Bad TV – Harmless Entertainment or Life Waster?
Boob Tube
Why do people watch bad TV or excessive amounts of any type of TV? Are there any benefits to doing this? Is it really a bad thing to do, to be transfixed by the boob tube for hours?
Let’s look at the problems bad TV can bring.
Time Management
Most importantly, watching bad TV is a waste of your precious time. The average lifespan is currently too short to waste hours upon hours of mind numbing escapism in TV. The programs are hypnotic and distracting, causing procrastination and simply draining away time that could be better spent fulfilling your passions or being constructive.
Dumbing You Down
Catered to the lowest common denominator, which is pretty damn low, typical bad TV programming is designed to require very little thought. While that might be what you intended, allowing you to “escape” into TV land, you may find that synapse connections in your brain are dying while they lay idle, having a similar effect to certain intoxicating substances.
It might be nice to switch off the brain from time to time, basically putting you in passive-sponge mode, but there are much better ways to do it. You actually risk losing valuable abilities by watching excessive TV.
Failure by Association
Hanging around with losers turns you into a loser. The loser people you spend time with can drag you down to their level, and when watching the people who are featured on bad TV, you’ll allow yourself to be dragged into their world. Your standards will lower, and your growth will stagnate and possibly be permanently stunted.
Pros?
With this said, perhaps it’s difficult to imagine that there are any pros to watching bad TV or any TV for that matter.
However, it is always useful to get an overview of all levels of culture and social groups, and TV can provide this type of information. It can be educational to learn how other people deal with similar situations and also what different kinds of situations they find themselves in.
Remember that you should always be looking for business opportunities, and these can be found by addressing problems – of which good or bad TV could provide an unlimited source of opportunities.
Take bad TV for what it is, entertainment, but don’t allow yourself to be dragged into it and to become addicted to it.
Alternatives
So bad TV is bad for your mind. What else can you do? There are actually countless other ways to spend your time, if you can free yourself from the dreaded hypno-box.
Internet media
YouTube, Hulu, specific channel’s sites (eg Discovery Channel), BBC iPlayer, or other on demand services are much better as they allow you to choose to watch more quality programs such as documentaries, films and quality scripted programs.
Books
With the risk of sounding like your old school teachers, books can be more powerful than all other kinds of medium due their requirement for imagination. Books can be more complex and in depth than any script, while at the same time improving your vocabulary and inspiring you. Why not give books another chance? By simply engaging your imagination in the story of a book, you are exercising your brain!
Being Creative
Instead of enjoying other people’s creations, why not get in touch with your own creativity and turn it into a productive pursuit. If you are creating for the sheer joy of it, it can be invigorating. When people demand your creations, that in of itself can increase self esteem and even your finances.
Spend time with Successful people
Surround yourself with winners. Let their success rub off on you. Have more in depth conversations that inspire you to make better use of your time and find more enjoyable pursuits.
Your Life
The bottom line is TV should be taken for what it is, entertainment, and should take up only a small percentage of your life. However, you might find that it is having a more profound effect on your life and of this you should be mindful. Learn to make better use of your time and enjoy a more fulfilled life.
It’s your life, so be responsible about how much time you spend in front of the TV. Take actions to create your life.
About The Author
What a health society we would become of we watched less tv, in all senses. Rgds.
I agree, though I think I watched about 8 hours a day of tv when I was young and it didnt affect me as badly as I thought it would…it depends on the mindset you actually look at it, because if most people in our society are watching that bad tv and it appeals to them, then by observing it you can analyze what they find appealing from that specific program and therefore understand a bit the human psychology more, if some of us read books while others watch tv then when it comes to interacting with those people…we will have a wider vocabulary and bigger imagination and feel frustrated with them without knowing why, at least watching it we can kind of understand what is happening :p.