According to Rita Dove, the author of “Loose Ends,” and “Television Addiction,” by Marie Winn. Both authors often share the same the views about television. But television addiction is more expressed in Ms. Winn’s essay. However, Ms. Dove speaks of a more personal experience with her daughter, and how the television is an issue in her household. Although, Ms.Dove says in her essay, “For years the following scene would play daily at our house: Home from school, my daughter would have her backpack off her shoulder and let it thud to the hall floor, then jump her jacket on top of the pile” (Dove 503).
However, when I first read this I thought to myself about my habits and how I do things around the house. What Ms. Dove talk about my mom tells me the same things each and everyday. It’s sort of a recording that never ends. Although, I always try to pick up my stuff before she gets home, but it never happens because either my mind gets easily distracted.
Moreover, Ms. Winn compares television to drugs, and drinking addictions. Furthermore, Ms.Winn points out, “When we think of addiction to drugs or alcohol, we frequently focus on negative aspects, ignoring the pleasures that accompany drinking and drug taking”(Winn 505). When I first read this statement I thought to myself for some people there are some good aspects to drinking and drugs. For example, Ms. Winn says, “And yet the essence of any serious addiction is a pur...
The term addiction can be interpreted in many ways, concering both illegal and legal substances. Not only can one become addicted to a substance, but also activities like gambling, shoplifting, and sex. Prior to considering addiction, one must first understand what constitutes a substance. Levinthal (2002) describes a drug as a chemical substance that changes the functioning of the body when ingested (4). Although illegal drugs may come to mind when hearing this definition, alcohol and tobacco fit under this criteria as well. For the purpose of this essay, controlled and regulated (licit/legal) substances will be focused upon. Alcohol is a regulated substance that can be thought of as a social drug (Levinthal, 2002, p.192) and arguably tobacco
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.
Moody, Kate. Growing up on Television: the TV Effect: a Report to Parents. New York, NY: Times, 1980. Print.
It may be hard to admit, but television has become an intricate part of our everyday lives. People children often find themselves sitting in front of the television screen for a longer period of time than before and this has evolved immensely over the past few years. In this article, “The Trouble with Television,” by the author Marie Winn, mentions that addiction of television is negative effects on children and families. It keeps the families from doing other things and it’s a hidden competitor for all other activities. Television takes place of play and on top of that kids who watch a lot of television grow uncivilized. Also, the author mentioned that televisions are less resourceful for children and have negative effects on children’s school achievement and on physical fitness. Although there are so many other types of addictions but the author Marie Winn’s points of argument of watching television is a serious addiction that our children and families have negative effects.
In an article ' The Plug-In Drug ' the author Marie Winn discusses the bad influence of television on today's society. Television is a ' drug ' that interfere with family ritual, destroys human relationships and undermines the family.
Primarily, the domination power television has on its viewers is incomparable to the one drugs have over their addicts. First, addicts to television are not dominated in the same level addicts to drugs are. Hamill says that television absorbs its viewers in the same way drugs absorb their users because both television and drugs cultivate asocial behaviors in people (63, 64). Departing from this idea, it may seem reasonable to say that addicts to television and drugs both portrait unsocial attitudes, but doesn't this happen with any other kind addiction? Here Hamill is isolating a generalization which intention is to proclaim an assumption to be true. In his example, Hamill explains how some Americans fight their loneliness by leaving their TV sets on as companion (63). Instead of support Hamill's idea this example shows how Americans fulfill their vacancy of company rather than how Americans become lonely due to television. Second, independent studies on television do not qualify to determine the relation betwe...
White, A. V. (2006). Television Harms Children. Opposing Viewpoints. Television. San Diego: Greenhaven Press. (Reprinted from Mothering, 2001, 70)
Television has become a big part in children’s day-to-day lives especially in the 20th century. Children in this century rely on television to keep them entertained and educated instead of entertaining and educating themselves by participating in activities, which will teach them a lot more in life then the actual television. There is no doubt that children are most easily influenced by television because of the different content that they watch as well as the amount of time consumed watching TV. The television does have an emotional and intellectual development on children but this all depends on the content that they’re watching and the way that they absorb the information that the show is trying to send out. Different programs will portray
In the argumentative essay “T.V. Addiction” by Marie Winn, Winn relates watching television to having an addiction with drugs and alcohol. The television experience allows us to escape from the real world and enter into a pleasurable and peaceful mental state. When it comes to television, Marie asks the following question: Is there a kind of television viewing that falls into the more serious category of destruction addiction? I believe there is. Why do so many people, instead of doing what they’re supposed to be doing, put everything on hold and just focus on television? I think this is because they want an escape from their problems.
The article ‘The Likely Cause of Addiction Has Been Discovered, and It Is Not What You Think’ by Johann Hari shares an interesting perspective on the matter of addiction to drugs. It seeks to change the view that we have always had on addiction by fronting a different theory based on the findings of the author. The essay begins with a brief introduction of the timeline when drugs were banned, the war on drugs and how information on addiction has been unveiled to us. According to the author, addiction is an ethical shortcoming that is brought about by extreme decadent behavior that is almost a fixation that affects a captured mind. Several experiments are shared and the results that turn out in a bid to try and demystify what the author perceives as wrong views on addiction. As it appears, addicted people have a profound need to bond and shape associations. It's the means by which they get their fulfillment. If we cannot associate with each other, we will interface with anything we come across. From the findings and suggestions in the article, there is a huge surge of optimism that
So, it is clear that addiction is all around us and can attack anyone of us at any given time. Even studies conducted show that people neglect to speak around their dependency for two primary reasons. Foremost, because people do not comprehend, or they bear a total misconception to their addiction, that they do not realize that addictions can be critical to their overall wellness. Moreover, second, many people believe being an addict will never happen to them, but, in reality, most addictions start off as simple little habits. Such as starting with one drink after dinner and before you know it you are drinking several drinks a day. However, one does not opt to be addicted to a substance, because addictions are physical defects in the brain, a disease, and not one’s choice.
Our generation has been raised in a technological advanced world and there has been definite controversy over many of these innovations that this new culture has brought. An innovation that has troubled the youth of America for many years is television. Although there is no certainty to eliminate this 'plug-in drug,'; there are many ways to control and monitor your television as a parent.
Without some sort of production we aren’t going anywhere, we are stagnant and begin to decay. When referring to television addicts Winn mentions that, “They are aware that it is an unproductive experience, that almost any other endeavor is more worthwhile by any human measure”, and I couldn’t agree more. She also states, “An addict does not merely pursue a pleasurable experience and need to experience it in order to function normally. He needs to repeat it again and again” (Winn 314). This sensation to repeat a negative behavior is the same in both addictions and what leads an addicted person to be completely unproductive. Granted one results in a quicker and often time, more serious destruction, while the other may take longer to feel the impact on their life. Eventually the draw is the same and the need to repeat something that is not productive takes over the need to do something that is productive. It may start small such as choosing to order out instead of making dinner, but then will morph into not taking the trash out, not doing the laundry and even skipping work. In the case of the drug addict, he chooses to go “score” his next hit instead of running that errand that he or she needed
When television first came on the market about fifty years ago, families had one television at the most in the household, and most families only used the television for the news or for an occasional show or two. Today, it is a rarity if you find only one television in a household. Most families have numerous televisions in their house and use it more and more for entertainment purposes. People of all ages are addicted to television. On average, people watch about thirty hours of television a week. But the people who go beyond this mark are known to society as “couch potatoes';.
Watching television is one of the most popular pastimes in the world. Almost all children do so; some even take the liberty of slipping out of bed unnoticed at night just to watch a show that they like. However, what most people do not realize is that television can ruin your eyesight, cause lack of concentration and can also inculcate many bad habits, especially in young ones. Discoveries and invention of devices are always welcome till we, humans, find a way to abuse its benefits and be adversely affected by it. This was the case when Wilhelm Roentgen discovered x-ray and within five years, the British Army was using a mobile x-ray unit to locate bullets and shrapnel in wounded soldiers in the Sudan. television was also invented with positive thoughts in mind – there would be no national borders, education and communication would be worldwide, etc.