TV And Societal Change

I don't watch television much anymore.  Outside of news programs, sports and a few old movies or TV shows from the 60's or 70's (after the 70's, I stopped watching) there isn't much that interests me. I have not seen a TV series in more than 20 years and am probably much better off because of it. When I have seen commercials advertising TV shows or read about them in a newspaper, they seem to be vulgar, mean spirited, and stupid. It's sort of like what society is today too. That's because TV reflects the society as a whole. Comedy doesn't break out in society because people watch funny shows. But violence on the streets does beget violence on the screen. Just look at your TV and see.

I am in no position to specifically criticize TV, given I see so little of it. I won't critique it now. Instead, I have a few remarks about how TV is today as opposed to the early days of TV in the 50's and 60's. Those were the glory days when TV was new and fascinated society. Not only am I old enough to remember black and white TV of the 50's and early 60's, I was addicted to that as a child. Psychiatrists told parents then that if mom and dad let their kids watch too much the kids' brains would rot. Maybe mine did. Even the adults were addicted then, probably somewhat like the addiction to cell phones today. When a new technology becomes popular humans use it way too much. The novelty has worn off TV, so I am hopeful those crazy cell phones will become passé' too. Civilization may return of that happens.

In those early days of TV in the United States, most places had only three TV channels, reception was provided by a problematic antenna that protruded from the set or was on top of the house and gave sometimes fuzzy picture. If the set broke, and it often did, a "tube man" would come to the customer's house and take out the many tubes to test and find the broken one. Tube men were very important people then. They got lots of smiles and were appreciated by the set owner with tips for their service.  Once repaired, a family would watch TV shows that were tame and general in nature as compared to what is shown now. Censorship wasn't needed because no one thought it appropriate to be daring and test boundaries with sex or vulgarity on the TV screen.  Society had boundaries then, unlike today. I remember the TV foot on the ground rule. It said that if a married couple had a scene in their bedroom, only one of the couple could have both feet off the ground in bed. The other one had to have at least one foot on the floor. No one ever thought of having nudity on TV then.

TV then was fun and innocent. Today it's vulgar and hostile. TV comics could not tell risqué jokes then. Today, every piece of humor on TV is filled with vulgarity or suggestions of it. Again, society was mirrored in both cases. The programming was consistent then. The news, weather and sports came on in the morning, at 6 pm and at 10 pm every day. It was the highest rated program on TV and the content was not hateful, slanted, partisan. People were interested in the news and trusted the people who gave it to them on TV. They got real news. Today TV gives fake news wrapped in entertainment.

Today, the news is partisan, rubbish that is packaged for different political segments of the markets. Most of American TV news today is propaganda, lies and distortions told to appeal to the political persuasion of the audience segment that is watching. No wonder CNN is nicknamed "Communist News Network". Only fools believe what news their TV gives them today. That also mirrors the disbelief people have today in reality when away from their TV sets. The early days of TV were ones filled with a commonality of belief and TV news reflected that with facts. Today TV news is reality TV, not reality itself. No wonder people are so skeptical today.

In the early days of TV the family gathered around it and bonded. Now people watch TV on their computer monitor in privacy. Families are less a unit today.  Like most things today, the world is more private than public. Then it was the opposite. Maybe that's one reason there is no sense of community today. And maybe that's why I have no interest in watching what is on the TV screen today.