i might be alone on this but i think t.v. is one of the worst inventions ever...not that I dont watch it but just the way i feel
When you consider inventions that have killed thousands of people, the machine gun, the nuclear bomb, the car, TV isn't really that bad. A TV has never even directly killed anyone, unless someone threw it at them or dropped it on them, or they got electrocuted by it, or it caught fire. Its psychological effects are more worrying, but then again its just bringing into peoples homes what is really happening in the world (even fictional stuff could be shown in plays, or at the cinema, or feature in books). Its also got the potential to be a powerful propaganda tool, but so has the written or spoken word. I think its main problem is the way it has taken over so many people's lives, and gives constant, easy access to things that would be better of in much smaller doses. Whilst violance, brainwashing propaganda and mind destroying trash can be found throughout life, in most other forms they require effort, and often expendature, and are in some cases limited when they are available (such as cinema, plays etc) yet TV provides them all the time at the push of a button.
I think programming is the problem, especially nowadays. I tried cable, then cancelled it because it was 99% garbage. I only wish we could pay for what we watch, and nothing else. The commercials are mindless, and repetitive. The Golden Age of television was better, I think, but there are good shows today, mostly shows like Frontline, and Educational programs. TV can brainwash people, so I watch it only if I see something worthwhile. And if no one is watching it, I turn it off. I get irritated when I visit someones home, and the TV is so loud I have to shout. Or worse, when they have up to 3 TVs on in various rooms. Frown. I miss old Twilight Zone episodes, but wouldn't pay 40 bux a month for it. Better to just buy or rent videos. Smile.
As Katherine said, it's not the worst invention, but I do think it's among the most miss-used inventions... things that weren't intended to be bad but are miss-used and abused all the time... So many people waste their time watching tv and just rarely get up anymore... computers & games & chat may be addictive too but at least you still take some active part in those, with the tv you're just sitting there as a big couch potato. Other things that are over-used are cars; great for long distances, hauling heavy stuff, or when the weather's real bad, but it's sad so many people use them to run to the store just a block away instead of walking or biking... bad for the environment & for our health, but so many people just don't think about it...
yah i really didnt think about destructive inventions towards humans/animals and the environment but i think what its done to people is pretty bad...i read something about tv and by the time your 18 youve spent more time watching tv than being in school, i might have messed up the age but its somewhere around there
ok i found the source with the facts here they are: 98.2% of all households in US have TV's(an average of 2 per household). Most children become regular watchers of TV between the ages of 3 and 6. Schoolchildren watch an average of 2.5 hours of TV a day(on school days) and an average of 4 hours and 20 minutes on weekends. By the time most people reach the age of 18, they will have spent more time watching TV than doing anything else such as talking with parents, spending time with friends, or even going to school. By the time the average American childe leaves elementary school, she or he has seen 8,000 killing and 100,000 violent acts portrayed on TV. Murder rates in both the US and Canada increased, almost 93% in the US and 92% in Canada between 1945, when widespread commercial televison did not exist, and 1970. One sociologist estimated that half of all rapes and assaults in the US could be directly related to television. Some scary shit. This is why I think televsion is one of the worst inventions not to mention the lazyness it promotes and the constant advertisements shoved in our faces.
