> > > I am glad there are 3 other Rinkworkers out there who enjoy the feeling to have no Tv! I always get made fun of at school, and people always ask, why dont you get a tv? I reply, why dont you get good grades. Because I believe TV is one of the downfalls of society. I am not saying that all the people who have Tv's are bad, but some people abuse the right wayy too much.
> >
> > That's the key right there. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, but the way it gets abused and overused is unfortunate. I hear about what my parents did as kids, and it's amazing what exciting and creative things they used to do with their free time. My grandparents have even more exciting stories to tell. And, alas, people younger than me have less to tell than I do. Meanwhile, the number of hours kids spend in front of the TV or playing computer games is increasing at a phenomenal rate. Our eventual kids won't be denied television, but the time spent in front of it will be heavily limited.
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> I think I've mentioned it before, but I did not have TV until I was 18. My mom simply would not allow one in the house. Yes, sometimes the kids in school thought I was weird, but as I got older I realized that I had actually learned more without a TV. I learned about people by interacting with them, rather than watching actors on a screen. I learned about nature by going ouside and exploring, rather than watching animals on TV. I learned about historic events by reading about them, rather than watching an adapted-to-offend-nobody special on television.
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> Of course television DOES have a purpose and a place in most homes, but I think people rely too heavily on it. TV is not a babysitter, and it is not toy. So many of today's children are literally being raised on television. They are missing out on the more important parts of life.
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> Take heart, Liface, and all other non-TV watchers. You may feel left out now, but the tables will turn. I have reached the point where my friends actually admit that they gained very little by growing up with television. In fact, some of them have even said that they wished their parents hadn't let them watch as much TV. I talk about some of the books I read and the games I played, and they envy me.
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> Ell"Nope, never saw Sesame Street."myruh

Say you not bad things about the almighty t.v.!! Oh, I am soooo offended right now, I could just send forth my evil minions of demon weasels to gnaw out your eyes. I practically grew up in front of the tube, and quite frankly, tv no hert me brane, I smert as Gilligan. ¦•Þ

In all honesty, having actually spent countless hours staring at the idiot box, most of which would fall into the category of mindless entertainment, I would have to agree with you. Fortunately, in recent years, we've spent more time watching Discovery and The Learning Channel, and I have actually learned interesting things about many subjects. However, there really is no comparison to true life experiences. Even books would be better, but somewhere my attention span disappeared, and I can't even get through a single page without my mind wandering.

As a father, I certainly don't want the same fate for my children. I get somewhat sickened when my four year old asks me to turn on the t.v., not because there's a specific program that she'd like to watch, but simply to watch *anything*. Needless to say, that's when it definitely stays off.

Sometimes, though, after a particularly arduous day, it's a nice way to relax the body and mind.

Tra "tune in, turn on, drop out" nio