Let's Ban Television!

Originally posted by Astyanax
reply to post by beezzer

 

...

Yes, there's bad stuff on the internet, too. But the value of the internet is rather obvious. We put up with its faults in order to gain access to the good stuff. Where's the 'good stuff' on television? Sports programming, maybe?

In my time not watching television, I have been at social events that have been planned around a big game, or title fight; where the broadcast plays a large part of the function. I do see the value of this outside any media context, but I am a little anxious to argue this point, as you did prompt for sports broadcasts to be addressed .

reply to post by Astyanax


Define quality. Ask ten different people and you'll likely get ten different answers. Here's one definition:

The quality of the output from various television channels and systems is often discussed but seldom rated or measured in any systematic way. However, due to a Japanese initiative undertaken some years ago, an international group of scholars met and decided to undertake comparative studies of television quality in terms of a characteristic often regarded as basic to overall channel quality: the diversity of a given television channel. An instrument of measurement was designed by a member of the international team and applied to television content from Canada, Great Britain, Japan, Sweden and the United States. This article presents a follow-up study, comparing diversity in Swedish television and radio channels during 1992 to 1995. The results show that Swedish Television increased its diversity during this period, while Swedish Radio decreased its diversity. At the end of the article, a short discussion of potential developments with regard to digitalized television is presented.

Source

Now if they can only do this in America using all available channels as the source for their study. In other words, instead of focusing on one channel looking for diversity, look for diversity among all channels combined. If you have ten channels that are simply variations on the same theme, like History for example, there's no quality there because there's no diversity of subjects.

If you're looking at MTV for quality in broadcasting, it's no wonder you're bemoaning the state of television. It's like living somewhere and complaining there are no quality men or women (whatever your preference) there, when all you're focusing on is one type of person. Expand your horizons and you'll find good things to watch.

Originally posted by Taupin Desciple
reply to post by Astyanax

 

Define quality. Ask ten different people and you'll likely get ten different answers. Here's one definition:

The quality of the output from various television channels and systems is often discussed but seldom rated or measured in any systematic way. However, due to a Japanese initiative undertaken some years ago, an international group of scholars met and decided to undertake comparative studies of television quality in terms of a characteristic often regarded as basic to overall channel quality: the diversity of a given television channel. An instrument of measurement was designed by a member of the international team and applied to television content from Canada, Great Britain, Japan, Sweden and the United States. This article presents a follow-up study, comparing diversity in Swedish television and radio channels during 1992 to 1995. The results show that Swedish Television increased its diversity during this period, while Swedish Radio decreased its diversity. At the end of the article, a short discussion of potential developments with regard to digitalized television is presented.

Source

Now if they can only do this in America using all available channels as the source for their study. In other words, instead of focusing on one channel looking for diversity, look for diversity among all channels combined. If you have ten channels that are simply variations on the same theme, like History for example, there's no quality there because there's no diversity of subjects.

If you're looking at MTV for quality in broadcasting, it's no wonder you're bemoaning the state of television. It's like living somewhere and complaining there are no quality men or women (whatever your preference) there, when all you're focusing on is one type of person. Expand your horizons and you'll find good things to watch.

edit on 9-9-2012 by Taupin Desciple because: (no reason given)

edit on 9-9-2012 by Taupin Desciple because: (no reason given)

Cool... will read the full text shortly. I just did a quick search for journal articles citing that, that are written form a US perspective--mostly EU citations... Somehow I doubt a similar study has been done in the US, I'll keep looking.

Originally posted by Astyanax
So come with me, friends, and let's strike at the very root of the evil: let's get rid of television, this monster of misinformation. Let's ban the box and get people back to the real world, before we all float off on a tinfoil cloud of misinformation, misconception and false aspiration for ever.

Come on, ATS! Let's all speak with one voice for a change. All together now...

BAN! THE!! BOX!!!

TV has seriously damaged our people and there is no doubt that it is being used to herd and control us. I turned off satellite about 4 years ago and only occasionally regret it. But TV does not need to be banned, it needs to be reformed.

Consider: For every channel run by the corporations, the corporations should be required to operate 3 other 24-hour-channels in the public interest. These public interest channels should be themed in approved subjects with zero advertising or subliminals.

Some possible subjects:

1) the repair channel (A/C and heating repair, appliance repair, house repair and improvement, auto repair, etc)
2) the arts and humanities channel (art movements, theatre movements, sculpture movements)
3) the exercise channel (aerobics, dance classes, weight lifting, self defence)
4) the clothes channel (making, repairing and modifying clothes and shoes)
5) the gardening/farming channel (running farms for dairy, meat and veggies, aquaponics, hydroponics, food safety)
6) the wood shop/metal shop channel (carpentry, machine shop, sheet metal)
7) life sciences (practical math, practicable budgeting, planning skills, etc)
8) non-corporate news channels


Just a thought......

Originally posted by jcarpenter

Originally posted by Astyanax
So come with me, friends, and let's strike at the very root of the evil: let's get rid of television, this monster of misinformation. Let's ban the box and get people back to the real world, before we all float off on a tinfoil cloud of misinformation, misconception and false aspiration for ever.

Come on, ATS! Let's all speak with one voice for a change. All together now...

BAN! THE!! BOX!!!

TV has seriously damaged our people and there is no doubt that it is being used to herd and control us. I turned off satellite about 4 years ago and only occasionally regret it. But TV does not need to be banned, it needs to be reformed.

Consider: For every channel run by the corporations, the corporations should be required to operate 3 other 24-hour-channels in the public interest. These public interest channels should be themed in approved subjects with zero advertising or subliminals.

Some possible subjects:

1) the repair channel (A/C and heating repair, appliance repair, house repair and improvement, auto repair, etc)
2) the arts and humanities channel (art movements, theatre movements, sculpture movements)
3) the exercise channel (aerobics, dance classes, weight lifting, self defence)
4) the clothes channel (making, repairing and modifying clothes and shoes)
5) the gardening/farming channel (running farms for dairy, meat and veggies, aquaponics, hydroponics, food safety)
6) the wood shop/metal shop channel (carpentry, machine shop, sheet metal)
7) life sciences (practical math, practicable budgeting, planning skills, etc)
8) non-corporate news channels

Just a thought......

some good ideas there--and the common theme is information, not entertainment. I really think media programmers really need to understand this; Its what the public want, its also what they need.

Originally posted by jcarpenter

Originally posted by Astyanax
So come with me, friends, and let's strike at the very root of the evil: let's get rid of television, this monster of misinformation. Let's ban the box and get people back to the real world, before we all float off on a tinfoil cloud of misinformation, misconception and false aspiration for ever.

Come on, ATS! Let's all speak with one voice for a change. All together now...

BAN! THE!! BOX!!!

TV has seriously damaged our people and there is no doubt that it is being used to herd and control us. I turned off satellite about 4 years ago and only occasionally regret it. But TV does not need to be banned, it needs to be reformed.

Consider: For every channel run by the corporations, the corporations should be required to operate 3 other 24-hour-channels in the public interest. These public interest channels should be themed in approved subjects with zero advertising or subliminals.

Some possible subjects:

1) the repair channel (A/C and heating repair, appliance repair, house repair and improvement, auto repair, etc)
2) the arts and humanities channel (art movements, theatre movements, sculpture movements)
3) the exercise channel (aerobics, dance classes, weight lifting, self defence)
4) the clothes channel (making, repairing and modifying clothes and shoes)
5) the gardening/farming channel (running farms for dairy, meat and veggies, aquaponics, hydroponics, food safety)
6) the wood shop/metal shop channel (carpentry, machine shop, sheet metal)
7) life sciences (practical math, practicable budgeting, planning skills, etc)
8) non-corporate news channels


Just a thought......

Many of those have channels much like that. The problem is nobody watches them an they become something that gets better ratings. And their still are channels like that I find them up in the 9000s.

Originally posted by Astyanax
reply to post by beezzer

 

Sorry to be difficult, but your reply didn't really answer my question.

What, if anything, is the value of television, if the information it conveys is mostly false or distorted?

Should we keep it for its entertainment value?

Yes, there's bad stuff on the internet, too. But the value of the internet is rather obvious. We put up with its faults in order to gain access to the good stuff. Where's the 'good stuff' on television? Sports programming, maybe?

Perhaps my example of carving the cadaver, getting rid of the offal wasn't clear.

There is value in television. The issue is that one must be able to discern the difference between the trash and the occasional gem.
As there is in print media.
As there is on the internet.
As there is on radio.

NIce lIttle read I just had about a mother sayIng no to electronIcs for a week I thought Id share
parenting.kaboose.com...

According to TV-Free America, a national not-for-profit organization, our children are exposed to more than 20,000 thirty second commercials each year. While an average American youth spends about 900 hours in school each year, the same child may watch up to 1,500 hours of television that same year. Even though not all programming is necessarily a bad influence on our kids’ development, I couldn't help but wonder what kind of long-term effects this kind of screen time would have on my daughter.

Originally posted by MrSpad
...

Many of those have channels much like that. The problem is nobody watches them an they become something that gets better ratings. And their still are channels like that I find them up in the 9000s.

Did I read that right? you have OVER 9000 channels? This may put a pinch on the diversity brings quality research posted earlier. Or perhaps its a market spoiled for choice (or something to that effect).

TV to us today is much like Radio was to our parents. Their parents depended on that radio for everything. News, entertainment, a connection to the outside world. Our parents (and us as kids) depended on TV for all that. Now, well, TV isn't the end-all, be-all, the internet has ursurped it. I could live without TV easily, but if you take my internet away, I'm going to go into fits!

No need to do away with TV, it's doing away with itself. Another 10 years and it will be much like the radio. Nice, relaxing, but we can live without it. Just like so many people are doing away with land-line phones, TV will just be a minor thing.

...and another 20 or 30 years from that, the internet will be secondary to what comes along next

::playing the circle of life theme from Lion King::

NNOOOOoooo.......!!!

At least wait till NCAA Football season is over! It is really the only real reason I watch TV and the season just started!!!

What will I do with these huge bags of chicken wings if TV was banned?? They will not be as enjoyable without them being made into Buffalo Wings on game day!!

No bans yet!! I promise not to watch the commercials!!

/sniff.. sniff...

/kicks at stone on ground...

/sniff...

Originally posted by beezzer
reply to post by Astyanax

 

There would have been a time where I would have agreed with you, OP. But that time has passed. Just a brief glimpse of the intraweb stands testiment Intrawebz is the tv now. TV is no better or no worse than the materials displayed on the screen.

Where does ATS get much of its material? TV, internet, MSM.

Here we disect the cadaver left for us by the media outlets. We carve away the fat, toss out the useless offal and proudly display the hidden gem that was hidden.

A ban on tv would not eliminate the needless garbage, because many would just turn to www-dot-tv for their mind candy.

Instead, might I suggest refining the filter used when exposed to the outlets of media.

cheers,

beez

Great post!
I gotta agree with the Beeze... of course I generally do on everything but politics

Mindless people will find mindless entertainment. If we want the good stuff, we have to look for it regardless of what medium we use

Originally posted by Terminal1
NNOOOOoooo.......!!!

At least wait till NCAA Football season is over! It is really the only real reason I watch TV and the season just started!!!

What will I do with these huge bags of chicken wings if TV was banned?? They will not be as enjoyable without them being made into Buffalo Wings on game day!!

No bans yet!! I promise not to watch the commercials!!

/sniff.. sniff...

/kicks at stone on ground...

/sniff...

OMG!!



What do you mean "huge bags of chicken wings"??!?!?!!

MURDERER!!!!

reply to post by PurpleChiten


I will NEVER give up Buffalo Wings on game day! Chickens will not be sacrificed in vain!

I will ESCAPE if locked up and I am sure they will catch me at my place making chicken wings with a game on TV!!

reply to post by Astyanax


Could I still watch reruns of The Big Bang Theory online?

If so - then I'm in

:-)

Should we keep it for its entertainment value?

Yes

It's like anything - buyer beware and all that

How many books could we ban because they're ridiculous, mindless - dangerous in the wrong hands?

Because they influence our thinking - or relieve us of the effort of thinking? Reading doesn't eliminate any of that

We could say the same about newspapers, magazines, the internet...

And don't forget - the first moon landing was on the boob-tube

It still unites us in many ways - and though it may have contributed to the dumbing-down of much of this world - I think it also has had the opposite effect. How many false ideas thrived in isolation before TV showed the world - the world?

I like TV - though some of it does make me crazy

But I can't go back to shadow puppets - I just can't

Television is the main programming device used on the public so it will never be banned. Its what shapes your beliefs about yourself and the world around you.

You were born an original. Dont die a copy. Turn off the box.

My counter-argument is Let's Ban Banning Things.

Let's let individuals make their own decisions and not have some entity be it federal or otherwise have the authority to ban...well anything.

Let people both make their own choices and endure the results of those choices without the involvement of the government.

I don’t shoot heroin, but I could care less if someone else does – if they are not endangering others say operating a car or whatever. I don’t care who people have sex with (or what). I certainly don’t care if people watch too much TV – in all cases people eventually (despite the government’s best efforts to coddle them and insulate them from their poor choices) reap what they sew.

reply to post by Astyanax


I have banned TV for 10 years. (honestly , I watch some news occasionally)

I am not going to buy one when I will live independently.

Living without TV is very valuable.

People ask the questions when TV asks them............

MHO , TV is manipulation box.

It is how democracy works.

reply to post by Taupin Desciple

If you're looking at MTV for quality in broadcasting, it's no wonder you're bemoaning the state of television.

Did you miss the bit where I mentioned I don't watch television?

Not to mention the bit where I let on that I don't live in America?

I loved you more when you had Keith Richards for your avatar.

reply to post by beezzer

There is value in television.

An example or two would go a long way towards bolstering your thesis.

I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, but – showmethemoney.