Daniel Akill's Blog | 213: THE TELEVISION: ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES (revised and enhanced)

213: THE TELEVISION: ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES (revised and enhanced)

31 March, 2008

THE TELEVISION is an instrument of The Media, like the radio and the newspaper or magazine Etc; but the difference between the television and the others is vast, very important, and highly significant.

The media depends on two very essential senses: sight and sound; and one very important factor, time. The newspaper prints the news, events, incidents, articles, columns, facts, and information – good or bad – with pictures, when available, after it has already happened, or before it happens. Via the radio, we can only hear about what happened, has happened, is happening, or is going to happen. One depends on sight, and the other depends on sound. In very remote or isolated areas the radio can be very useful; but the people who live and work in these areas usually do not care much about what is happening or taking place elsewhere. Also, they cannot see what they hear, and people should believe only half of what they see, and nothing of what they hear. Only the TV can do the job perfectly and completely, if used properly and correctly; because it can be either a very useful tool or a highly dangerous weapon.

The advantages of the Television are: it provides us with instant information about and scenes of events, incidents, accidents, floods, hurricanes, Tsunamis, earthquakes, wars, epidemics, predicaments, disasters, and/or catastrophes that happen almost anywhere in the world – or in space, for that matter.

Through the TV, people can be entertained, enlightened, amused, informed, taught, guided, instructed, and educated. It can be used to provide accurate information about the news, or the weather – whether local or worldwide – and other useful and valuable knowledge and facts. It can be used to educate and advise the public on matters that concern their health, security, comfort, safety, and well-being; and teach preventive methods and measures against over-population, through birth-control and awareness, and highly dangerous and contagious diseases like AIDS, cancer, Encephalitis, the Ebola virus, and other several new, terrifying and horrible, and almost incurable diseases that are sprouting and popping up all over the world like mushrooms and snails after the rain. Also, terrible incurable and irreversible social diseases like drugs and alchohol abuse, sex, crime, violence, molestations, gambling, and prostitution in all its forms and guises; not to mention child abuse/molestation and exploitation – sexual and other – wife-beating, adultery, and divorce; human, human body-parts, and child-trafficking; and many others.

It can be used to entertain the public through programmes, films, shows, documentaries and serials that are well-made, informative and instructive; enlightening, amusing, and exciting; and do not contain misdemeanors, atrocities, and other disgusting immoral and harmful scenes, language, and activities. Also, the TV can be used to sway the public from one position, or opinion, or point of view, to another. In this case, if it is right, it is an advantage; if it is wrong, a disadvantage; which brings us to the disadvantages of the TV.

We cannot; in fact, we dare not fail to mention the fact that the TV can be used to misguide, misinform, and mislead the public. It can be used to misinterpret and distort facts, events, and incidents; and thereby dupe, coerce, incite, or force the public or the people to look at the matter incorrectly, and see things differently; and, as a result, to misunderstand the situation, arrive at the wrong conclusion, make the wrong decision, adopt the wrong attitude, and do the wrong thing.

A lot of people, especially children, spend a lot of time – too much, if you ask me – watching television, or playing games on computer-screens that are miniature televisions, instead of studying, reading, or doing other useful and helpful activities. Because of the television there is no more quality-time between parents and children, no more being together as a family, or as neighbours, friends, or a community; also, social fabrics and family ties have been disrupted, if not actually (almost) destroyed.

Gone forever are the times, the days and nights, or evenings of sitting on the porch, or in the garden, or in front of the house, or at the community centre, or standing at the gate or fence, or in the street, or anywhere else; conversing, exchanging views, news, and gossips; advice and complaints; comments and remarks; and sometimes discussing, or arguing about, matters that concern or involve certain individuals, or the community as a whole; and often engaging in amusing, interesting, entertaining, enlightening, and yet harmless, activities and games – if not completely gone, they're rarely seen and seldom done; and all because everybody is either at work or asleep, or glued to the (TV) screen.

Also, to top it all off, some channels, if not all, broadcast programmes, films, shows, and serials that contain ugly, horrible, terrible, dangerous, disgusting, silly and stupid, but highly contagious (post-hypnotic or post-impressive) scenes, activities, and language (messages) that are abnormal, immoral, disruptive, and harmful – to society in general, and to children in particular.

So, to sum it all up, if used correctly and properly, The Television can be a very useful, helpful, and beneficial tool or instrument; if used incorrectly and improperly, it can be a very harmful and highly dangerous weapon.

However, and but! We must not forget that governments or companies, agencies, or corporations that establish Television Channels, do so for money; in other words, it’s business; and business means/involves management, staff, employees, and workers; and these have to be, or need to be paid; also, equipment, accessories, fittings, and tools; and their servicing, maintenance, and replacement; and the only way for a business to operate, and remain in operation, is to be lucrative, and that is to make money; and the only way or means for TV Companies to make money is through advertisements; and advertisers want only one thing; and that is to reach, and convince the public – the consumers, patrons, and customers – to buy their products, dine in their restaurants, or go to see their shows or films, Etc; and the public, Etc, are made up of different people from different Religious and Ethnic backgrounds and environments; who live in different areas and in different situations and/or circumstances; with different ideas, different thoughts, and different ways of looking at things; with different wants and needs; and with different incomes.

Advertisers must reach, and convince all of these people – or as many of them as possible – by doing their best to give each of them what they want or need; show them what they want to see; tell them what they want to hear; and print what they want to read; and this makes it impossible to remain within certain rules, ethics, or principles; and governments and/or agencies Etc, cannot go into each and every community or home to supervise and/or control the viewers – whether children, adolescents, or adults – as to who should watch what. This must be done within each home, or school, or club, or camp, or wherever, by parents or guardians, or whoever is in charge, or is responsible. And this, too, is almost, if not absolutely, impossible.

So there you have it!

It’s like too many people sitting around a huge camp-fire: some are almost roasted alive – those too close to the fire – some are comfortably warm – those a reasonable distance away from it – and the rest are almost frozen to death – those too far away from it.

I ASK YOU, AND BY GOD!

Posted by akill 03:28 | General | Comment(0) | Permalink

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