Cutting Through The Television Hype/Bulls@#t!

Watching TV is the absolute last thing I want to do when I’m completely bored. Seriously, I no longer have an interest in watching pretend people live their pretend lives — it’s all a bunch of bulls@#t. The simple truth is that they don’t contribute to the quality of my life in any way, shape or form!

“But some of these shows are informative!” you say? Yes, but do you see that when you watch these shows you are simply accepting other people’s interpretation of events … instead of reading all of the facts and drawing your own conclusions? I love how these “educational” sort of shows try to convince you that it’s their way or the highway relating to things happening the way they said it did, when in fact this is just their mere interpretation of what has happened (you know this right?).

Also, not everything gets fixed in thirty minute packages. Ever watch the Cosby show and wondered just exactly how the Huxtables wrapped everything up with a hug and a kiss in thirty minutes flat? Well, as you may already know, real life with our families is nowhere near that perfect … things take time, love, patience and work out in their own time line (which is a lot longer than these shows will have you believe). Ever want your family to be like one of these TV families? Well, in all actuality you shouldn’t …these characters purely live in some writer’s imagination, and no family will, or should, ever run that smoothly (trust me).

For all of you parents: children more often than not learn more by what they see than by what they are told. When children see fighting and anger all around them or on TV constantly, they grow up to either do the same or accept the same from someone else (I’m not making this stuff up). Now, if they learn to work through their problems like a normal person does (which you can teach them) instead of avoiding the issues (like the actors in their shows do) they will become better equipped at dealing with them as they grow up. It’s not always the case, I get that, but most of the time it will be.

The truth is, actors are just regular people, like you or I (the only real difference is that they pretend to be someone else) and just because they’re in the public eye flaunting their earnings, doesn’t mean that they are any better than the rest of us. What I’m trying to say is there’s no need to put them on a pedestal, because they don’t belong on one. Even though I have always believed it to be true, television reinforces my solid belief that money doesn’t buy true happiness. Sure, it can buy you the best material things (like some of these idiots waste their money on) but it can’t buy the things that make a person truly happy (think about that one for a second).

Television programming can certainly teach people many things, both positive and negative, but more times than not it’s the latter case. With the wide range of shows available, you can find something about almost anything, whether it be good or bad. There are some shows specifically designed to entertain its viewers, and others that supposedly have a hidden message that they want you to come away with (usually it’s bulls@#t to be honest with you). What you take from each one is up you, but at least make sure it’s fitting into your value system and the goals you want to set for your family and future!

More often than not, you will find that if you get rid of the idiot box habit altogether, you will probably not miss it in the least — really! Plus, you’ll find better things to learn and entertain yourself with in the real world instead. However, that decision is solely up to you!