What've You Got Against TV?
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Question:
What is it that religious Jews have against television? Aren't you a bit cut off from reality? How do you know what's going on in the world without a TV in the house?
Answer:
I would say that it's the other way around--TV cuts you off from reality. Whatever you are watching, whether it's the news or entertainment, you are missing out on what's going on in the real world. The news is a distortion of what's going on other people's lives, and the entertainment is a distraction from what's going on in your life. "Reality TV" is an oxymoron.
The TV news is simply reporting the facts - right? Wrong. It is only reporting the facts that are visually captivating, will maintain the ratings, conform to the prejudices of the viewers (not to mention the station owners), and fit into neat little segments - as if there has never been a story too complicated to report in three minutes....
But it's not only the news that distances us from reality. Just as TV news replaces the facts with a contrived opinion, TV entertainment replaces real human interaction with somebody else's fantasies. Those who spend their hours following soap operas are missing out on the days of the lives of their own family and friends. The sitcom junkies are oblivious to the hilarity of everyday living. And the fans glued to "reality TV" are blind to the reality happening in their own home.
Could it be that TV is a major cause of the relationships crisis we face today? Apart from the time wasted in front of the box, there is a deeper effect the media is having on our generation of TV addicts. So many people are complaining that they can't find somebody to love. How often do we hear, "I just can't find the right person." Well, to a couch potato, it's no wonder no one is "the right person." Who can compete with the beautiful, funny, interesting and witty characters that strut the screens and fill their minds every night? Never mind that it's all contrived and staged. How many people do you know who fit TV's narrow definition of what is considered attractive? Of course no one in the real world matches up.
Personally, I feel more in touch with reality without a TV. You may not be ready to throw yours out the window. But at least ensure that it is you that controls the television, and not the reverse. Make sure you are not missing out on real relationships in favor of imaginary friends. Life was not meant to be lived only during commercial breaks.
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Latest Comments:
Our people are more obese than ever in history, and the children are more obese and less active. Could it be that sitting for hours on end (and usually eating while you watch TV) with eyes glued and brains turned off is one of the contributing factors? Yes, I do have a TV at home, but now, it is gathering dust. I realized I am killing myself by not walking, moving, and exercising. So, how can I fault someone for wanting people to experience real life instead of a fantasy one? One sort of good thing about having a TV on is that you can hear right away if there is a nuclear or other disaster coming your way, as they do cut into normal programming to announce emergency information.
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For those that want to say tv is something to do together or that tv is fun to watch a game with friends, I say- you are not really interacting with each other. Not really. Try an interaction without it and see what I mean. To those who say how educational it is, I say you need to watch educational programming on demand, not because it is scheduled and it might have something you've never seen. This means, watch something specific online or rented because you want to learn about that subject. But really,don't you have ANYTHING better to do?
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I didn't think that this article meant anything to me, because I am not a Chassidic Jew and don't follow Halacha laws. However, it must have made a deep deep impression, because I have begun to not want to watch the programs. This one is boring, that one is a waste of time, the writing is bad on another, the grammar is atrocious, too many commercials, etc, etc. I just keep thinking, "Ugh" and have other things to do. So, I called my cable company and said, "Look, I never hardly watch TV and I'm a senior. Either you lower my bill considerably each month or I am stopping service with you." They did considerably lower the bill. Hahaha. So, thank you. You helped me in ways you couldn't imagine! If there is ever a show I want to watch, I just look it up on the internet and if it is free, I watch it. Now, I mostly like to listen to music and do dance/exercises at home alone to exercise tapes.
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I totally agree with Tzvi about television for not only the reasons that Tzvi shares with us on this topic, but the fact that much that is found on television is sexualized, violent and disturbing imagery and words/songs not only for children, but adults too. It's nearly everything that tends to drag the nefesh and mind away from HaShem and down into gross sensuality or worse.
Even when you can get cable, most of it is worthless, at least in my opinion. There are many many Jewish and other elevating DVD's, even movies, etc that one can watch on television when one wishes to have some occasional time with the TV, by using a DVD player, rather than immersing one's (and one's children's minds) in mostly pre-programmed junk. True, some secular movies and programs can be interesting for both kids and adults but one has to be discerning.
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I understand why people don't watch television. It's not the be all end all. TV is not all bad. Why you can't set aside one hour a day for you or your kids to watch television. And you can also set parental locks. Or explain to your kids, why they shouldn't watch certain things. Whatever works. There are so many educational shows on television, you just have to find them.
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I had ended my television addicition long before I sought a Jewish way of life. I didn't even know why. It went against my feeling of well being. I think that deep inside of us we have the knowledge of what is truly valuable in life.
This article touched me, and articulated what I could not quite put my finger on.
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Alcohol is also something about which you could say what "Anonymous, delhi, india" did: It "is very normal but a strong inclination can make a person an addict. A large number of people especially kids are suffering from this addiction. An addicted person spends most of their time [doing what the person is addicted to doing]... It becomes their psychological problem and creates a bad effect on life."
The only differences is that alcohol addiction causes liver failure, which is ultimately fatal, unlike "hearing and eyesight defects", which are not, and that alcohol addiction tends to lead to drunk driving, which kills others, not just the addict.
Do we stop saying Kiddush and having wine at seders because a person could become an addict and die? No. Because we recognize that -- in moderation and at approiate times (for example, not when driving) -- it is not going to cause these problems.
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TV sucks the life right out of you. REally! I have an advanced degree in Electronic Media and Journalism and part of my studies were the effects of TV on the brain. Lets just summarize by saying that with the conclusions I've drawn, we don't even have one hooked up in our home. For us, it's not that the programming isn't interesting or educational. It's that choosing to never watch tv forces us to find better things to do with our time. Since I am an artist, I think it much better to choose to spend my time on creative stuff. My family reads, gardens, plays board games together. And very importantly for my children: they are not exposed to advertising messages. We all know that these are slick lies specifically made to sell products that often we don't actually need and the fastest area of advertisement growth is in advertisements geared to children. Over the years there has been discussion about government regulation regarding them, but they so far have the $$ to keep going.
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The habit of watching television is very normal but a strong inclination can make a person an addict. A large number of people especially kids are suffering from this addiction. An addicted person spends most of their time watching T.V. It becomes their psychological problem and creates a bad effect on life. Some of the common television addiction effects include hearing and eyesight defects.
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I had to laugh when reading your post. TV is an addiction and depends on how you use it. I know a grandmother of 74 that has the TV on for 18 hours a day. She watches political news, movies, and the programs on KCET and others. She is constantly on the phone, enjoys her breakfast, lunch, dinner at the local restaurants and meets people. She has scheduled her time well.
I would suggest if you consider this, that you can arrange your time by reading books, going to libraries and taking some classes that you like, meeting people at the local synagogue, watching news, or listening to radio talk shows on how they debate their point of views. If you have a laptop, you can spend time reading and actively getting involved like you just did when you posted your comment.
TV should not be considered as your sole purpose of living. Keep the TV and try not to use it in order to practice disciplining.
After a while, the piece of equipment might be considered as your vacuum machine.
Like that?
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