Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Television: Friend or Foe?

The short reading by Marie Winn’s book, “The Plug-In Drug: Television, Children, and the Family”, she discusses different subjects about television. She mainly focuses on how it harms parents and children. She strongly believes that the television has hurt more then it has helped.

Winn relates the television with children, moms, and dads. She talks about how the parents just put the children down in front of the television to take the responsible off of them. Parents are using the television as a baby sitter or second parents. Winn also discussed dads coming home from work and watching television instead of playing with his children or spending time with his wife. She also gives an example of the mom just putting a child in front of the television so the child would be bothering her or wants to relax doing other things.

Winn’s argument in the reading is how the television has ruined family rituals and activities. Family’s used to spend time playing random games, sparing jokes and stories, and talking to each other about there day. In today’s family children play games or talk with their parents on daily bases. Winn understands that occasionally parents take there kids on a vacation or to the zoo on one day but it is what goes on daily that has a lasting affect.

I agree with Winn on her book “The Plug-In Drug: Television, Children and the Family.” I think the television has corrupted many minds of America’s. It has taken away originality from people and tells them how to think. If people want to keep up with what is going on around the world there are many newspapers that have knowledge to educate.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree with you in a sense; television has left a void in many families over the years. But it’s hard getting through life these days without needing to watch the T.V. at some point through day. Many adults do not have time to sit around and read the newspaper, the news is so much more convenient to those who have to come home from and have to cook dinner and take care of the kids as soon as they get home from work.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you in a sense; television has left a void in many families over the years. But it’s hard getting through life these days without needing to watch the T.V. at some point through day. Many adults do not have time to sit around and read the newspaper, the news is so much more convenient to those who have to come home from and have to cook dinner and take care of the kids as soon as they get home from work.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you Will. I also feel that the television has taken parents away from their children and fathers and mothers away from their sons or daughters.

At some point through the day I feel that the parents should be able to take maybe an hour or more to talk to their children.

I know that if I did not talk to my mom or dad to vent or free my frustration I would nt know what to do with myself.

As it may seem the television has taken over in most families and I feel that is the reason why most families have the problems that they have.

Anonymous said...

I disagree with you on some of your points Will, from my own personal experience I know that my family mever stuck kids in front of the T.V. to take the responsability off them. Half the time they just wanted quiet time and if it was dark they could not send them outside and four year olds don't read.

On the husband coming home and watching T.V. i agree with you. These days kids never see both their parents at the same time no more than an hour a day.

T.V. in my opinion is a really bad crutch people have.

Anonymous said...

I can relate to what Will was saying in his essay. Television has taken over the minds of many families. Lots of families live to watch television, and there lives would be incomplete without it.

Anonymous said...

I feel that our society is depressed. There are a lot of things going on with everyone. Television can be used as a positive effect or a negative effect. It depends on the person looks at it. Today, we have so many jobs that have gone oversease(sp), and television seems to be the answer at times. It takes your mind off things. Sometimes television can also help you find the answer in what's going on in your everyday life. Far as children goes, I do think that their television should be limited, and they should atleast be allowed to look at three at the most, non-educational programs on t.v. Some parents feel that it is best for their children to only engage in educational programs. There is nothing wrong with that, but children have to be open to what's going on around them as well. That's is why I feel it depends on how you look at. Television can be positive or negative.

Anonymous said...

I disagree with you, Will. Time as changed from the time Marie wrote this short story. She wrote this short story to address to a social issue, which would have affected the future if actions were not taken immediately by parents. Believe it or not, this is still a problem in our society today, just not a major one.

Anonymous said...

I disagree with you Cody. I feel that parents will sit children in front of the t.v. to take some of the responsiblilty off them.

If they want them to be quiet and its dark, just give them a coloring book. Help your child to write their name. Teach them the alphabet. These were the types of things I did when I was four.

Anonymous said...

I think that TV can be good or bad, it only depends how you use it and for how long.
If you spend more time watching TV than with your family, friends, homework, and other important matters then you have a problem.
TV can be good if you watch the correct shows and programs for a reasonable time. The thing is that TV offers so much, even more than what we really need, making it very easy to get caught.

Anonymous said...

I agree with what you said Will, many families in America don't spend quality time with each other like they used to. I know from experiencing it with my friend's family. Her father comes home from work everyday and goes straigh upstairs to the game room to watch TV. While, her mother is in the kitchen slaving over the hot stove. She takes the food up to him on a tray when it is ready. The kids eat at the table alone while their mother watches TV in the living room. TV has taken a lot of family time out of homes and it is progressively getting worse.