Can television destroy someone's life?

I'm remembering back to a time when I had all sorts of stereotypes about different kinds of people and how they acted from shows that which I watched on television. When I actually talked to people I found out that people are much different than television would like you to think. People in real life aren't as violent as they are in television. Most people know this. However, like, television still does make people really scared of other people. At least to me, I was scared to talk to girls for a while, because, I bought into the television stereotype that said that they were sex-objects. Right at this moment I have an equal amount of friends who are girls as friends who are guys. It's just that television seems to stereotype a lot of people. Like they'll stereotype gamers as people who are know-it-alls, and, girls as popular preppy people who no one can stand. And there was a time when I failed to realize that what happens on television doesn't happen in real life. I wasn't afraid like I would get into fights with other people, but, like, the idea was always there that I could. I found out that people were actually a lot nicer than television would make you believe.

That brings me to my question. Do you think television can destroy someone's life? Like if they didn't know that the television world was just some fantasy world created by a bunch of actors and actresses and writers that they would not be able to live in the world? That they would think that women are sex-objects and that violence is a common occurrence in our every day life even when it isn't?

It looks like it mate, the amount of people who sit watching the box every chance they get is sickening. Hooked on a meager existence of fantasy and drama while they are slowly being convinced to buy every product that they see between shows, suck up the bullsh@t that networks would have you believe is "real life", scaring you into not wanting to leave your house so you will watch more tv and they will gain more advertising profits from it!

I have a 50 inch plasma in my sitting room and i turn it on once every 2 days or so to kick some ass in Halo...or to watch some documentary on the discovery channel.. Mainstream tv makes me feel ill... especially American tv. i honestly dont know how American people can handle watching the majority of that crap day in day out.

It seems so far from reality that its almost kinda funny

reply to post by Frankidealist35

It is a sad reflection on the USA that among its most celebrated personalities are those that pretend to be something they are not for a living and that the dissemination of mental illness recorded for posterity is its most celebrated industry.

I can't stomach all the vacuous false plastic celebrities the Brittany Spears,50 cents,the bling,the ho's the whole plastic charade comprised of shallow fickle beings,yes an addiction to tv in my opinion could distort your reality and make you mentally ill.

On my cable I have 104 channels of rubbish,8 channels of spin called 'news' and 4 channels with shows worth watching,the history channel-when their obsession with Adolf Hitler isn't on,National Geographic,the Discovery Channel and an ethnic broadcast channel with shows about real people,the real world and people contributing to the planet in some meaningful way.

As for the comedy channel its crap the Red Green show,Southpark and Alexi Sayle have been the only three that have even made me laugh.

But you seem to of discovered walk out of the lounge room and live-keep up the good work.