Shit I Do For Fun

To look into the mind of a television addict, we must look at the big picture… First we recognize the voluntary slavery that makes up the majority of modern life. A I see it, people get up early, put on work clothes, and “work like machines for the rest of the day” getting no satisfaction from their repetitive day-jobs. Then come home around seven o’clock to their families who have already had dinner, and the kids already getting in bed. By that time there is almost no room left for quality family time or anything else to pursue that’s worthwhile. Thus the person turns to the television for that instant dose of friendship and gratification that could not be found anywhere else during his or her day. Once the person gets comfy on the lazy-boy, he becomes quickly stimulated and amazed by the intense sound and picture of thirty frames per second, and suddenly forgets thinking about the real world.

Notice how some people become extremely annoyed when you talk to them or distract them when they are watching a program, or even a commercial. And might even yell at you for walking in front of the TV. As the hours of straight zombie-like watching go by, the person slips further into the fantasy world of television, and with you breaking that link between them and the tube comes as a shock to them. Someone can be so engulfed that it becomes a regular part of his/her daily routine. As a result of a lot of watching TV, studies have shown that the heart rate, and blink rate have slowed down dramatically and muscular function decreased down to the snap of a finger on the remote or the lift of a drink. The stimulation of the picture and sound shift so rapidly that they must become completely relaxed to soak it all up.

Television is like an addiction, and like any addictive substance a moral message lies behind it… The advertising and the programs are only they’re to keep the viewer coming back for more. But there are even deeper morals to the story. The televisions main purpose is to distract from what you really want to be doing. Than around the second line of commercials you realize that you could be doing far better things than this, but before that thought gets to you, another flashy commercial pops up that literally says “damnit stay in your seat, we’ve got more products to sell you”. And giving the viewer the sense that he/she cannot live without it. And this is...

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...half its inorganic wastes. Television is where one must look to blame for this chaos. As it is the obvious driving force. With that in mind, how can it be possible for people to see past these views long enough before they realize what impact the media has on them, if they ever do, let them decide for themselves. In other words, how much TV must we watch before we realize what it is doing to us as people, and as a society.

As you think about this, and wonder how we can change it all, obviously it is going to have to be a grass-roots effort. And since the message wont come to you through the TV or the government (since they fund some of it), it will only come from friends, and from other people showing the Tv-aholik that there is another way to live. Something like “hey come with me, I can be a real friend to you, make you laugh, and share the world together. The light bulb of the soul switches off as we switch on the TV. And I believe that the bulb can only flicker again from the wisdom of someone else that shares the same thoughts about the media. But ultimately, in the end people are searching for meaning, and that meaning can only come from within, and for each of us to find.