Television

Television

Every day I hear people complain about violence on television. They say it as if this violence is the whole problem with our society. Violence on television and violence in the movies inures our children to real violence. They say this with the voice of reason, with competence and assurance. They say this as if it were true.

It is not!

One hundred years ago people got together at the Grange or town hall. They held dances and contests. They played together and entertained one another. One hundred years ago every body new their neighbors, all their neighbors. In the evening, some would sit on their porches, others would walk around the neighborhood and they would talk, telling each other what ever news and gossip they had heard.

One hundred years ago a stranger was a source of news. A stranger was exotic. And yes, a stranger was unknown and dangerous. Back then we did not have radio or television to get our news. We were dependent on newspapers and stranger, tourists and travelers stopping off in our neighborhood for a meal or a night. Strangers were often a source of entertainment as well as news.

And today?

How many of your neighbors do you know? How many can you call by name? My grandmother knew dozens of people and not just by name. She knew them well enough to ask about children, cousins, and family. She knew her neighbors, the ones across the street, on the next street, even on the other side of town. She knew them all.

My mother knew all her neighbors, the ones across the street, and on the next street. She even had a few friends across town. My mother did not know as many neighbors as her mother did. How many do you know.

Why is this?

When was the last time you got together with your neighbors for a dance or contest? Why? Do you need your neighbors to be entertained?

Nope!

Today we are entertained by the box in the living room. The television, along with the radio, the VCR or DVD, and the cable box. The television and the radio deliver news from all over the world. During Desert Storm we sat in our living rooms and watched the war. Watched the war, this was something that had not been done since 1861. CNN brought the fighting live in our living rooms.

And strangers?

Strangers used to be exotic, a source of news and entertainment and dangerous. What is a stranger today? Just dangerous! We no longer depend on strangers for the exotic. We no longer depend on strangers for news and entertainment. We no long see them as a source of news and entertainment. We only see them as dangerous and exotic. Why? Because television now fills most of the roles of strangers.

How does this affect us. We no longer know our neighbors, they are all strangers! Strangers are dangerous! So we live in a world where most of the people around us are perceived as dangerous! In urban America we live in constant low level fear of our neighbors, because of television!

It is different in suburban America. There we know our closest neighbors. There we live in closed communities where neighbors watch out for each other. Where neighbors call the police when a strange car drives through or a stranger person walks around. We still live in fear and we pay through the nose for the privilege.

Violence on television is not a significant problem. The very existence of television has dramatically altered all our lives.

I am sorry, I do not have a solution. I know that we are not about to give up television. I would not even suggest it. But we now know the real problem, the real cause and the is half of the solution!

Do yourself a favor, do your children a favor, turn off the television and go out and meet your neighbors!

Amen