Television - the grand vizier of information and the all seeing eye.
Undeniably, the silver screen is something that has become an indispensable source of information in our increasingly technologically advanced culture. However, not all of these information are morally beneficial or even mutually beneficial.
No matter how open our minds are to the issues and images screened on the television, the younger generation like the toddlers to the adolescents may not hold the same sentiments.
So the question is "Is it true that the influence of television on children and teenagers are always bad?" The answer is yes, and no.
A teenager walks into school with a gun he bought from a nearby arms store. He walks into the same classroom he studies in daily and points the gun his rivals head. In a split second, his classmate lies in a pool of blood on the floor. He laughs casually as if nothing actually happened. Graphic, but this actually happened in Texas a few years ago.
Should we attribute this to the increasing violence shown on television? A survey done recently by a government agency shows that an average American family watches about six hours of television daily.
The Chinese have a story where a man took a frog from the pond, and placed it in a pot filled with water. He heated the water very slowly, and as the water got hotter, the frog thought to itself "Oh! Its getting warmer! Home... But actually its quite comfortable.". And this went on till the frog was cooked. The frog didn't even make a sound.
The point in this story is that as more and more undesirable acts are being shown on television, we slowly get used to it. Soon, we are literally numb to the immoralilties that are aired now and there on the silver screen.
How much more for the youngsters who do not have a mind that is discerning enough to tell that the scantily clad women in front of his face is not the norm?
However, notwithstanding, I still remember the days of Sesamene Street and 101 Questions where television opened my eyes to the cultures of the world while providing foundation for my information bank.
With advancing technology, there are shows that we could only dream of in the past like interactive 3-D adventure quests and WhoWhatWhenWhy where kids nowadays can experience a whole new feeling to the age old definition of education. Learning your Ps and Qs have never been more fun too.
But balancing both the goodness and the hideous side of the goggle box, we now know that television is not always bad for the younger generation. But we still need to bear in mind the negative influences that it can have on them.
Parents have a very important role in teaching their children what is right from wrong, thus bringing them up to be moral individuals. I believe that if parents can stay by their child's side while their children watch shows, and inform them if the actions that is being screened is correct or wrong, the negative impact that may occur would be lessened.
In addition, the government may consider shifting the more graphic or explicit shows to later at night when the children are asleep.
The frog in the pot may feel comfortable by the heat, however, we can keep putting ice to cool down the water in the pot, and eventually, when the ice melts, the water level would be high enough for the frog to leap out of the pot and into freedom.
No comments:
Post a Comment