Turn off your television sets

wow , what a blabber mouth
yukk
but yet funny

It looks like that film was made in the seventies. Maybe it's message about TV being the only source of information for people is not so relevant now with the Internet?

Bob Greece wrote: It looks like that film was made in the seventies. Maybe it's message about TV being the only source of information for people is not so relevant now with the Internet?

Peter, I know it may seem to be a poor truth from your perspective, but the way I see it, certain people (perhaps a good majority) not caring about history, politics, news and all of these other aspects of scholarly studies isn't really a very bad thing. My outlook on life is currently "we're here for a short time, so let's make it worth our while." No matter how noble it sounds to try and make the world a better place for the future, I think that the human race ultimately has to be selfish. I think it has a lot to do with individual personality, and probably in no small part to the fact that I'm young, single, and not a parent with any dependants, but I believe people should live how they choose, and if getting washed up in a television program gives them that pleasure, then why the hell not go for it. Reading can and probably will lead to a higher level of intelligence and possibly success, but it will also lead just as much to noncomplacency, scepticism, and cynicism. In the end, will you really be a happier person?

stonebeard wrote: Peter, I know it may seem to be a poor truth from your perspective, but the way I see it, certain people (perhaps a good majority) not caring about history, politics, news and all of these other aspects of scholarly studies isn't really a very bad thing. My outlook on life is currently "we're here for a short time, so let's make it worth our while." No matter how noble it sounds to try and make the world a better place for the future, I think that the human race ultimately has to be selfish. I think it has a lot to do with individual personality, and probably in no small part to the fact that I'm young, single, and not a parent with any dependants, but I believe people should live how they choose, and if getting washed up in a television program gives them that pleasure, then why the hell not go for it. Reading can and probably will lead to a higher level of intelligence and possibly success, but it will also lead just as much to noncomplacency, scepticism, and cynicism. In the end, will you really be a happier person?

king of Siam wrote: stonebeard wrote: Peter, I know it may seem to be a poor truth from your perspective, but the way I see it, certain people (perhaps a good majority) not caring about history, politics, news and all of these other aspects of scholarly studies isn't really a very bad thing. My outlook on life is currently "we're here for a short time, so let's make it worth our while." No matter how noble it sounds to try and make the world a better place for the future, I think that the human race ultimately has to be selfish. I think it has a lot to do with individual personality, and probably in no small part to the fact that I'm young, single, and not a parent with any dependants, but I believe people should live how they choose, and if getting washed up in a television program gives them that pleasure, then why the hell not go for it. Reading can and probably will lead to a higher level of intelligence and possibly success, but it will also lead just as much to noncomplacency, scepticism, and cynicism. In the end, will you really be a happier person? You know what happends when people "turn off" their minds don't you?

History repeates itself and it is currently happening again. Lovely secrets prisons in Europe, no? I wonder what's going to happen when we finally go to all-out war with Iran? Of course, I'd never fight in such a war.

It's not television that's the problem, it's the makers of the programs that are the problem.

king of Siam wrote: "History repeates itself and it is currently happening again." We let it happen again, because we don't want to change. We could have helped in Darfur but we wre too busy fighting "terrorism" in Iraq. We live cozy  complacent lives away from the problems of the world, but if we change that would mean uncertainty and God forbid work. This is exactly what 10,000 days was about.

stonebeard wrote: What would you do? Would you take up arms for a cause that doesn't directly effect you? I'd love it if we were helping out the Africans in Darfur rather than being involved in Iraq, and I'm pissed as hell that we were manipulated into supporting such a war. But not watching TV (trying to bring it back to topic a bit) would not have prevented the war. If the higher ups want a war, then we will have a war. The people in charge are really in charge . We are just pawns in a game of chess (another thing most young people don't have a clue about). I'm trying to limit this as much as possible. This is the same reason why I will never fight in a war unless something motivates me very deeply and personally.

Edited by Peter Rideout - September 20 2006 at 01:01

I sometimes watch the news and I read a newspaper every Sunday(almost every Sunday) and I have noticed a certain fall in the quality of the news, the analysis and so on. But I believe television is one of the worst sources of information. Apart from what it reveals at times..like discoveries, frauds, astronomic phenomena etc.
It's just a medium yes but it was conceived as a profit maker whereas the internet was conceived as a way to share info(for military purposes at first). And the companies didn't pay close attention to it or the IT industry for a long time. So it is pretty much full of information and ideas.
Now choosing to back up a war considering what history has taught us would naturally take a whole lot more than an attack, or some television shows.
And there is one thing I just don't understand...
You can choose to send troops to the other side of the planet but saving people on the other side of the planet is a different thing????