If televisions were banned...what effect would it have on society? Better? Worse?

Question

there would obviously be pros and cons..for example, it would be harder to publicise wanted criminals and warn people of dangerous weather etc...but there would be less violence, swearing etc for childrens eyes...

tell me your thoughts...thanks!

achrimsdale: Yes, but not as effective in my opinion...People pay a lot more attention to the TV rather than radio...Radio you can't SEE whats happening..

Ash - Brilliant answer! Yes, just a theoretical question *smiles*

Perfecto!
Lovely answer! I couldn't have put it better myself - I've found the answer I'm looking for!

Also "gldnsilnc" a very
good answer - Obviously,
I wasn't even born during
the times your refering to
but that knowledge is
very much appreciated!

Thanks Everyone!

Answer 1

Well, I don't think televisions should be banned because that would be a tad too much government interference in our personal lives and it already does enough of that. But I'm assuming this is simply a theoretical question so I won't go into that.

TV is not a positive or negative influence in and of itself. It is a medium, nothing more or less. It is what people choose to put on it and what viewers choose to watch that is good or bad. TV shows are just there. No one is forcing us to watch them. It's our own decision to watch them or not. In a lot of cases, we (society as a whole) need to have a little more self-restraint and decide "not." But it should still be up to us to decide. That is freedom.

Answer 2

It sure would have it's pro's and con's alright. It would maybe help lazy people to get up off their butts and do things, and maybe start projects and feel better about themselves. It would definatly help young children and teenagers not to get so much garbage put into their minds, and get out and learn and do more physically.
But then you have these parents who let the television be their babysitter. So, you'd have to wonder then. If the television isn't going to keep them busy, are they going to go out and find the wrong things to do. Not like the tv is the right thing to do !!
I'd love it if the tv was cut off. I don't watch tv anyway. I quit watching it many years ago. Even the commericals had got way out of hand. And things quit being funny. Peoples sence of humor isn't what it used to be. Not that I'm a hundred years old! But what did ever happen to just plain funny instead of things having to revolve around filth ?

Answer 3

It's a shame that television has turned into what it has.
As a kid/teenager I watched TV constantly. I missed out on a lot of time where I could have been doing something better than sitting passively in front of a glowing box. As an adult, I have not subscribed to cable at all, and when I have been roommates with people who did, I rarely watched it. I'm glad, because as a result I am less influenced by advertising, and I don't compare the people around me to the people on TV. If TV started leaning toward influencing people toward more positive things, then i would be all for it. Unfortunately, consumerism, narcissism, and bad taste reigns.

Answer 4

I think the effect would be good overall... I mean, people survived without it before. Peoples' intelligence levels should rise as well, because TV doesn't really make people think (appart from, "What shall I watch now?"). OK, people may disapprove of the ban at first, and may cause frustration and all that, but then again, there would then be a limit to 'violent' images being exposed to these people, so in the long-term, violence levels SHOULD decrease.

As for the criminals and dangerous weather... well, that can be solved by radio and newpapers.

Answer 5

A few years ago I would have sat on the fence on this question, but now, I feel society would definitely be better without the telly.

I can understand that people who don't have a life, substitute this with an artificial life or to put it another way; Soaps. What I really can't understand is why people would want to watch would-be actors pretending to have tantrums whilst being filmed in a big house, (I refer, of course to Big Brother and it's various spin-offs). For those whose IQ is not numerically dissimilar to their shoe size, this type of programme will ensure that any attempt to join the real world, or to put it another way; get a job, will be put on the back-burner.

Please note, I'm not including those out there who are genuinely trying to get a job. I know it's difficult. Keep trying.

Answer 6

I'm old enough to remember when very few people had television and just about everyone depended on radio for news and entertainment. Believe me, radio is a very effective medium. If there were no t.v., people would adapt to radio broadcasts and all the news that isn't fit to print would still get out there. On the plus side, radio stimulates the imagination. You make the pictures to fit the story.

Answer 7

Oh, god, not with the children. Society exists for the benefit of adults, and therefore not everything in it is going to be appropriate for children. It is _solely_ the parent's responsibility to shield their children from that which they deem inappropriate, not society's, nor the government's, nor the media companies' job. (Not the least of which because no two sets of parents are going to agree on exactly what their children should be shielded from...)

That being said, the cons then obviously outweigh the "pros" - because not only would you be taking away the warning functions you refer to, but you're taking our society's primary outlet for recreational and informational media, which would make all of our lives much, much poorer.

And I'm not just saying that because television is my totem animal.

Answer 8

Pro's:
* We'd develop stronger independent thought & actions; ah, this could also turn into a con in the wrong minds.

* We could start to develope more of our long-term memory. TV keeps us addicted to short term memory which is why some can watch the same program & commericals over & over.

* Advertisements wouldn't brain wash us anymore; after all TV is designed to SELL goods & services.

* Bad News (like the Virgina Tech) would take longer to poisen our society.

Con's:
* The business world might have lower profits since people are not mindlessly buying what is being sold through TV.

* We would loose a lot of common "Subjects" to talk about; tv shows, commericals, and news.

Answer 9

One pro to take into consideration is the fact that T.V. stops boredom. I believe that without T.V., there would be many more crimes committed because T.V. keeps idle minds occupied. Television is a defining characteristic of a civilized nation, and it no doubt has to do with its pacifying nature, its ability to inform, and the enjoyment accrued from watching it.
On the other side of that, I believe that television is one of the great reasons that people are so distant from each other, because we use it as a supplement for human contact. It is a fiendish invention because it stops us from interacting with each other and instead focuses our attention on being entertained and perpetually receiving information instead of thinking for ourselves.

Answer 10

several things would happen If television were banned globally 1)people would probably exercise more= improve global health. 2) people would be less informed about global news and easier to manipulate by thier governments 3) there would be many criminals created uneccessarily because some people would refuse to obey the ridiculous law 4) probably cause civil unrest and eventually war!
Besides the TV evangelists wouldn't let that happen cos it is one of thier main tools to brainwash innocent people into believing thier rubbish, and the Internet would still be here so I guess that would wipe all the benefits of not having TV.
:-)