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What You Can Do
The way to protect you and/or your
child ren from being adversely af–
fected by television is to be more
selective of the programs you watch .
Where television is active!
y
promot–
ing va lues, thoughts. and mores
which are al ien to your home. you
wil l have to exercise parental au–
thority.
Take the time to select better
quality program for family view–
ing. Don't a lways assume lhat chil–
dren are on ly inlerested in lhe
lowest leve! of cartoon pap or vio–
lence.
Programs that glamorize crime
and emphasize illicit ex. cruelty.
and violence should obviously be
minimized if not elimina led from
your TV diet.
Along with being selective about
what you and your household walch
on TY. be sure to watch programs
together. Scientific !>ludies show how
il's actually besl ifparents watch TV
with th eir children. espccia lly small
children. When parents watch tele–
vision with thcir chitd ren and com–
men t on fallacies or wrong aclions
which
~ometimes
creep into "good"
programs. thc effect of these fal–
lacies and wrong actions on children
is minimized. Remcmbcr. many so–
ca ll cd family programs are filled
with variou:, forms of rebellion. dis–
respect for authority. and lying.
Children should not be allowed to
assume that this sort of conduct is
acccptable.
Another important lelevision
viewing guide line is to limit the
amount of television you watch and
the amount you a ll ow your children
lo watch. Anyone who spends tour.
f1vc or six hours a day si tting pas–
sively in front of the TV
tu
be watch–
ing a world of makc-betieve and
rantasy is probably losi ng vit a l
hours that should be spent learning
how to relate and talk to husband.
wife. brolhers, sisters. playmates.
parents, relatives. and neighbors.
You shou ld replacc much of your
TV viewing with family interests.
What happened, for example. lo the
good "old-fashioned'' family get-
The PLAIN TRUTH August 1976
MAKING THE MOST OF
VOUR TELEVISION VIEWING
Like many activities. televis ion
viewing should be evaluated in
terms of benefits vs. shortcomings.
To summarily unplug the set
would probably deprive you or
your family ofmany well done and
valuable programs. Yet an uncriti–
cat indulgence in extcnsive TY
vicwing may also be unwise. de–
priving you of precious t ime that
could profitably be spent in other
pursuits.
In deciding how much TY to
wa tch. it is good to sean thc televi–
sion listings for the coming week
and mark those programs that
seem particularly in teresting -
ahead of time. Of course. in some
cases. a final evaluation cannot be
made until the program begins.
but basically. the fol!owing criteria
should be helpful:
1.
Does the program encourage
worthwhile idea/s, values, ami
be!iefs·?
Does it uphold ac–
ccptable standards of behav–
ior. promo t ing mora l and
spiritual values and respect
rnr law. decency. a nd service?
Or instead does it glamorize
cnme. immorality. intoler–
ance. greed. or cruelty? Does
together where family members
simply talked - sharing interests.
ideas. needs. de ·ires, thougbts on
current world events. happenings at
school. work, or the neighborhood?
Don 'l let television stifle or replace
your family conversation.
Rather than permit the television
set
to
absorb all your leisure time,
dcvclop an interest in some con–
structive hobby. Children also need
to be encouraged to take up con–
struct ivc hobbies rather than spend–
ing all th eir time in front of the TY.
With teen-agers, respect is the
key. lf you show an interes t in what
your older ch ildren want to watch.
you should find some common
it cncourage bad taste. false
standa rds of material success.
or personal vanity?
2.
Does !he program stimulme
conslructive activities?
Does it
encourage you to learn more.
todo some thing constructive.
to be creative, ro solve prob–
lems. to work and to live with
others?
Or does it glamorize violence,
theft, robbery. smuggling.
and other crime? Does it, at
least by example. teach that
problems are (or should) be
solved by brute force?
3.
Finally. ask yourself. "Hon–
est ly, is watching this part icu–
lar program the best use of
my (or my family's) time?"
Granted, watching TV can be
relaxing; and it certainly re–
quires little or no effort on
your part. But is a large in–
vestment of time in TV view–
ing consistent with other
goals and aspirations you
have? Would the time be bet–
ter utilized in recreation. in
hobbies. in reading. or even
in family conversation.
Only you can provide the answer.
ground. late r. tor discussion. Often
teen-agers a re interested in the same
programs as adults, and watching
the same programs may be one of
the easiest things a parent can do
with his adolescen t children.
Yet the more a paren t sets the
examp le of having outside interests.
the more apt bis children wi ll be to
deve lop o th er int erests besides
watchi ng TV.
Yes, it is time to tame the in–
fluence of television.
Take the necessary first step by
turning the televis ion set off earlier
and utilizing the needed initiative
and lhought to develop more inter–
ests for you and your family.
o
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