Television

OK, time for a pop quiz. How many hours of television do you watch per day or week? Don’t be shy because you’re not alone. As a matter of fact, according to the A.C. Nielsen Co., “the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day (or 28 hours/week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year). In a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years glued to the tube.” Well, that certainly puts it into perspective. The fact is that most of us watch a great deal of television. Maybe you only watch half as much as the average. That would still put you spending 4 or 5 years of your life in front of the TV. When I think about it like that, I start thinking that something has gone terribly wrong. What could I do with five extra years? Yikes!

Seriously though, when I consider all that life has to offer, I’m amazed at the time we’re willing to spend staring at the old brain box. It makes for an interesting study of our priorities. Now my family doesn’t pay for cable so we only get the alphabet channels, and there was even a time when our kids were younger that we turned the TV completely off for two years. However, it keeps sneaking back into my life and currently plays a fairly prominent role. I’m not exactly saying it’s wrong. However, like other areas of our lives, we have so many good options that we often settle for what may not be the best. (or highest or most honorable) I don’t want to preach too much on this subject so I’ll just offer you my poem, which can be found below and speaks for itself. Below that, you will also find another whole page of national TV watching statistics I came across which I find to be quite disturbing. If you Google the subject and read some of the studies, it’s really rather disconcerting to consider some of the secondary health issue which seem to tie back to all those hours on the sofa. I’ll let you do your own homework if you are interested.

In the meantime, take a moment tonight to consider what all those hours are worth to you and your family. It certainly was a slap in the face when I recently paused to reflect upon my own life and priorities in this area. Television is neither bad nor inherently evil, but it can take over our lives if we’re not careful. Perhaps this is one of those issues where the delicate virtue of moderation is best and wisely applied. In closing, my wish for you today is that your precious hours may be filled with the best that life has to offer and that you may cherish interaction over mere entertainment.

Wasteland
In my living room, a monster lurks
that threatens you and me
And I haven't strength to turn it off
the monster is TV
It fills my precious hours with naught
and charms my senses so
I hardly even realize
where all the evenings go
It baby sits the children
when I need them occupied
While assuring me it educates
but in my heart I know it lied
When I have a moment to myself
to relax or think or pray
I seem to turn the TV on
and the time is washed away
By a flood of sound and color
and a world of fantasy
Which leaves me numb and empty
but still wanting more TV
I can sit and flip the channels
until the early morning hours
Even though I don't enjoy it
I am helpless in its powers
While in the next room stacks of books
are piled by my bed
I choose the mindless entertainer
and the classics go unread
I have a beautiful guitar
a pool, an exercising bike
A host of interests, friends and hobbies
that I cherish and I like
I have a home in need of maintenance
and a dusty Bible too
How can I squeeze in television
when there's so much I want to do
I complain until I'm breathless
how I'm busy, tired and stressed
Then I sink back on the couch again
a hypocrite, obsessed
What message do I send my children
as they learn to deal with life
Are my priorities in order
with my time, my God, my wife
Are Vanna, Bart and Gilligan
worthy of my precious hours
Or are they just the bait
for something larger which devours
Honor, goodness and compassion
leisure, patience, quality
Have I ever read a survey
recommending more TV
No, it certainly is otherwise
and let there be no mistake
That this medium's proponents
are paid endorsers, on the take
Who would have me think it harmless
to watch a million people die
To import crime and infidelity
on purpose, right before my eyes
To have my children taught by actors
how life is and ought to be
So in the end, they can't discern
real life from fantasy
The time has come not to cut back
an hour or two a day
The time has come to pull the plug
and put remote controls away
I hear the world is a better place
because of our technology
But I know my life is emptier
when I fill it with TV
By Frank Carpenter ©

Television Statistics
According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day (or 28 hours/week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year). In a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years glued to the tube.

I. FAMILY LIFE
Percentage of households that possess at least one television: 99
Number of TV sets in the average U.S. household: 2.24
Percentage of U.S. homes with three or more TV sets: 66
Number of hours per day that TV is on in an average U.S. home: 6 hours, 47 minutes
Percentage of Americans that regularly watch television while eating dinner: 66
Number of hours of TV watched annually by Americans: 250 billion
Value of that time assuming an average wage of S5/hour: S1.25 trillion
Percentage of Americans who pay for cable TV: 56
Number of videos rented daily in the U.S.: 6 million
Number of public library items checked out daily: 3 million
Percentage of Americans who say they watch too much TV: 49

II CHILDREN
Approximate number of studies examining TV's effects on children: 4,000
Number of minutes per week that parents spend in meaningful
conversation with their children: 3.5
Number of minutes per week that the average child watches television: 1,680
Percentage of day care centers that use TV during a typical day: 70
Percentage of parents who would like to limit their children's TV watching: 73
Percentage of 4-6 year-olds who, when asked to choose between watching TV
and spending time with their fathers, preferred television: 54
Hours per year the average American youth spends in school: 900 hours
Hours per year the average American youth watches television: 1500

III VIOLENCE
Number of murders seen on TV by the time an average child finishes elementary school: 8,000
Number of violent acts seen on TV by age 18: 200,000
Percentage of Americans who believe TV violence helps precipitate real life mayhem: 79

IV. COMMERCIALISM
Number of 30-second TV commercials seen in a year by an average child: 20,000
Number of TV commercials seen by the average person by age 65: 2 million
Percentage of survey participants (1993) who said that TV commercials
aimed at children make them too materialistic: 92
Rank of food products/fast-food restaurants among TV advertisements to kids: 1
Total spending by 100 leading TV advertisers in 1993: $15 billion

V. GENERAL
Percentage of local TV news broadcast time devoted to advertising: 30
Percentage devoted to stories about crime, disaster and war: 53.8
Percentage devoted to public service announcements: 0.7
Percentage of Americans who can name The Three Stooges: 59
Percentage who can name at least three justices of the U.S. Supreme Court: 17
Compiled by TV-Free America
1322 18th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036 (202) 887-4036
Information copied from:
http://www.csun.edu/~vceed002/health/docs/tv&health.html