Pre-Fourth of July Reflections...Has TV ruined our social lives?
As we prepare to celebrate our national holiday...often gathering with friends and family, I was just considering something my mother said the other night. Has television ruined our social lives?
Though my mom watches TV with the best of them
, she contends that it has.
She's 83 and was well into her married years before TV was ever invented. She tells the story of window shopping with my father and seeing some contraption through a store window. They both looked and wondered what this fascinating thing was. They decided to go in and investigate further. To make a long story short, they ended up buying one of the contraptions(that very day)--it was one of the first television sets. Never mind the fact that where they lived didn't get signals for TV yet. My dad was in the Air Force. So I guess they figured they'd be moving soon enough to some place that did or that before long every place would be able to get it.
Anyway, she tells me stories of how people formerly would get together (often-sometimes every night!) with friends and sit around and talk or play cards or dominoes for entertainment. She contends that this type of activity was much more the case before TV arrived on the scene. She believes that people just don't make the effort to connect with others as much since we can just plop down in front of the TV after dinner now. Can it be that we don't have the need for "human entertainment" now that the "box" has come along?
I don't know, but I suspect she may indeed have something there. Hope you have a wonderful 4th of July!
Though my mom watches TV with the best of them, she contends that it has.She's 83 and was well into her married years before TV was ever invented. She tells the story of window shopping with my father and seeing some contraption through a store window. They both looked and wondered what this fascinating thing was. They decided to go in and investigate further. To make a long story short, they ended up buying one of the contraptions(that very day)--it was one of the first television sets. Never mind the fact that where they lived didn't get signals for TV yet. My dad was in the Air Force. So I guess they figured they'd be moving soon enough to some place that did or that before long every place would be able to get it.
Anyway, she tells me stories of how people formerly would get together (often-sometimes every night!) with friends and sit around and talk or play cards or dominoes for entertainment. She contends that this type of activity was much more the case before TV arrived on the scene. She believes that people just don't make the effort to connect with others as much since we can just plop down in front of the TV after dinner now. Can it be that we don't have the need for "human entertainment" now that the "box" has come along?
I don't know, but I suspect she may indeed have something there. Hope you have a wonderful 4th of July!
Total Comments 2
Comments
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I have to agree with your Mom, KK..Seems we do get most of our entertainment from tv, internet , game boys, etc..Sadly, it is becoming a "me, myself, and I" world..Except for the get-to-gethers still popular on holidays..I remember when one family in our neighbirhood had a tv, and they would bring it out to the porch sometimes to share with everyone..Posted 07-03-2008 at 03:01 PM by Miss Blue
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Oh kaykay, I know what your mom is talking about. TV is great, but it takes away from family time, especially if there are more than one in a house!
Rarely do dh and I find something we both enjoy. And son? forget it, he does not watch much, but plays videos when not outside.Posted 07-04-2008 at 07:59 PM by aiangel_writer
