Television

[KarateCowboy]

Is somebody/anbody going to take a stand against what's on television these days. I know we have all kinds of "groups" out there fighting hard but it seems like tv gets more out of control every year.

I'm glad the FCC is not backing down from CBS for that SuperBowl (hear they're still appealing).....

I'm not advocating censorship or anything but heck......

I know that I can turn the television off....but why should I have to?

Anyway, just venting...does anybody else feel this way?

Jack

Apart from the occasional Simpsons or NOVA (and LOST)I have stopped watching TV altogether. I stopped for five minutes and watched some sitcom the other day during prime time on network tv. In about three minutes I caught about five references to sex in about four different scenes in the story. Cleanliness is becoming the exception on all forms of television. Pretty soon even Antiques Roadshow will be vomitting smut on us.

 

[KarateCowboy]

I wanted to congratulate you I think it's awesome what you are doing. I think sometimes we tend to forget how unnecessary TV can be and just how much time it wastes. In the time it takes for us to sit on the edge of the couch just having to see the conclusion of a particular show the dishes could have been done, laundry could be started, dinner could be getting ready, bills could be paid, clothes could be set out for the next day, a shower could be taken, etc.

My old university had this 'no screens for a week' campaign. They took this quote that the average American watches about three hours of tv a night (that scared me). They said that in one week to you read The Old Man and the Sea twice, all of Walt Whitman's poems or something, and War and Peace. It was amazing. Maybe TV is the cause of America's problems.

 

[TooCurious]

Apart from the occasional Simpsons or NOVA (and LOST)I have stopped watching TV altogether. I stopped for five minutes and watched some sitcom the other day during prime time on network tv. In about three minutes I caught about five references to sex in about four different scenes in the story. Cleanliness is becoming the exception on all forms of television. Pretty soon even Antiques Roadshow will be vomitting smut on us.

This is why censorship is the wrong answer, and personal choice and responsibility is the right answer: I'm not at all offended by "smut" in a program, as you've described, but what does offend me is poor technical quality in a program. For instance, a while back I remember that I had been watching something on television (I don't recall what precisely), and the show that came on immediately after it was 7th Heaven. I'd never seen the show, but had seen ads for it, and I was curious so I decided, what the heck, I'll check it out. This may be a largely subjective matter, but I found the writing and the acting on that show to be absolutely horrific. It was just an excruciatingly poor program. I stopped watching halfway through it, because I couldn't take it anymore. That's the sort of stuff that I don't think should be on the air. But I don't push for censorship. I just change the channel. Or read a book. Or change the channel, and read a book during the commercials. I multitask.

 

[SallyNow]

Is somebody/anbody going to take a stand against what's on television these days. I know we have all kinds of "groups" out there fighting hard but it seems like tv gets more out of control every year.

I'm glad the FCC is not backing down from CBS for that SuperBowl (hear they're still appealing).....

I'm not advocating censorship or anything but heck......

I know that I can turn the television off....but why should I have to?

Anyway, just venting...does anybody else feel this way?

Jack

Go to TV. Turn on the V-Chip option. There...you have all the control you want, from G-Rated to M (or NC-17) rated.

Or, call your cable company and cancel the TV channel packages, or the invididual channels, that you don't want. If you like most of the channels in a package, fight for cable choice. Until cable choice is an option, block the channel from your TV using your remote control.

If you want things banned, you want censorship.

Personally I think that, it would be nice if NC-17 sex and violence were blocked unless you pressed a button on your remote or pushed in a code. I hate switching through channels and seeing blatant pornography or shows that mock the pain inflicted by violence. And, it would be nice to actually stop the violence in the real world. But, until that happens, people are free to watch it. I just don't want to see it, and I hope most people I know don't want to see it either.

There are things that I wished didn't happen in real life, and that people didn't think about, like genocide. But it does happen, and those stories do need to be told, profanity and all.

And then there's the garbage that is just sex and violence and gore for the fun of it, that is disturbing and damaging to watch (I'm talking NC-17 stuff, not Law and Order) It would be wonderful for society if people didn't think of things that destroyed and humiliated others. But they do.

So what do I do? I support shows that are interesting and good, and have creative merit to them, and I leave the rest.

 

[CSmrw]

It's kind of eerie that a lot of the complaints I am reading against TV's intelllectual shortcomings and how we all would be better if we stopped watching? I feel similarly about theism.

 

[nicolezoeydafney]

Is somebody/anbody going to take a stand against what's on television these days. I know we have all kinds of "groups" out there fighting hard but it seems like tv gets more out of control every year.

I'm glad the FCC is not backing down from CBS for that SuperBowl (hear they're still appealing).....

I'm not advocating censorship or anything but heck......

I know that I can turn the television off....but why should I have to?

Anyway, just venting...does anybody else feel this way?

Jack

the garbage on tv now a days!!!!!! south park, adult swim..... just to name a few. if the fcc banned howard stern, how are these tv shows any different. they all talk about the same stuff... sex, sex, and more sex.

 

[SallyNow]

Here's another idea: perhaps if people started using thier creative juices more again, had more Charades parties, wrote more short stories, partipated in more theatre, took more dance classes, had good old sing-alongs at parties more often, learned music and musical instruments, took more watercolour and quilting classes - in sense used their own creativity more - TV shows would have to catch up to the re-awakening of the North American arts-and-crafts, theatre and dance community movements. Good stories, good foundations, good experiences.

Oh, wait, that might interupt your regularly scheduled watching of golf on TV...

(I'm not singling out golf TV, it just was the first thing that came to my head)

 

[CSmrw]

That's a big maybe if. Charade parties? Let's say I wanted to start a charade party. All I would have to do is find two or three friends who wouldn't beat me up for suggesting the idea.

Actually, I prefer poker nights, online record reviewing and rescuing greyhounds. And coming here and getting frustrated. When I was younger I drank a lot, played in rock bands, picked up on women in bars and got in fights, too. So many wonderful options to watching TV that aren't excruciatingly dull.

Side note: you write short stories?

 

[selfinflikted]

the garbage on tv now a days!!!!!! south park, adult swim..... just to name a few. if the fcc banned howard stern, how are these tv shows any different. they all talk about the same stuff... sex, sex, and more sex.

I know you didn't just call South Park smut!?!?! j/k

Seriously though, it always puzzles me the way people trash a show like South Park, specifically, without having ever really watched it. Sure, there's a lot of gratuitous sex/violence references - but if you ever watch the show to it's conclusion, there is ALWAYS a valuable moral lesson to be learned. Seriously. That's the beauty of this show, and why it's remained one of my all-time favorites. If you can't get past the crude veneer it's understandable I suppose (to me it's just hilarious), but underneath it all, I promise there's a lesson to be learned.

 

[CSmrw]

Let's start an online Charades game!

I'll go first!

 

[sparklecat]

We could always try Pictionary.

 

[selfinflikted]

We could always try Pictionary.

lol

 

[CSmrw]

Seriously...first word....

 

[katautumn]

We could always try Pictionary.

Oooh! Oooh! It's the Mayfield cow with a very bad sinus infection!

 

[sparklecat]

And apparently some sort of bizarre leg condition...

 

[katautumn]

LOL We'll call her Stumpy.

 

[R0D]

Is somebody/anbody going to take a stand against what's on television these days. I know we have all kinds of "groups" out there fighting hard but it seems like tv gets more out of control every year.

I'm glad the FCC is not backing down from CBS for that SuperBowl (hear they're still appealing).....

I'm not advocating censorship or anything but heck......

I know that I can turn the television off....but why should I have to?

Anyway, just venting...does anybody else feel this way?

Jack

Sign of the times, a sign of decadence.

We can't even leave the television on to listen while doing dishes or something. The program changes and soon the next thing our kids and us hear are several expletives and canned laughter as if the expletives made it all funny.

I do have to say that we enjoy the improvement and time spent together as a family when that tube is turned off... even if it was turned off in response to filth.

Change the society's heart and people won't desire things like that. If the desire changes, perhaps the tele companies and advertisers won't spend so much time and money making it.

 

[wanderingone]

Is somebody/anbody going to take a stand against what's on television these days. I know we have all kinds of "groups" out there fighting hard but it seems like tv gets more out of control every year.

What kind of stand? If you know there's all kinds of groups why not join them?

I'm glad the FCC is not backing down from CBS for that SuperBowl (hear they're still appealing).....

Geesh is that still going on? It's so silly why should CBS be to blame for an incident on live TV that they weren't told about? Shouldn't those who took the action be the ones dealing with whatever fines or actions are being imposed?

I'm not advocating censorship or anything but heck......

If you're not advocating censorship then why shouldn't CBS be free of lawsuits because of the stupid superbowl incident?

I know that I can turn the television off....but why should I have to?

Why shouldn't you? I turn stuff off all the time, why should EVERY thing on TV be right for EVERY audience ALL the time?

Anyway, just venting...does anybody else feel this way?

Jack

I think there's a lot of garbage on TV, but it doesn't really bother me. I just watch what I want to and turn off what I don't want to watch.

 

[nicolezoeydafney]

I know you didn't just call South Park smut!?!?! j/k

Seriously though, it always puzzles me the way people trash a show like South Park, specifically, without having ever really watched it. Sure, there's a lot of gratuitous sex/violence references - but if you ever watch the show to it's conclusion, there is ALWAYS a valuable moral lesson to be learned. Seriously. That's the beauty of this show, and why it's remained one of my all-time favorites. If you can't get past the crude veneer it's understandable I suppose (to me it's just hilarious), but underneath it all, I promise there's a lesson to be learned.

i have watched the show several times, and the lessons taught on the show are far from being moral!!!

just take a step back , and read what you wrote.. "theres a lot of gratutous sex/ violence refrences"

why tv would air such crap as this???
i know , i know - entertainment.

 

[TheMissus]

i have watched the show several times, and the lessons taught on the show are far from being moral!!!

just take a step back , and read what you wrote.. "theres a lot of gratutous sex/ violence refrences"

why tv would air such crap as this???
i know , i know - entertainment.

You know, I've learned something today. Family isn't about whose blood you have, it's about who you care about.

Hello, cubs. I'm "Don't Sue People" Panda, with an important message for you! Lawsuits damage our society. I know it's tempting to make money, but just remember: that money has to come from somewhere. And usually, it ends up hurting a lot of innocent people. So, until next time, don't let frivolous sexual harassment lawsuits ruin our schools. Good-bye now.

You know, I think we all learned something today. It's fine to have your own beliefs and your own traditions, but as soon as you start excluding people from your ways, only because of their race, you become separatists. And being a separatist sucks.

If God answered all our prayers, there'd be nothing left for us to do ourselves. Life is about problems, and overcoming those problems. [becomes reflective] A-and growing and learning from obstacles. If God just fixed everything for us, then there'd be no point in our existence.

You see, I learned something today. At first I thought you were all stupid, listening to this [idiot]'s advice, but now I understand that you're all here because you're scared. You're scared of death and he offers you some kind of understanding. You all want to believe in it so much, I know you do. You find comfort in the thought that your loved ones are floating around trying to talk to you, but think about it: Is that really what you want? To just be floating around after you die, having to talk to this [jerk]? [the audience is listening] We need to recognize this stuff for what it is: magic tricks. Because whatever's really going on in life and in death is much more amazing than this [idiot].

Maybe you don't like the packaging, but there are moral lessons within South Park's storylines.