TV: Garbage In Garbage Out?

Posted: 10 years ago | By: Christine Somers | In: Life Management | Read Time: 3 minutes, 1 second

I love TV.  I have since I was a little kid when my brother and I woke up early Saturday mornings to watch the test pattern. We were glued to the TV until noon as Sky King, Hopalong Cassidy and Have Gun Will Travel entertained us and taught us life lessons while our parents slept. After college I became a Switcher for our local ABC affiliate station. A Switcher was the person who physically pushed the button that put slides, film or video live on the air. Today it is done digitally; that is why you see so few errors now. I worked the day shift for a couple of years and got hooked on ABC's lineup of Soap Operas. For decades afterwards, I could keep up with the characters on All My Children, One Life-To-Live and General Hospital by catching an occasional promo for the show.

I share these memories with you so you will know that I am not one of those who holds the medium in disdain, I am a fan. TV was a portal to other worlds whether it was the land of make believe or Wild Kingdom where Jim Folwer wrestled alligators. Sadly, television programming has evolved or maybe I should say spiraled down into the darkness that lurks in the back of some men's mind. Before I go much further I will concede that there is some programming to be found on TV that does not fall into the categories I am setting out but for the most part, TV is about the following subject matter.

Murder: Murder abounds on TV. You don't want to be married any more, murder is the solution. Your dear old fabulously wealthy mother is not dying soon enough and you want your inheritance now, why not murder her? The sinister Columbian drug dealer has the run of the City, yep, the answer is murder. Murder as a solution is high on the list of character exploration in TV. 

Betrayal: Your father was wrongly accused of the crime? Why work within the system and receive public and private vindication when you can get revenge by destroying the lives of those who wronged your father. Or better yet, watch "reality" TV, as members of a group look one another in the eyes as they stab each other in the back. Betrayal at the core level is viewed as an acceptable tool in life on TV.

Killers, Sociopaths and Crime Lords: It started on HBO with the Sopranos. Viewers watch as Tony sat in his therapist office and talked about his mother and his business. Everyone can relate and soon the cruelty and degradation that were the tools of his profession were just another day at the office. Now TV celebrates the likes of Dexter as it shows you the "human side" of these monsters. 

I believe that a steady diet of murder, betrayal and killers, Sociopath and Crime Lords delivers its own set of life lessons that arm wrestles with our moral compass. After a while, viewers start to feel that the world is an evil place. Or worse yet, evil behavior can't be held legally accountable because they are just like you and me and need our understanding. In our house, we have started to intentionally make viewing choices. We no longer sit down in front of the TV to "see" what is on and watch the best of the worst. Television with all its hundreds of channels can enhance or degrade but it is up to us to choose which one we will embrace. 

Hugs,
C