|
© All columns copyrighted
Columns must not be
reprinted in any form without the author's express permission.
|
|
Melvin's blog
Nshima & Curry
Melvin's Blog
Nshima & Curry
| |
WE'RE DOING NOTHING BUT WATCHING TELEVISION
A nonprofit organization called the TV-Turnoff Network
recently urged people around the world to turn off their
televisions for an entire week and rediscover activities they
once enjoyed, such as watering their plants, riding their bikes,
and talking to their spouses.
More than 24 million people have participated in the annual
TV-Turnoff Week since 1995, according to the network.
Middle-aged woman: "My husband and I turned off our TV
for an entire week!"
Friend: "Congratulations! That's a major achievement, even
greater than climbing Mount Everest!"
Woman: "Yes, it's a good thing our 15-year-old son has a TV
in his room or we would have missed 'Law & Order.'"
Friend: "I wish my husband would stop watching TV. That
bum turns the TV on more often than he turns me on."
Woman: "That's because none of the buttons on his remote
control say 'Excite wife.' But I'm sure the engineers at Sony
are working on that."
Friend: "Excite wife? That would be great. I just hope those
engineers don't consult my husband and install a button that
says 'Exit wife.'"
As you can see, many people are controlled by their
televisions. Asking them to turn off their televisions is like
asking them to convert to another religion. "You want me to
worship another God? I believe in only one God, a God who
loved the world so much that He gave us lots of TVs."
Even if millions of people were able to keep their TVs off for a
week, I wonder what the long-term effect will be. I wonder
how many people said to themselves, "Wow! That was a
great week. I went dancing at the club, I took my children to
the park, I even introduced myself to the neighbors. That
darned TV has kept me from enjoying life. From now on, I'm
going to limit my viewing to one hour per day. And no more
than five hours per night."
The average American adult watches four hours of television a
day. By age 65, that's equal to nine whole years spent in front
of the television. Nine years! That's longer than most women
spend shopping!
Children who watch too much television are susceptible to
obesity, arrested cognitive development, and shortened
attention spans. Not to mention the inability to read anything
that doesn't scroll.
People love watching TV partly because it's one of the few
things they can do without moving a single muscle. In contrast,
reading a book involves the burdensome task of turning pages.
For many people, that's way too much exercise.
Here are five signs you watch too much television:
1) When your children tell you what they want for dinner, you
ask, "Is that your final answer?"
2) You're always relieved when your spouse falls asleep,
because you can finally change the channel.
3) When someone asks you about your favorite friends, you
say, "I love Chandler. He's hot."
4) You believe that the D.C. in Washington D.C. stands for
"Drew Carey." Your second guess is "Dawson's Creek."
5) You keep all your jewels in a shoebox, but have bought a
fireproof safe for your valuable tapes of "Seinfeld."
Television is like a drug. You turn it on at 6 p.m. and before
you know it, it's midnight and time to go to bed.
Husband: "Wow! We managed to get through another day
without talking to the kids. Speaking of them, where are
they?"
Wife: "I have no clue. They're probably in their rooms, watching
TV."
Husband: "Silly kids. All they do is watch TV. Where did they
learn that from?"
| |
|
