(NOTE: I received the following via email with a request not to include the name of the sender. The ideas contained in the letter were worthy of a wider audience, so here is the letter as it was received).
I am one of the few college students that don't own a television. When I tell my peers this, many are surprised. I get free basic cable, so why wouldn't I want a TV? Two reasons:
1) For the first, lets turn to my psychology textbook: "Although most people have the capacity to think logically, reason dialectically, and make judgments reflectively, it is abundantly clear that they don't always do so...Many critics think such laziness is one the rise because television is replacing reading. Television programs often provide sound bites instead of fully developed arguments, encouraging viewers to form quick, impulsive opinions instead of carefully considered ones. As writer Mitchell Stephens (1991) said, "All television demands is our gaze." "
I think that quote best illustrates why. If I had watched TV instead of surf the net for the last 5 years I would not be intellectually where I am today. Now, I may not be a candidate for MENSA, but I'm smart enough to know that there are a lot of dumb people out there, especially within my age group. I'm noticing a direct negative correlation between intellect and television.
2)TV exposes you to all manner of external thought influence:
Ever notice how our news programs (esp. fox news channel and msnbc) pack a TON of information on the screen? You get a large section for over-used footage, a smaller section of correspondents and anchors, and then the bottom quarter is devoted to scrolling text comprised of 5 word sentences.
What if someone showed you fifty paintings in rapid succession? Would you remember much about them?
Of course not. The news keeps so much information flowing (but only bits and pieces!) that your mind ends up in a SEMI-state of information overload. Information overload is when your mind is presented with so much data you become less able to process and take any in. If you've ever been 'burned out' after an 8 hour cram session or busy work day then you have experienced information overload.
If I were a government trying to sell the concept of killing people to stop people from killing people, wouldn't I rather have an audience that has trouble thinking clearly and rationally? Yes, it seems that television has evolved into the perfect medium for propaganda, and decades of TV conditioning have made us the perfect receptors.
Granted, we are constantly bombarded with influential messages. But "Buy our shampoo, it'll make your hair nice." is NOT the same thing as "You should think that abortion is wrong." or "I WANT YOU TO THINK THIS WAY SO I'M GOING TO REPEAT MYSELF UNTIL I GET MY WAY." It's ok to try to get me to buy something, because most products are what they say they are. Trying to change my opinion is another story, especially when it's the type that puts a moral veil over something that a reasonable person would find appalling. I'm willing to hear any argument or concept once, but if I don't agree then I don't agree.
Basically what I am saying here is that 1) TV dumbs you up, which makes it ultra convenient to be used for 2) brainwashing.
Don't believe me on the second part? Take a look at CBC World News sometime. You'll notice that the ONLY thing presented on the screen is the anchor people that are speaking. Even the backgrounds behind them are blurred- the only thing in focus is them, talking. You spend more time listening to one message. You'll also notice that those messages actually contain news about the horrible effects this war is having on innocent people in Afghanistan and other atrocities committed around the world (Africa, Palestine, etc etc.) Why does Canada report world news? Do you think it's because they need to hide things and make their citizens ignorant? Why would they do that?
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