Essay/Term paper: Why televisions should be unplugged

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Social Issues

Why Televisions Should Be Unplugged


I believe all the televisions in America should be unplugged, and we
should become a nomadic, goat-herding race- well, maybe not the part about the
goat herding. Anyway, television programming is corrupting our youths' minds;
they are being stupefied and are becoming virtual vegetables as they are molded
by the programs they view to be lazy, selfish, and to forsake all their moral
and ethical values. The so called "entertainment value" to the shows is what's
hurting us; kids mimic what they see on t.v., which includes violence, murder,
rape, etc.
Children's grades drop drastically when tuning in to their favorite
cartoon takes priority over completing their math or other schoolwork. The
effects may also carry over into the next day, when they re-enact their favorite
scene of the previous night's episode of Power Rangers on the playground, often
resulting in the injury of several poor kids. Obviously such programs are
counter-productive to the educational process.
Teen violence is on the rise at an exponential rate. Many teens watch
action movies such as Terminator and its sequel or the Die Hard trilogy and
conjure up bright ideas to go vandalizing or attacking innocent people. This is
especially true when speaking of the gang situation that is currently plaguing
our nation. Before the era of the television, crime like the kind we now have
was virtually non-existent.
Obesity is another indirectly related effect of television on our bodies
for people of all ages. The term "couch potato" adequately suits people who
would rather watch Cindy Crawford tone and firm her buns than get off theirs. If
there's a welt in you favorite spot on the couch that is a perfect outline of
your backside, it's a good indicator that you need to get out and do something.
An awkward issue I want to discuss deals with programs with adult
content and their accessibility to children. They are learning vitally important
issues like the "bird & bees" and other things regarded as taboo from the "boob
tube." That's not the problem, though. The real problem is that they're not
learning it the right way; parents should be the ones to explain it. This is why
we have such a high rate of teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, rapes,
etc. Television "cheapens" the meaning of these sacred acts as well.
In conclusion, I believe television is destroying our culture and will
eventually lead to our demise. We are on a collision course with chaos, and
pulling the plug is our only salvation. It's up to you.