TV in the house?

[mrs_ahs]

Good point. How many people are addicted to their computers or iphones?

Honestly, I am surprised at how many people answered negatively about TV.

Yes, there is a lot of junk, but I don’t watch it. But I never would have heard the beautiful voice of Andrea Bocelli if I hadn’t been watching televison. I wouldn’t have seen Mother Angelica either. For every piece of junk on tv, I can usually find something enjoyable, entertaining or educational. We love Mythbusters! “I reject your reality and substitute my own!”

I wouldn’t stop going to the Library because they have questionable, immoral or downright stupic books, I would choose something better. And so it is with the 2 televisons at our home.

We do spend a lot of time on the computer. We don’t have cable though. We got rid of it years ago when we couldn’t really afford it anymore. I thought we’d miss it but we don’t. Now when we go to the homes of others who have tv we are always shocked at how much the morality has slipped. I would not even allow my children to watch most of the commercials that are on nowadays. And we can’t afford a dvr and really don’t have any interest anyway.

In our area, you have to get the very expensive cable package to get EWTN. We can’t afford basic. The library is free.

To the OP, we have one tv in the living room and we get no channels. We have a dvd/vcr and Netflix. I like that videos and dvds can be previewed beforehand for appropriateness and family friendliness. It avoids that awkward moment of watching a “family friendly” program with your 5 year old and having to field questions like, “Mom, what’s sex?”

My kids are homeschooled and they watch a dvd or Netflix program (sometimes educational, sometimes not) pretty much daily. I do sometimes also use it for my rambunctious 3 year old who is very skilled at constantly interrupting our lessons. My kids read a lot though. My 7 year old would rather sit and read a large novel (even when bedtime was 2 hours ago and she is keeping her sister awake) than watch a movie.

Here is a speech given by JP II that you may be interested in regarding the place tv should have in our lives:

vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/messages/communications/documents/hf_jp-ii_mes_24011994_world-communications-day_en.html

 

[chaela_may]

Good point. How many people are addicted to their computers or iphones?

Honestly, I am surprised at how many people answered negatively about TV.

Yes, there is a lot of junk, but I don’t watch it. But I never would have heard the beautiful voice of Andrea Bocelli if I hadn’t been watching televison. I wouldn’t have seen Mother Angelica either. For every piece of junk on tv, I can usually find something enjoyable, entertaining or educational. We love Mythbusters! “I reject your reality and substitute my own!”

I wouldn’t stop going to the Library because they have questionable, immoral or downright stupic books, I would choose something better. And so it is with the 2 televisons at our home.

the basic thrust of your comment is good: tv is not evil. it is a tool to be used responsibly.

your analogy leaves a lot to be desired. it is easier to gauge whether a book will be good reading material than to gauge if a show will be. on top of that, books don’t change. their content doesn’t change based on when you read it.

 

[dixieagle]

Good point. How many people are addicted to their computers or iphones?

Honestly, I am surprised at how many people answered negatively about TV.

Yes, there is a lot of junk, but I don’t watch it. But I never would have heard the beautiful voice of Andrea Bocelli if I hadn’t been watching televison. I wouldn’t have seen Mother Angelica either. For every piece of junk on tv, I can usually find something enjoyable, entertaining or educational. We love Mythbusters! “I reject your reality and substitute my own!”

I wouldn’t stop going to the Library because they have questionable, immoral or downright stupic books, I would choose something better. And so it is with the 2 televisons at our home.

Good post!

Full disclosure: dh has supported this family for 35+ years as a local TV news anchor, so TV is fairly important to us. I’ll watch his news and a variety of other news programs, PBS shows, college and NFL football and a few network shows. We have 55" HD TV in the family room, a small one in the kitchen that is rarely used, and an old one in the bedroom that hasn’t been on in years. Football in HD is AWESOME!

This discussion always reminds me of the speech Edward R. Murrow made (50 years ago today!) to the Radio and Television News Directors Association:

“This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful.”

The point is… watch only those shows that teach, illuminate or inspire and ignore the rest.

 

[Irishmom2]

the basic thrust of your comment is good: tv is not evil. it is a tool to be used responsibly.

your analogy leaves a lot to be desired. it is easier to gauge whether a book will be good reading material than to gauge if a show will be. on top of that, books don’t change. their content doesn’t change based on when you read it.

I’m sorry, but my analogy is fine.

People can choose a book they want to read, or stop reading it if it ends up being boring or offensive. They don’t need to stop going to the library.

People can change the channel and watch a different show if they don’t like something. They don’t need to get rid of the TV.

 

[chaela_may]

I’m sorry, but my analogy is fine.

People can choose a book they want to read, or stop reading it if it ends up being boring or offensive. They don’t need to stop going to the library.

People can change the channel and watch a different show if they don’t like something. They don’t need to get rid of the TV.

they don’t need to stop going to the library or get rid of the tv, but think about things like wardrobe malfunctions or inappropriate commercials. you can’t prepare for things like that. books don’t have such hazards.

 

[Cariethra]

We have our tv in our main living space. But honestly there isn’t really anywhere else to put it. We have a tiny 2 bedroom apartment. However, we don’t have cable or an antenna, so really our only “TV” is netflix.

It is honestly more about money than anything else.

With two small children in the house, I prefer it this way. I can screen shows before they see it. I don’t need to do that with most shows since I already know the show.

 

[Jala]

I got rid of cable when Lane left for college over 3 years ago.

When Ushi and her husband moved in with me, they bought some sort of contraption that let them get all of the local channels for their TV in their room. I bought a second one for Lane’s TV in her room, but the family room TV has been unused.

I personally haven’t missed it. I don’t watch a lot of TV anyway, and most of what I do want to watch is available on Hulu for free. I can go to the local bar to watch sports that aren’t streamed online.

Ushi moved out and Lane moved back in, and she’s been begging for cable. Our company (we have cable Internet) came out today to do a routine check and made me an offer: 2 years of cable for $1 more a month than what I’m paying for Internet alone.

So we will once again have cable TV, stating Friday. Lane will be on her own in 2 years, so I’ll probably cancel it then.

Jala