think people need to decide for themselves whether it needs to be shut-off, if they watch too much or programs with bad messages, etc. I think families would bond more without the TV. When we had our 5 day power outage a year ago right before Christmas, it was more peaceful with all the electronic stuff not working and we had to entertain each other. It was nice except for being freezing and not being able to cook inside.

[SMG]

I have not watched TV in nearly 7 years. I've gotten alot more done with my time since then. I grew weary of having the programming throwing their (unhealthy) image of what a woman is supposed to be at me constantly. I've been much happier since I've given it the heave-ho.

[dazed-and-confused]

no doubt about it.....tv can be both addictive and just so much crap......but there are some good shows....dissernment (spell check, please) and moderation

[checkerboy]

Where did you find self-righteous in that article? Seems to me, Checks, that the article hit really close to home with you, otherwise you wouldn't be so inflamed by it.

Your signature (Checkerboy = sarcastic) proves that the spirit of contention is pretty dominant in your life.

note:

You are coming across as pretty self-righteous right now.

For someone that doesn't even know me you seem to think you know me pretty well.

I won’t judge you unrighteously or anything. I’ll still think you’re great. Just write your pathetic, miserable excuse in the space below, you big party pooper.

There is one specific instance of his self-righteousness. The overall tone of the article sounds like he is better then anyone that, oh the horror - watches TV.

You don't know my TV watching habits. I watch all of 2 or 3 TV shows anymore and I don't even watch them on my TV. I watch them online, when it is convienient for me.

And let's talk about who is coming across as self-righteos. Someone who states their opinion or someone that rails on someone for stating their opinion when it doesn't agree with theirs.

[KrazyKay]

I remember reading a study that was done about TV and it's effects. If I remember the article right, in the study it was discovered that children who watched very little TV generally were better behaved and did better in school than children who watched a lot of TV.

Yes we have a TV set, but we do not have cable/satallite, nor do we have an antenna attached, so nothing shows up on any channel. We use the TV to watch DVDs occasionally, and we have a Wii that we play on the TV. The games on the Wii are all E rated with a few T. But the Wii doesn't get played that often, lol.

I can never understand how people have time to sit and watch TV for hours when there is so many things that need to be done.

[MikeUpton]

You know that "challenge" would be trivially easy for me. I hate television. I will rarely if ever watch it. I watch everything I want to see from TV online, at my convenience. I'm like Checkerboy with that.

It better to do that, anyways, I think. When it comes to series that are sequential in nature, its easier that way to follow the story. And I avoid all of the lame commercials that come with television.

[pam]

I think part of my not watching tv is that I can't just sit and watch it. Same with the computer. YOu might see my name showing online for long periods of time..but seldom am I sitting at it for more than 10 minutes consecutively at any given period. There just hasn't been anything that really holds my interest. I think if my tv were to die today I would do just fine without it.

[Tough Grits]

Opinions are so interesting. How people react to the opinions of others is also interesting.

As for me and my house, we do what works for us. PERIOD. I appreciate the views and advice of others, and I do not take offense when others have found something that works for them. If I feel the Spirit prompt me to change what I am doing, then I do, otherwise I take the person's words and acknowledge that they are doing good by doing what is best for them and I leave it at that. All I can do is the best that I can. There are no perfect parents on this earth.

Just one thought ~ We (all of God's children) come from perfect eternal parents. Yet, when we come to earth we still make mistakes, right? Didn't Lucifer rebel and didn't 1/3 of God's children follow Lucifer in being cast down despite having a perfect Father?

My point is this- we should should all strive to be the best we can at all times in all things, but as parents, we cannot force our children to make perfect choices 100% of the time...because none of us do. We just have to do our best, and then let the teachings we have provided our children keep them from straying. Heavenly Father taught each of us the best that he could before sending us to earth, and now He must stand back and watch as we use our agency to prove ourselves herewith...righteously or unrighteously.

I think all parents have a tremendous responsibility. How each of us chooses to uphold that responsibility is up to us.

The responsibility of a parent is heavy enough, that we do not need to burden it further by worrying about how we compare to others. We should take what will benefit us and incorporate it into our lives and our families, and for those things that we feel will not work for us and our families, we can just leave those things alone with a quiet appreciation that others are trying their best as well.

~TG

[Iggy]

For someone that doesn't even know me you seem to think you know me pretty well.

I don't have to know you personally, in other words- face to face - I read your posts here on this forum and I have got a fairly good view of what you are like.

I am sorry that you feel the article was belittling you. I saw it just the opposite. Perhaps because I have been there- I have and still am influenced by TV and radio. I know this, so I make a concerted effort to avoid it.

When an addict knows what will trigger his/her binges, and they are strong in the spirit of God and keep away from the triggers, then write an article about it- I say - Good For Them - I agree with you!

The article was light hearted, a bit cocky, and not at all beat around the bush aka politically correct. I have copied and pasted the link and I am sending it to my blood kin, and all my friends.

Again, Checkers- I am sorry you took offense at this article. For what it is worth, when I was inactive and smoking like a chimney and drinking like a fish I took umbrage at nearly all articles about drinking/smoking that were in the same vein as the article the OP cited. I was vehemetly angered by them.

25 plus years later I have reread most of those articles and guess what? Now that I have flushed the evil out of my life, body, soul and have the Holy Ghost as a frequent visitor in my heart -I am no longer offend by these articles. I can actually see why I was too. I was so angered by them because they hit home. Bulls Eye!!! They were so correct and I knew it, but satan didn't want me to admit it.

I have been there, done that and by golly I am NOT going to walk that path ever again. I have learned that lesson!!! NO- I do not want the t-shirt.

[WANDERER]

You know...there was once a world where classical music was considered sinful...and the waltz was a hedonistic thing....where reading and writing was feared as evil and letting just anyone read the Bible was unthinkable.

There are plenty of examples of changing cultural artifacts outpacing the development of moral principles and behavioural guidelines.

Recent studies show that computer games enhance problem solving skills and response rates. We know that teens and young adults are attracted to experiences that allow them to enhance faster synaptic brain development and we understand that risk-taking behaviour is a part of that. We understand why they are attracted to media in terms of developmental stages.

What will the moral loopholes will be with a new form of technology and where do we set limits and rules for safety? It's definitely a challenge. Do we need to emulate life a hundred years ago to be morally correct? Why do we do that? And does it just make our children frustrated because on one hand they live in a house without television and on the other hand they are expected to have the visual literacy skills for further education and the workplace, life in general (voting, purchasing, self-education) and social networking.

Navigating life from a childhood within a religious culture that freaked out about barcoding on groceries certainly made life far more complicated and challenging than was necessary. There is no moral or religious issue in using an ATM or a card with a computerised barcode and thank goodness that most people can agree on that one. It's not that my parents didn't mean well...but, they liked the 'we are a peculiar people' motto just a little too much at times and while I love them for it...life skills were a little lacking.

Edited September 6, 2008 by WANDERER