Snow and stress -- a very bad combination. I think we have cabin fever already and there is more snow on the way. That's all I have to say about that for now.
On this day in 1926, television is introduced to the public for the first time. Share some pros and cons of this invention.
I didn’t realize that television was available to the public for so long! I don’t remember having a TV set until my father came in with a black and white Zenith. Maybe there were color sets in 1960 but I don’t remember them. I know we had a TV in time for me to watch the Beatles debut (in the States) on The Ed Sullivan Show. I remember watching kids’ programs on weekends, mostly cartoons but also programs called Sky King, Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, and Roy Rogers.
One of the nice things about television was exposure to music, different cultures and people, and other educational information. I remember watching a lot of documentaries about animals and people in different countries, especially one program called Wild Kingdom. Walt Disney Presents was great for that. One week there would be a mini-dramatic series installment, another week there’d be cartoons and yet another week was devoted to nature. I loved to watch variety shows because there were so many different guests doing so many different things. Ed Sullivan was great for having a big variety of entertainment. There were singers and dancers and puppets. It was so cool! My favorite puppet was Topo Gigio.
When I was a kid, TV was fun to watch but if we had a choice we’d still rather be outside. One thing that saddens me about TV is that kids sit in front of the screen for hours and hours. They’re not getting much exercise and they’re not having much brain stimulation either. I don’t think kids are watching many documentaries. I think it’s all video games and anime cartoon programs. You don’t have to think very hard when you watch these cartoons.
I’ve read studies that say kids’ creativity dries up when they watch too much TV. TV has taught kids to think in 15 minute intervals. Attention span doesn’t last much longer than that. And kids are getting heavier and heavier. I can’t say for sure if TV is entirely to blame. A television set doesn’t keep itself turned on, after all.