Caution: Watching Television May Be Hazardous
...y is. In addition, these programs instill the wrong values in our children by repeatedly showing murder, domestic violence, and contempt for society, deceit, and unhealthy competitiveness. Because children are extremely impressionable, they are strongly influenced by what they see on such programs. What our children are learning from TV probably accounts for much of the antisocial behavior that the young exhibit today, and it may also account for the alarming increase in the crime rate among the young. I do not blame only the television networks or producers. I place a substantial share of the blame on our government and on the major companies that advertise on TV. The government is just as much responsible for offensive programming, as are networks and producers because the government is lax in applying restrictions. The government already bans commercials for cigarettes and hard liquor; it is time for them to regulate the types of programs allowed on the air and the hours when programs can be shown so as not to expose children to unhealthy, immoral, and unrealistic material. The companies that advertise, however, are the biggest culprits in exploiting the minds of the young. They use the power of television to play what I call “the sucker game,” and “swamp land” are despicable. Commercials almost never contain realistic situations; they present fast-paced, colorful lies. The advertisers will go...