I'm just curious. Why is it that in so many youtube videos relating to conspiracy theories they'll have something saying that "oh and TV dumbs people down" in it? I think TV does the opposite. TV doesn't make us stupid. I think if we are stupid we are all that's to blame for the problem.

You don't believe me? Try going for 12 days without television. When I went on my summer vacation for 12 days I was unable to watch TV and I felt the effects of it. While we should not rely on TV for our only source of news and entertainment and while there are people that are out to get people to buy into their agenda on TV I don't think we can live without it.

I just don't see why TV is under so much criticism from everyone. Perhaps the people that dislike TV here so much should try going to a place without it for a long time and then come back here and tell us what their experience they learned from being without television... how they've been enlightened... and what-not.

I don't think TV is the cause for the dumbing down of many American citizens. It has to do with politics and the party in charge. The Republicans are at fault for the dumbing down of many American citizens. I bet it will all change if we have another party in power.

I would have to disagree to an extent. There have been times when I have learned something by watching a show on TV, but for the most part it is all mind-numbing junk. The recent reality trend for example. I doubt anyone can watch those shows and honestly say they are a better person, more enlightened, or more intelligent as a result. Personally the few times I have watched reality TV, or most of the other shows on for that matter, I spend a good portion of the night telling my husband I am losing brain cells from it.

There are many days/nights when I choose to not even have the TV on for background noise. I gladly go without watching it the majority of the time, simply because I would rather read. I've actually gone about three months without so much as turning it on and didn't really miss it at all. You'd be amazed how much you can get done when you aren't trying to watch TV.

family guy...hollyoaks ....bbc news 24....usually other comedies...yes it is a propaganda unit in front of you,but when you are aware it is,it doesnt do much harm i think....

Originally posted by Lethil
family guy...hollyoaks ....bbc news 24....usually other comedies...yes it is a propaganda unit in front of you,but when you are aware it is,it doesnt do much harm i think....

That is very true, when you know about it, you can look right through the bulls*it and just see fiction.

Honestly it's hardly their fault when the majority of shows on television are a few flimsy jokes with constant laugh tracks, or "reality" that still manages to look scripted. The blame for that goes on the producers of the shows, and the channels that air them. I watch the local news in the morning, but for the most part I ignore the TV when it is on. I don't have any problems with other people watching TV, not my business anyway. It's just something I never really have gotten into.

Its viewing dependant. If I watch a lot of documetaries, or nature, or science, I'll probably get something uselfull. If I watch nothing but reality shows, I can see how I would walk away feeling "dumbed down".

Television, as with the Internet and Telephone, is a medium for communication. Although nowhere near as advanced and interactive as the Internet, it summons a great majority of the global consciousness making it very effective for broadcasting information. Unfortunately some who use such a powerful medium have rather weak ethical conducts, and the implications being largely negative.

Trust the expansive Human mind to circumvent this problem with an ingenious design in bringing us closer to instantaneous communication, the Internet. Even here, our base of ethics is still largely infantile, with false information abound and the potential for ignorance at a high level. Quite obviously, the internet is not for the mediocre mind, those who know how to use it are richly rewarded in their quest for knowledge.

Assuming you aren't watching the TV for news, the TV doesn't really dumb you down, it just wastes your time. You could spend it doing something else, like learning, or working, or all kinds of other things. If there's something worthwhile on, it might be worth watching, but most of the stuff on TV is utter crap by any literary standpoint.

Much as it might seem like it, people aren't literally dumber for watching reality TV shows; they've just wasted some time. If they really enjoy it, more power to 'em. The problem is when people waste too much time on it. In America, that's a pretty big problem. Don't people here watch something like six hours per day on average? That's a fourth of the day, which, combined with work, sleep, and transit doesn't leave any time at all really for self-education or prognostication.


EDIT: forgot a comma

[edit on 29-8-2008 by mdiinican]