The children of today do
not need to learn to read as early or to develop an imagination. All their
fairy tales, bed time stories and cartoons are shown in living color on
TV. There is nothing to read and nothing is left to the imagination.
There is really no need to try and get a college
degree. You can just get a job in the TV industry. After watching
most of the new shows on TV, it is obvious that most of the writers,
directors and actors never got past grade school. The children today
do not need to try to slip into the local pool hall to hear some of those
words that they are taught in Sunday School should never be used.
They can hear all the dirty talk they want to at
home on TV. The cartoons today are even rated, many with a PG13 rating.
This rating is usually for the foul language, however some are rated for
the sex and violence. I thought that cartoons were supposed to be
entertaining and funny; however, the cartoons of today are anything but
funny and entertaining.
The children, by the time they are old enough to
talk, are being programmed to tell their folks just what they want.
The big advertising agencies are directing more and more advertising each
year to the children. The advertising personnel know exactly who controls
the purse strings at home. Just take a good look at McDonalds and the
billions of burgers they have sold. It is the 'kids meal' with the
advertised toy that has brought McDonalds all that business.
One of the latest advertising crazes aimed at the
children is the 'pokemon'. At the opening of the first 'Pokemon' movie in
our area several hundred parents called the schools and said their child
was sick and could not go to school. However, they all
showed up at the local theater that day for the opening of the 'Pokemon'
movie. Oh, and the latest 'Pokemon' cards are 'Fibbermom' and 'Liardad".
The youth of today no longer have to lie about
their age in order to get into the theater to see a XXX rated movie. They
now have cable TV at home and can watch the XXX rated movies whenever they
want to. The ones who do not have cable TV at home usually have friends
that do have cable and they can visit their friends and
watch cable TV.
The young people of today are learning from the
soap operas just how easy it is to go from one husband/wife to another
with no feelings of guilt; or how to live together without getting
married. Are these the morals we really want to teach out youth?
Yes, TV is very educational, but is this what we
want to be teaching our children? Too many people use the TV as a baby
sitter. They turn the TV on, go on about their business, and leave the TV
to entertain their children. As long as the children are quiet the parent
is satisfied.
Have you sat down with your child lately and
watched TV with him/her to see what shows they are watching? You may be
surprised at some of the things they are showing on the children's channel
now.