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I was reading a news story recently about a snakehead fish, an invasive species that originates in China, which was found in British Columbia. Biologists drained the body of water in which it was discovered in order to catch and eradicate the species before it put the local ecosystem in danger. This story reminded me of TV and the way it has changed our North American culture. While there have been some positive aspects to its invention, over time it has become a disease, infecting the minds of our culture and destroying the “native” way in which we once lived, so much so that some skills and ways of thinking have become “endangered species.” Now, I don’t want this blog post to sound like a simple rant against television. However, there are some serious and far-reaching effects that have resulted from the abundance of time spent watching TV that has replaced more meaningful activities.
Ever had the feeling that TV was not quite what it seemed? Well if you did, you would be right! I first came upon this very real realization in my third year of University when I took a course called the History of Consumer Culture in America. While it was to become my favorite course of all time, one of the things that sticks out so clearly in my mind is learning about the origin of TV and the real reason why it exists today. Programmed television was simply created to make us buy stuff. To increase the awareness of what we do not have, and to convince us that what we do have is not good enough and that we would be a better people if we bought a certain product. Early TV “shows” were simply advertisements with a very weak plot constructed around selling a certain item, such as a stove. The stove, or product they were trying to sell, would be in every shot and in almost every sentence. While it may have been the invention itself that at first captivated audiences, it has grown to become a means of extreme escapism where we don’t have to really live out our own hopes, dreams, challenges and relationships because we can live vicariously through those in shows we religiously follow all the while being convinced to buy things. I have experienced this myself and have seen how it sucks the hours of your day into a black abyss where there is not much else besides 9-5 work and TV. Relationships are scheduled around TV or escaped from through TV. Physical activity, reading, writing, meaningful conversation, spiritual and intellectual development are all things that get replaced by hours of sitting in front of a moving picture ultimately designed not just for entertainment, but to sell you things, make you feel inadequate and lull you into a sub par existence. This may sound harsh, but if you stop and think about it, it is clear to see that generations that have grown up feeding on television are no better off for it. If the amount of hours used watching TV were put into any other meaningful activity, lives would change, bodies would get fitter, relationships would improve, volunteer participation would increase and so would grades for those in school. I have seen this change in my own self and so know it to be truth.
One of the things I thank my parents most for is that I wasn’t brought up on TV. My parents bought a TV when I was in grade 4 (and I am only 25 now, so even in the 90’s it was very rare to not have a TV, or 2 or 3!) We didn’t however have satellite or cable so we didn’t ever watch a whole lot of programmed television, instead we used the TV to watch old movies like The Apple Dumpling Gang, Calamity Jane and classics like The Sound of Music. Once I was married, we did get a TV but it never sat well with me as I could feel myself get sucked in when I would come home from work tired, not feel like doing anything and so just like a zombie, turn on the TV and not move for several hours. When we downsized however, we sold our TV. We have committed to living without it for at least 6 months (at least until hockey season starts up again) and I am completely convinced that I don’t ever need one again! Laptops do just fine for watching the odd movie or show you find interesting which usually allows you to skip the large majority of the advertising. And as for watching Hockey? (A very big deal here in Winnipeg) I think the local pub close to our place will become more frequented as well as listening to the Jets on the radio or watching the games streamed online. Now that I am living without a TV, the thought of bringing a big black piece of metal, glass, plastic and other such parts into my living room or bedroom just makes me cringe! Your living space will be much more peaceful, minimal and beautiful without a TV and all the cords, storage and other little black boxes that go along with a TV. Living without a TV means more free time, more money in the bank (as you are not out buying things you didn’t know you needed or brands you didn’t know were cool) and less guilt about the exercise you are not doing as you now have time to get off the couch.
While growing up without a TV dependance cost me the ability to fill out most of the pop culture references in crosswords, it certainly has allowed me to have better perspective on TV itself and its dulling effect on our culture. It is not that TV has single-handedly created our consumer culture, but it is one of the tools used to perpetuate highly consumerist patterns of behavior across an entire culture. Cutting out or reducing the amount of TV we watch forces us to deal with our time, relationships and spending patterns and at the same time opens up so many other opportunities. Making the effort to get rid of the invasive species called TV is well worth the time, effort and withdrawal symptoms you may experience as you transition from reality TV to your own reality. Make room for life people, turn off the tube!
-Julene
Whenever it’s on it’s like having somebody in my house that I want to get rid of and they won’t leave. I hate the sound of it. All that noise and light coming from a piece of furniture. – John Waters
Another possible source of guidance for teenagers is television, but television’s message has always been that the need for truth, wisdom and world peace pales by comparison with the need for a toothpaste that offers whiter teeth and fresher breath. – Dave Barry
What compels you to stare, night after night, at all the glittering hokum that has been deliberately put together for you? – J.B. Priestley, about Americans
If you came and you found a strange man… teaching your kids to punch each other, or trying to sell them all kinds of products, you’d kick him right out of the house, but here you are; you come in and the TV is on, and you don’t think twice about it. – Jerome Singer
Television is an anesthetic for the pain of the modern world. – Astrid Alauda
Television has proved that people will look at anything rather than each other. – Ann Landers
Television has changed a child from an irresistible force to an immovable object. – Author Unknown
TV will never be a serious competitor for radio because people must sit and keep their eyes glued on a screen; the average American family hasn’t time for it. – Author Unknown, from New York Times, 1939
Making Room For Life 
Hello Julene,
First please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jared and I have the wonderful pleasure of being married to your friend Karis. I am sure you’ve heard about me periodically since marrying Karis. I found your blog, through her of course and I have been quite intrigued with the way you and your husband have chosen to live. I find this admirable and also challenging. However, after reading your latest post I must disagree in part to what you’ve said.
Please allow me to share my opinion as you have done above.
As a child I was raised with a TV in the house, with cable some of your comments do resonate. Now as a father of two young girls I find it even more important to limit the amount of TV that they have and I have while they’re awake. The “endangered species” that you talk about is completely correct. However this statement must qualified. We as the human race have developed our various cultures over thousands of years. Each separate development has resulted in the endangerment of our species. I am very confident that when the automobile was released into mass production the development of our species was once again endangered. I believe that assessments such as this can be made throughout history. To say that TV is endangering our species today is only partially correct.
Also I do not agree that the modern television program was invented entirely to sell products such as a stove, as you mentioned above. While I am fully aware that product placement in television programs is a very real thing I do not believe that this is why programs such as Survivor, Modern Family, or Castle exist.
Lastly I feel that a double standard exists in your opinions. While television programs are vastly different than any motion picture. I do not believe that the later or former are different animals, per se. I think that movies have the exact same problems as TV shows do and that you are not completely exempt from the corruption as a child as you seem to portray. Movies are also ways to escape life, ignore friends and family, and live vicariously through fictional characters.
Like any other supposed “evil of our modernistic culture” screen time of any kind can be a danger and just because its not a 46″ HD flat screen, but a 13″ laptop does not negate the fact that the same dangers exist.
Unfortunately our consumeristic culture is so prevalent in today’s world it is not easy to escape the lure of buying thing we think we need. Many forms of media exist today in which this is accomplished just as easily.
If you have not already, I would strongly encourage you to read the book entitled, Consumer Republic. It is a fascinating read about the very things you’re talking about.
Please feel free to respond.
Hi Jared,
Thank-you so much for your comments! Conversation around this topic is exactly the type of thing I hope to generate by occasionally writing on such heated topics such as these. I would like to respond to a few of your critisisms which I believe are very valid.
First off when I talked about the television programming created just for selling things I certainly meant when the first programs emerged. I don’t believe that the shows you mentioned are written to sell products as we now have commericals for that! In the course I took in Univeristy however, we watched one of the earliest “shows” created for television and to be honest we all laughed our way through it because it was so blatently trying to sell this particular stove! Things have certainly changed since then and I do acknowledge that there have been some positive things come out of television, just as there have been some very positive affects that have come out of the creation of vehicles. The example of vehicles however is another one that I hope to write on soon, as now thinkning minimally I see much differently (though they are possibly even more complicated.)
Secondly, I readily acknowledge that I was “corrupted” as a child by movies and it isn’t like I didn’t watch programmed televison at my friends’ place! What I wanted to convey, and maybe I didn’t do it very successfully, is that it was to a lesser degree to the point that I could, and still can, tell a difference between those that grew up watching TV and myself as I always felt “out of the loop” as I wasn’t concerned about all the same things as some of my peers as a result and so as an adult find it perhaps easier to say no to the TV then someone who, in the past, relied on it more heavily.
Lastly, I whole heartedly agree that there is a double standard in that I still own a laptop and occasionally watch movies or shows on it even though I don’t own a TV and am saying that watching too much TV is detrimental to our lives. What I feel however is that it is a step in the right direction and I am avoiding a lot of advertising in the process. The fewer screens we have in the house for pure entertainment purposes, the better! It takes time and a whole lot of effort to untangle ourselves from something like TV that is so pervasive in our culture and so while a laptop may not be all that different from a flatscreen, we use our laptop for school as well as connecting with people that we don’t live close to through email, facebook etc. so it feels like it is more functional than a TV as well as easier to store in a small space!
There are certainly other ways in which media/advertising is “getting us” and it is very hard to escape. Several months ago I was in a store and instead of music over the speaker system I heard advertisements and it made me want to run out of the store! I felt almost worse about that then TV because I couldn’t just turn it off, I had to actually leave the store in order to get away from it! But that is part of the larger conversation surrounding the issue and one we cannot fully explore in a short time and I recognize one little blog post is insufficient in fully exploring or explaining the varied perspectives.
Thank-you for your comments and I will certainly take you up on the book suggestion!
-Julene
Julene,
Thank you for your response, I also like to have discussions such as these.
Unfortunately I cannot speak any further to selling products through early television programming as I do have any experiences to speak of. As I do not know you to be untrustworthy person I will take you at your word (wink, wink).
I look forward to reading your thoughts on vehicles and our use of them past and present.
My use of the the word “corrupted” was to harsh and for that I apologize, I hope you were not offended.
I must agree that stepping away from the conventional way we consume television programming is a huge step in the right direction. Watching television programming online is a much healthier way to do it. While social media is another conversation entirely, I do agree that it is better to interact with others and the world around us glued to a screen.
Please keep posting about topics such as this one. I like “little blog posts” exploring the varied perspectives.
-Jared
Thanks Jared, not to worry, I’m not offended! I know that I am putting my thoughts and ideas out for the world to read so I can’t be that sensitive! I want this to be a blog where people can not only get inspiration for living their lives a little simpler but also for thinking through some of the tougher issues and that often takes conversation. Thanks for reading and feel free to comment anytime! (You too Karis) 🙂
-Julene