Our generation has grown up sitting three feet away from the television screen. I remember my mother warning me I would go blind if I sat that close to the television watching Power Rangers. She was right. I have been nearsighted for nearly a decade.
Television is the biggest purveyor of culture. It is our collective identity. It reflects what we desire, what we abhor, and what we value the most in our lives.
Reality shows such as Laguna Beach illuminate the current trend of the commoner celebrity. No longer do you have to possess any extraordinary skills to be a highlight of society — you only have to be semi-rich, the star of a high traffic MySpace page, or overtly melodramatic.
Beyond the reflection of desires, television is our reality. Our whole perspective on the status of the world is completely reliant upon watching the news. We have become so dependent that most of us consume the information without question.
Television certainly has an impact on all of our lives, some more than others. I admit, I am an extreme case. But my semester away from television taught me that my professor was right. Life is too short for television, but it’s not all bad.
For every show that is an indulgence, such as The Hills, or Grey’s Anatomy, there are satires such as South Park and The Colbert Report that have groomed our generation to be witty and, most importantly, critical of the world around us. Because of technology, each of us has had a major head start in our education about the universe. We must use this to our advantage and be conscious of our contributions to our culture’s future here in America. We cannot let our indulgences mold our identities. Rather, we must remember that, whether it registers as entertainment or education, we live a dynamic experience.
Get some fresh air. Listen to a new CD. Read a new book. Trust me, it’s still cool to read. Let television inspire you full circle and not just from the fridge back to the couch. Don’t let it control you. Delete all those recorded shows and try something new! After all, the remote is in your hand.
