There’s a good discussion going on over at MetaFilter (a link-and-discuss website, for those who don’t know) about a family that doesn’t allow their children, ages 6 and 3, to watch television.
Both the article and the discussion on MetaFilter bring up excellent points. I agree with those who say that education from the parents in addition to the television would be the best course of action; letting children learn from the TV alone could be dangerous.
How do you think your television-watching habits while growing up have affected you, or another person you know, as an adult?
Well, it would be a lot harder playing Grand Theft Auto III and killing all those innocent people if I hadn’t been infused with the TV-induced belief that life is not sacred. That would affect my ability to play the game, no doubt about it.
I learned a lot of what I know about life from television and movies. I realize a lot of people would say that’s a bad thing, but bear with me for a second. I learned how to gauge people’s reactions, and to start to learn to anticipate emotions based on how things would play out in these scripts. Obviously, real life isn’t always like that, but I think it’s helped me in this instance. Also, it probably helped me to decide on my chosen profession and a life in the theater. 🙂
All I know is that Sesame Street is not what it used to be.