Pd.7 AP. Language
Ms. Fanjoy
Argument “Cold” Essay Rewrite
“So why do we keep on watching [Television]?” challenges Barbara Ehrenreich in, The Worst Years of Our Lives. Ehrenreich alleges that television “has transformed the American people into root vegetables” (2-3). Television as we know it is a way to escape the troubles of the real world and enter into a sense of fantasy. People sit for hours watching television which is harmful and may brainwash people to believe what they are told. Television was never invented to exemplify the real world; it was merely a distraction in the path of our trajectory. However Ehrenreich classifies modern Americans as couch potatoes simply because they do not accomplish anything that is displayed on television. I disagree with Ehrenreich’s assertions about television because she assumes everything portrayed in television is danger and thrills. Much of what is advertised on television is informative and important in society.
Television allows us to get information much quicker than ever before. Television has been one of our greatest innovations and has transformed society, and made our lives much more enjoyable. Television was never created to imitate real world complications. I, myself do not watch television for more than an hour, but when I do, it is usually to watch a baseball game, which is the sport I play. All athletes around the world watch television whether its sports or just a comedic movie. Ehrenreich is wrong to say that all people who watch television do nothing other than watch and bulge their eyes out, “But modern people, i.e., couch potatoes, do nothing that is ever shown on television (because it is either dangerous or would involve getting up from the couch). And what they do do-watch television-is far too boring to be televised for more than a fraction of a second” (22-27), a person who watches television is not necessarily a couch potato they could be a celebrity, professional athlete,