Television....the sin of all sins

slant said:
I would argue that computers are more mentally engaging and stimulating than television is.
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Extremely true, they are significantly more conducive to intellectual development, at least from my perspective
 
TV is unnecessary now..we have the internet..you can pretty much watch/research anything you want here...TV is just a matter of better quality but this is about to change...I only like educational channels on TV..and it's not a complete waste of time when your just stressed and need a break.
 
Yield said:
Advertising is evil, not TV.
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Tv programming wouldn't be possible without advertisers. Advertisers fund tv programming.. so essentially, if the program doesn't guide viewers to purchase those products advertised between segments.. the program doesn't get air time. Tv is pretty much a vehicle for selling shit.
 
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I just got a few question; Why exactly is T.V. bad (Morally and scientifically) and why is your labtop/desktop any better? Trash is Trash if I'm not mistaken, trash knowledge in, it'll come out.
 
I rarely watch TV. I rarely watch movies.
I don't care for them all that much.

If I do watch TV it is the weather channel or cartoons.

I don't read a lot either, though. It makes me a bit ashamed. I could probably be worlds more knowledgeable if I did. For some reason reading makes me drift off into thought too frequently, so it takes me longer than I have the patience for.

Also, as much as I am worried that technology will take over the classical forms of learning through books, letter writing, and other such things, I think it could also be very useful. I really can't take a side because I don't have enough information. I wonder which is more intellectually stimulating.
 
alt ctrl del said:
Tv programming wouldn't be possible without advertisers. Advertisers fund tv programming.. so essentially, if the program doesn't guide viewers to purchase those products advertised between segments.. the program doesn't get air time. Tv is pretty much a vehicle for selling shit.
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You are all assuming that everything on television is shit. Real television shows ARE made by artists who want to create art. There is a lot of Television and film bashing here, but there are people who dedicate their lives to learning the craft of creating cinema or TV as a means of artistic expression, as a means of providing honesty and truth to their audience- well, to the ones who care to look.
 
I can't remember the last time I watched TV.

The last time I DID turn it on, I was heavily assaulted by the commercials and such, it is INSANE how you become accustomed to that shit over time.
 
Yield said:
You are all assuming that everything on television is shit. Real television shows ARE made by artists who want to create art. There is a lot of Television and film bashing here, but there are people who dedicate their lives to learning the craft of creating cinema or TV as a means of artistic expression, as a means of providing honesty and truth to their audience- well, to the ones who care to look.
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+1
 
Yield said:
You are all assuming that everything on television is shit. Real television shows ARE made by artists who want to create art. There is a lot of Television and film bashing here, but there are people who dedicate their lives to learning the craft of creating cinema or TV as a means of artistic expression, as a means of providing honesty and truth to their audience- well, to the ones who care to look.
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True. But like all real art, those shows tend to do poorly. And unlike other art, television that doesn't draw views dies. :( It's rare for real film to do well.
 
If people have an appetite for crap, they will find it, whether it be from a tv, radio, books or computers.
 
Quinlan said:
If people have an appetite for crap, they will find it, whether it be from a tv, radio, books or computers.
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Exactly! There's just as much "crap" on radio, in books, or much more online. Fact is, tv is more censored than most media, especially compared to other countries. Online, you can access pretty much anything, and most of the things searched for online is not the highest quality stuff. When people say they don't watch tv, what does that mean? What do you read or listen to instead? That's the real question.

It's not just what you watch, it's how you think about or process what you watch which determines how much it affects you. If you have good critical thinking and reasoning skills, and keep yourself pretty well informed with other reliable sources of info, you can screen out what's bad and benefit from the good it has to offer.
 
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But I mean when people say 'television rots your brain' what is the basis for that?

Are you guys sitting here seriously telling me that it's the advertising and has nothing to do with the way the brain supposedly functions while watching television? When does that factor come into the argument, and how is the proven/disproved?
 
slant said:
But I mean when people say 'television rots your brain' what is the basis for that?
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Probably some hoary old SJs made it up because they were scared of technology. I don't actually think it was anything more than a metaphor for being trained not to work for answers and think independently (which TV might do) but I think the lack of curiousity and independent thought probably came before the TV watching rather than caused by it.

Are you guys sitting here seriously telling me that it's the advertising and has nothing to do with the way the brain supposedly functions while watching television? When does that factor come into the argument, and how is the proven/disproved?
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To me a TV is just a tool, it can be useful and healthy depending on how you use it.
 
Restraint said:
It's not just what you watch, it's how you think about or process what you watch which determines how much it affects you. If you have good critical thinking and reasoning skills, and keep yourself pretty well informed with other reliable sources of info, you can screen out what's bad and benefit from the good it has to offer.
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I agree. Watching TV is not about drooling in front of the TV set and being brainwashed by taking everything you see at face value without putting any thought into it.

And personally, although I don't watch that much TV as I used to, I can use the "bad" stuff as well because it enables me to compare it to and figure out what is actually "good" and appreciate it even more. Some people might see this as a waste of time but it has worked for me in the past. The process is faster now, I like to be informed about the good and the bad because I like to make up my own mind about what I like and what I don't.
 
Yield said:
You are all assuming that everything on television is shit. Real television shows ARE made by artists who want to create art. There is a lot of Television and film bashing here, but there are people who dedicate their lives to learning the craft of creating cinema or TV as a means of artistic expression, as a means of providing honesty and truth to their audience- well, to the ones who care to look.
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What channel do these shows play? Would you classify Salo' 120 Days of Sodom in this category of good art?
 
slant said:
But I mean when people say 'television rots your brain' what is the basis for that?

Are you guys sitting here seriously telling me that it's the advertising and has nothing to do with the way the brain supposedly functions while watching television? When does that factor come into the argument, and how is the proven/disproved?
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Sorry, I never watched any TV shows on that topic so I can't provide any arguments. :P
 
slant said:
I would argue that computers are more mentally engaging and stimulating than television is.
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Yes, it's definitely most stimulating, probably more so than television. The micro-flashes exhaust your dopamine levels. That's why experts recommend an hour of computer time per day.

But who follows their advice anyway?
 
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