Television: The Plug in Drug

 Professor Thoreson English 101 29 March 2008 Television: The Plug-In Drug The long table was elegantly set for the annual Easter brunch, as it usually was. My good friends china was arranged perfectly at each of the seats. We were all dressed in our best waiting for the great Easter turkey and the rest of the guest to arrive. The door bell rang and the newly invited family arrived. Lurdes, their daughter, ran to a TV and clicked the button. For the next three hours as we were enjoying our time at the table, Lurdes was nowhere to be found. She kept staring at the big glowing box like she had never seen it before. It didn’t seem like her parents were concerned what she was watching and for how long. Today’s children and youth are wired for media use like TV, internet, computers, and cell phones more than ever before. Most of us would agree that parent’s priority should be to try teach values to their kids, but the media competition is making it nearly impossible. According to a study by Public Agenda a majority of parents surveyed believe there are essential values their children should learn (Johnson par. 4). These values include: doing your best in school, being honest, having self control, and being polite. More than fifty percent of parents say that bad language and adult themes on TV get worse every year, although some of these parents think TV is okay as long as children watch the right shows in moderation. We must continue watch what our kids watch, and make sure that the only shows they watch are the ones that will help them grow up to be healthy, successful adults. In fact, Marie Winn says, “Studies show the impotence of eye-to-eye contact, for instance, in real-life relationships, and indicate that the nature of one’s eye-contact patterns, whether one looks another squarely in the eye or looks to the side or shifts one’s gaze from side to side, may play a significant role in one’s success or failure in human relationships” (Winn 23). Regardless of parent’s supervision, today’s youth still find ways and reasons to watch television. Unfortunately, we can hardly imagine our life without TV. Every day we tend to watch news, movies, and all sorts of programs that contain violence, torture, and abuse. Some psychologists believe that violence on television affects the behavior of ourselves and our children. It could even make our children have an awkward approach to adult problems and they might even develop a desire not to become adults. Television violence can destroy a young child’s mind, and the effects may be ever lasting. The reason children are so drawn to the violence on TV today is that the characters on TV make it look fun, so the children find it fun to imitate. Kids who watch more television are more likely to solve their problems with violence rather than kids who don’t, and sit down to talk their problems out. For instance, when Lurdes, our guest’s daughter, saw the same toy that she had on TV, she grabbed hers saying to the screen, “See? I have it too!” Although this example is non-violent, it gives us a good understanding of how children interpret what they see on television. It also allows us to see how easily they can be pulled into this real world of violence with devastating effects. And again, about the only way to correct this ever-growing problem is to stop it where it starts: in the home. Parents can teach their children that violence isn’t necessary along with keeping a close eye on what they watch. Furthermore, TV is not the only problem in our families. Today’s teens can’t imagine life without cell phones. Wireless communication is a world of information to users no matter where they are. Besides being able to place a call, we can text message and search the internet. The use of cell phones has increased over the last twenty years. It has been estimated that nearly seventy three percent of drivers use their cell phones while driving, according to estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Talking or texting on the phone while driving increases our chance of an accident up to four times. Approximately 243,294 accidents happened last year because of distractions. 366 were due to cell phone, according to the Drivers Distraction Report from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. For instance, in May, 2006, Andrew Kenneth Hicks from Foxton New Zealand was killed when he crashed into a power pole after being distracted by text messages while driving. I happened to experience this myself. Two years ago I was injured when a driver ran a red light while reaching for his cell phone and slammed into my car. Fortunately, I had only minor bruising. So parents as well as the government should take measures protecting teenagers from these unpleasant consequences. In conclusion, it would be foolish to say that media has a minimal impact on people’s lives, values, and opinions. Clearly, it limits our right to explore and learn from personal experiences. The more informed a person is the better decision they can make. But the problem arises when we consider where and when we get our information. Therefore, it would probably benefit people greatly if they were very careful about what and where they read, see, or hear. To trust everything is to be naïve and that can be very dangerous. Works Cited Florida Highway Patrol. “Distraction Driving Rate of Accidents Up.”15 May 2006. Jared Savage. “Cell phone Was a Fatal Distraction.” The New Zealand Herald. 10 December 2006.

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