Analysis Of The Plug In Drug By Marie Winn

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In “The Plug-in Drug”, author Marie Winn attempts to reason with the reader to persuade them that watching television --- even “good” programs --- is harmful to children. She also uses counter arguments debunk current beliefs about children and television.
First, she counters the belief that only watching violent programs make children behave aggressively by stating that watching television only happens in front of a screen, not in combination with some other experience.
Second, she counters the thought provided by a founder of the group called Action For Children’s Television, which was parents have the right to ask that programs aimed at the young should meet the specific needs of children by stating that education programs are an illusion for the parents. She attempts to reason by stating that the real needs of children isn’t just amusement. She states that the real needs are opportunities to …show more content…

She first offers a counterargument to the thought that a youngster unfamiliar with TV programs will find making friends difficult and will be labeled as an outsider by saying that the other children will respect their independence and recognize the richness of the other activities. She ten gives a counterargument to the thought that the experience that children get from watching television is the same as the adult’s by saying that adults can relate to their past experiences and real life while young children don’t have that real life experience and knowledge to relate the TV programs to. Lastly, she counters the thought that TV is an important source for learning by saying that children who were television-educated use words that they don’t fully understand and “facts” whose accuracy they can’t judge as they don’t have that experience, while the children who learned through reading or other activities besides watching TV can use their minds and bodies to understand and enrich their

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