Television has become an extremely powerful influence over society and families since it’s introduction. Although this powerful influence that television has shown may not all be great. In the essay “Television: The Plug-In Drug,” a stance is taken by Marie Winn dictating that because of television, there is an ever growing problem with degenerating social skills individuals influenced by television (438-46). Even though Winn fails to consider that not every single individual influenced by television will be lead to degenerated social skills she does effectively displays her argument showing real-life anecdotes and studies to show the short-term and long-term effects of watching television. Even though Winn fails to consider that not every…
Just like the teacher from earlier, being one who was affected by the over-indulgence of T.V., she is not the only one. Winn concludes, that the effects of the television has harmed family relationships by eliminating opportunities for conversation, and other interactions. Whether it be conversing over daily activities, or arguing about internal issues, these opportunities have diminished because of television being the distraction. Winn used a mother as a reference because the mother’s solution to her kids fighting was to turn on the T.V., and ignore the issue. Another thing that was noted when it comes to children and television, is the loss of real life experiences. Children who watch too much television become so attached to the T.V. personality, and lose the ability to respond to real people because of the lack of interest. Winn’s use of logos in parts of her argument are used effectively to put actual reason behind how television is causing a lack of…
Television is the predominant media-metaphor of this generation. Television shapes the way people think, act, and communicate; however, this powerful apparatus does not always disclose the whole truth. In fact, television often hides the whole truth from the public, but, ironically, most people love the media and blindly believe what the media says. As Alford Huxley says, people will “adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.” Unfortunately, Huxley’s hypothesis is slowly becoming a reality. In Neil Postman’s “Amusing Ourselves To Death,” Postman argues that the many facets of television people love will actually ruin them. Of these many facets of television, three are predominant. Television is ruining people’s lifestyles…
The word “television” provokes different kinds of reactions, whether they are disgusted, elated, or non-chalant. Barbara Enrenreich in the passagae from “The Worst Years of Our Lives”, argues that television is creating couch potatoes. There is some validity to Erenreich’s assertion since the American population has become less active however it provides opportunities for those who do not have acess to the outside world, and has effects different kinds of people. The posibilities that television produces are endless.…
“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.…
In “The Trouble with Television,” Robert MacNeil states his viewpoints strong and thoroughly about how he thinks television is harmful to society. Many different things have gone wrong because of television. MacNeil states that, “Television is like a drug.” Once you watch so much of it, you get addicted to it and then you can’t stop watching it.…
The first essay was written to focus on negative criticism on television, “Television: The Plug-In Drug” by Marie Winn, was about the influence of television on family life and parent-child relationships. Author of children’s books, Marie Winn sees only a negative outcome with television and family. I did not like her article because I think that it’s good to watch TV. You are informed about your surroundings, you learn a lot of things and it doesn’t change family relationships. Winn says that “Home and family has changed in important ways since the advent of television”. I think that family life has changed only because instead of always running trying to do something and staying busy, television gives families a reason to stop and sit in their own silence to relax. Winn’s main point was that television takes away from the quality time spent with families. I feel that quality time that isn’t spent with families is the family member’s faults. Parents should make time for their kids, even if they are watching TV. In the essay Winn states that families do “special” things together “go camping, go to the zoo…take trips and…
Ellen Goodman explains how TV affects families in a negative way by using harsh words to emphasize that TV destroys families. She explains through “Primal Screen” that the fact people watch TV is an “addiction” and “the average kid develops that distant, slack-jawed, hypnotic, hooked stare…” (Goodman, 25-26). This explains how kids take TV too seriously in life and take it as a major priority in life. Also, they young kids would create a very bad addiction out of it. Kids in school might not do well because all they think about is TV and get distracted. Another example would be when Goodman states that families have “become an audience and not a family,” (Goodman, 28)”. This means that families sit around a TV and communicate rarely if possible. Families just sit around and ignore each other when the traditional belief of TV is to have family time.…
When the television made its first debut in the early to mid 20th century it came with good intentions. This idea of good intention however did not last long with the critics. As early as 1961 the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission referred to television as a “Vast Wasteland,” (351). Many other critics would come to share in his beliefs about television. There have been numerous books, articles, essays, and research done on the subject of television and its negative effects on children in particular. Marie Winn’s article is just one of many.…
The main conclusion in this article is that TV really doesn’t make your life any better and to limit TV time with children and adolescents, or better yet, turn the TV off and go outside! The main assumptions underlying the author’s thinking is that TV causes health problems, lower grades, academic failure, negative attitudes towards school and teenage pregnancy.…
Marie Winn the author of “Televising: The Plug-in Drug”, is expressing the affects that television has on children. Television today is part of a family’s everyday life. The affects that television has on families are the change of family life and family rituals. The harms that television has on families are activities such as lose of family games, singing, joking, coloring, conversations, festivals, and arguments. Instead of talking about problems in the household, family members are more likely to go and watch TV. Instead of conversing and solving problems this tends to distract them and forget about them at that time. Children are affected the most by television because the lose of family activities; this is where the children’s learning takes place and where they form the personality, but in not having this the child is more likely to have difficulties in having conversations with people and poor eye contact when talking. Another lose that parents have with there children is the interaction; the alienation and desertion of their children. Television is taking away from human development and is increasing with less family time.…
According to Marie Winn in “The Plug-In Drug”, television has many negative effects on our society today. In her essay she emphasis that television today is controlling the everyday aspect of life. She inference that television has ruined family rituals, the communication and it's seen as equivocal. She acknowledged that there is a problem with our society and the way that television influence us. Been said, I'm able to say that I agree with Winn on the subject of television having negative effects on society.…
Marie Winn wrote an amazing article “Television: The Plug-in Drug” in which she introduces the argument about television and its overwhelming affects on families. She opens the minds of readers with explaining that the casual entertainment television was intended for has now become a troublesome problem within families. Winn proposes that the problem lies within the seductive act of TV watching itself. That extensive TV watching alters children’s relations with the real world, depriving them of far more valuable real life experiences (203). For example, she believes that television influences our ability to communicate…
“The Golden Age of Television” brought many changes to America (Bhattacharyya). Modern America is not like America was in the 1940s and early 1950s, and one reason is because of television. Musical shows, children’s shows, movies, news, and so much more are on TV. Television doesn’t only entertain us, but it helps us in so many ways. We can learn from TV. Different educational channels are created to help us learn (Cochrane). TV is a way for us to get information, too, just like books and the Internet. Lastly, television can also affect people and their lives. Before TV, there was more interaction between people (www.printmoment.com). Today, there is not as much interaction and communication between people. As you can see, television helped shape modern America by helping people learn, affecting people’s lives, and brining new ways to broadcast information to Americans.…
I agree that television shows influences our behaviors even without our knowledge of it. Although television seems like a great thing to have, it has many drawbacks. Television can have negative impacts on people, especially kids. People learn new skills by observing, then utilizing it, such as when we were kids and learn to walk by seeing our family walking around or learning a new subject in school. Therefore, when watching television it may influence our fundamental social dispositions; no matter if it is good or bad. Almost ninety nice percent of households possess one television. Television is today’s source of news, stories, legends, and characters from previous centuries; the reason why it is so influential. However, only “0.7 percent is used for public service announcements and news”(Sex, violence, profanity...). The other 97.3 % consists of television shows with violence, crime, advertisements and mainstream blandness. Many studies and research has been done to demonstrate that heavy television viewing may lead to serious health consequences. Television is great for entertainment but has grown into a major problem.…