HH: But my dish also gives me the opportunity to enjoy food, sports, the history channels and Book-TV. I don't think it's all bad.
You are both right but RM nails it when he notes that we are "force-fed" candidates by the media. The presidential election has turned into a media circus that begins the day after the election has ended and continues for 4 years. They use the power of tv to whip up public sentiment one way or another, turning us into shills. I used to be a news junkie, flipping between cnn, msnbc, fox, etc. Each night, I would find myself screaming at the news reporter for misleading information. I gave it up for Lent that year and never looked back. Like RM, I do my own research and follow the news on FR where we get full coverage via news stories from around the world.
RM is also correct in stating that many Americans are hypnotized by the flickering screen. When cable was first launched (okay this dates me) the salient reason for subscribing was ..... no commercials. That's correct, cable television was originally commercial free. Now we are not only inundated with commercials during the day but are subjected to the paid commercial advertising throughout the night. The worst commercials are from the pharmaceutical companies. Family viewing time is now rife with advertisements for male enhancement and genital herpes ads!
The quality of television programming has consistently diminished over the decades. Remarkably, folks are purchasing larger televisions .... to view what? I do agree with HH, however, that cable and dish have some fine offerings for the more discriminating. Were it not for EWTN (Catholic television programming) and TCM, I would simply disconnect the cable service. There are some good programs on FOOD, DISC, USA, NGEO and HIST, but these are few and far between.
Many years ago, when television was first introduced, it was suggested that it would become the tool of Satan. For those with children, take a good look at the programs and advertisements directed towards that audience. Gone are the wonderful cartoons like Looney Tunes now replaced with politically correct ones that promote left wing agendas. How ironic that many parents pay a hefty monthly charge for expanded stations and an additional charge to block some of those programs from their children.
Thank you both for your comments; I enjoyed them.
I didn't mean to imply that this is a 24/7 television household. It certainly isn't. Like NYer, my news is gathered mostly from other sources, like FR. For myself, television viewing is limited to weekends only.
NYer mentions EWTN, which did, (and may still), produce a program celebrating the life and works of G.K. Chesterton. I was, of course, familiar with Chesterton, but had never read any of his works. It was the program that inspired me to begin reading Chesterton, which helped enrich my life.
I truly don't believe it's the medium. It's the individual watching and the moral compass possessed.
Thanks for your comments.
I miss EWTN but I don't miss it enough to pay for and wade through all that other nonsense. It's kind of like saying that you only get Playboy for the articles. One has to turn the pages to get to those "articles" and of course you paid the price for the whole magazine, and who profits? All that said, Alan Keyes has some excellent articles on his website that every American should read.