Media: To View or Not to View

[dilleachta]

My question is not about any specific television show, film, or song in the media, but about how to discern whether something is appropriate to be viewing/listening to in general.

I’m a (somewhat) recent convert to Catholicism and upon entering the Church I realized I had to discontinue watching and listening to roughly 98% of the media that was integrated into my life at that point- which was very difficult, but necessary.

Since then I have done my best to be mindful of the influences I am putting into my brain through my eyes and ears, but, it seems that even “safe” media isn’t really “safe” anymore. By that I mean, although I’ve separated myself from the extreme examples of media that are overtly sinful in nature and not something a Christian should be exposing themself to, now there’s that larger “mainstream” gulf of media that might seem harmless at first glance but has much blurrier lines and boundaries that are often pushed too far.

For awhile my “go to” shows to watch were animated shows for adults (big kid cartoons) like American Dad, but now even those seem to be getting more and more sexualized and morally degraded.

I know that certain areas are unwise to venture into because they are near occasions of sin for me, but nowadays even primetime TV commercials are saturated in sexual imagery and references…it seems unavoidable in our culture, sadly.

Short of being neurotically scrupulous and just resigning myself to walk around blindfolded with ear plugs in… any advice on how to approach media with a clear conscience and not lead myself into temptation or moral desensitization?

Thanks!!

 

[powerofk]

We’ve had a boatload of stuff on this. You’re right; if I had children at home, I would be very wary of showing them anything other than old DVDs of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood”. The stuff that’s shown during prime time TV today (especially most of the comedies) are absolutely horrid - and definitely not appropriate for younger viewers. I still watch a lot of them, but if I had kids at home, I wouldn’t let them watch any of it. But it’s like what St. Paul said to the Corinthians, “If my eating meat will cause others to sin, I won’t eat meat again.” Paul had nothing wrong with eating meat in and of itself, but the Corinthians lived in an area where it was often impossible to know whether the meat being sold on the street had been offered to idols or not. Paul’s response was to tell the Corinthians to not be overly scrupulous, but if someone came over and mentioned that the meat being eaten had been offered to idols (and therefore given the impression that it was okay to partake in pagan worship alongside of Christianity), then it was better to not eat such meat around them.

In other words, you have to form your own conscience about what is okay for you to watch. What is a near-occasion of sin for you may not be a near-occasion of sin for someone else. And what is innocuous for you may very well be a near-occasion of sin for someone else. Ask Jesus to help you - He knows your weaknesses better than you do. And if your weaknesses have caused you to stumble before, then Satan also knows what they are - and will try to use your weaknesses to get you to continue to stumble.

 

[anon67074017]

It is ultimately your choice on what to watch or not watch. Use your conscience.

 

[Gliggle]

Hi, I have found Netflix a saviour since it came to Australia, I no longer watch TV at all, no advertisments. The effect of advertisments on my spirit is truly abrasive and unsettling. Even simply the noise and glarish imagery etc, let alone the morality of the actual content.

I tend to judge things as I go, how does it make me feel? I stopped Breaking Bad when I realised it made me feel sickened, sad and close to despair about the state of the world, even though I could see it had dramatic value. Likewise the abundance of crime drama, I used to enjoy it, but I have slowly separated myself from it, the effect on me seems to darken my world view, I want my world view to be brightened by my entertainment choices, it’s actually really depressing when you think on all the crime drama out there and what people enjoy watching.

I kept watching Bojack Horseman, an adult cartoon, because even though it was vulgar and nasty, it wasn’t afraid to point at dark truths about our society. Even though it has no honest answer to it all and it’s completely amoral, I prefer amoral to immoral. If that makes sense, I hate shows that Proselytise false modern values.

Lastly, romance… this is a big one for me. I think so many romantic comedy and dramatic romance stories promulgate social lies, some of which I have taken on board in my youth and have hurt greatly me in my life for believing in them. I am now very cynical about most romances, and I plan to try and protect my daughter from the damage caused by a similar romanticised world view. The modern movie/TV show largly puts womans’ only value as a romantic object, not as a precious wife, or mother, or single woman. This, I feel has entered the psyche of women and men everywhere to great detriment, causing both internal damage (women believe that they are worthless unless loved by a man) and external damage (they pursue a false idea of love instead of God’s will for their life).

Basically, my belief is that there are no hard and fast rules, and I go on a case by case basis. I think it’s okay to watch things that demonstrate values you don’t necessarily agree with, but you have to remain vigilent and ask yourself why you are watching/enjoying something. If you find the answer might be displeasing to God, you stop. Also, I think it’s best to err on the side of caution if you are unsure.

 

[Dorothy]

I am aware that there are some very good things on tv, but I have opted to not watch it at all, and depend on DVD’s with great stories that are not offensive.

I invite friends to my home for a shared lunch, and then we watch a movie, discuss it a bit, and then pray for each other. Mostly, the movies are about the life of a saint.

 

[Joe_5859]

Since we are speaking generally, a few general points.

Some shows are just garbage and no one should watch them.

Other shows can be okay for some people but not for others. Because of our own experiences, the content might trigger something in one person that it doesn’t do in another.

A further point to consider is that not everything that is permissible is necessarily conducive to our growth in holiness. A show might be acceptable to watch. But if we spend all our time binge-watching it and neglect our prayer life, then it is causing us spiritual harm—even if there is nothing wrong with the content of the show per se.

That’s why discernment is key. It’s not uncommon for new converts to go through a process of great-purge-followed-by-slow-reacquisition when it comes to media. A lot of times, that’s what we need to break with our former ways and focus our eyes on Christ. And, yes, sometimes there are shows that we are reluctant to part with initially but eventually need to drop.

 

[dilleachta]

Hi, I have found Netflix a saviour since it came to Australia, I no longer watch TV at all, no advertisments. The effect of advertisments on my spirit is truly abrasive and unsettling. Even simply the noise and glarish imagery etc, let alone the morality of the actual content.

I tend to judge things as I go, how does it make me feel? I stopped Breaking Bad when I realised it made me feel sickened, sad and close to despair about the state of the world, even though I could see it had dramatic value. Likewise the abundance of crime drama, I used to enjoy it, but I have slowly separated myself from it, the effect on me seems to darken my world view, I want my world view to be brightened by my entertainment choices, it’s actually really depressing when you think on all the crime drama out there and what people enjoy watching.

I kept watching Bojack Horseman, an adult cartoon, because even though it was vulgar and nasty, it wasn’t afraid to point at dark truths about our society. Even though it has no honest answer to it all and it’s completely amoral, I prefer amoral to immoral. If that makes sense, I hate shows that Proselytise false modern values.

Lastly, romance… this is a big one for me. I think so many romantic comedy and dramatic romance stories promulgate social lies, some of which I have taken on board in my youth and have hurt greatly me in my life for believing in them. I am now very cynical about most romances, and I plan to try and protect my daughter from the damage caused by a similar romanticised world view. The modern movie/TV show largly puts womans’ only value as a romantic object, not as a precious wife, or mother, or single woman. This, I feel has entered the psyche of women and men everywhere to great detriment, causing both internal damage (women believe that they are worthless unless loved by a man) and external damage (they pursue a false idea of love instead of God’s will for their life).

Basically, my belief is that there are no hard and fast rules, and I go on a case by case basis. I think it’s okay to watch things that demonstrate values you don’t necessarily agree with, but you have to remain vigilent and ask yourself why you are watching/enjoying something. If you find the answer might be displeasing to God, you stop. Also, I think it’s best to err on the side of caution if you are unsure.

Thank you very much for this insight. I feel the same way about advertising. And on the romantic comedies- I empathize with the harm caused from buying into the false representations of “love” in these shows/movies, especially how love is portrayed as something that is often easy, falls into place if it’s meant to be, and/or is always a fun, feel-good experience. When, in reality, true love is a labor of love, requiring sacrifice and truth. The truth is not always a feel-good experience, but the strongest couples will attest to the necessity of communication and the willingness of both to work through anything and everything- together. That’s the reality I’m still trying to retrain myself on, because I too was brainwashed by society’s image of what love should look like.

Since we are speaking generally, a few general points.

Some shows are just garbage and no one should watch them.

Other shows can be okay for some people but not for others. Because of our own experiences, the content might trigger something in one person that it doesn’t do in another.

A further point to consider is that not everything that is permissible is necessarily conducive to our growth in holiness. A show might be acceptable to watch. But if we spend all our time binge-watching it and neglect our prayer life, then it is causing us spiritual harm—even if there is nothing wrong with the content of the show per se.

That’s why discernment is key. It’s not uncommon for new converts to go through a process of great-purge-followed-by-slow-reacquisition when it comes to media. A lot of times, that’s what we need to break with our former ways and focus our eyes on Christ. And, yes, sometimes there are shows that we are reluctant to part with initially but eventually need to drop.

Thank you! The issue of time spent watching shows/movies has been on my conscience as well. When I consider the ratio of time spent watching movies to time spent in prayer or other forms of worship…ehhh, the majority is not on the proper end of the scale. And as far as the “great-purge-followed-by-slow-reacquisition”, you hit the nail on the head. I am really trying, in this re-acquisition phase, not to venture into that moral “slippery slope” where I allow small things in that may snowball into larger and larger “exceptions” and wind up back where I was at the beginning.