Random Rambles: Television

As a medium, television has had a great impact on our society. TV shows seem thought-provoking at times and can provide entertainment to audiences. TV is valued highly in our current society and almost everyone has been addicted to one show or another in their lives. TV is one of the go-to things when in times of leisure.

But TV is pretty much garbage now. You've got reality shows that do nothing to stimulate the mind but just serve to be amusing. You've got a plethora of shows that only serve a bland and dull purpose just to fit in commercials. TV has so many popular shows that are not thought-provoking in any way. Entertainment has come a long way and this is the new low.

That's not fair since there are many shows that are great as well. Some shows question morality and dive into human psychology. Other shows feature education presented in a basic form. But all of these shows are watered down versions to attract the audience's attention. What happens is that themes and symbolism is presented clearly so that an idiot could recognize what was good and what was bad in humans. Dramas present themselves in an open fashion to make sure it doesn't confuse the audience and captures the audience's attention. Educational shows are cursory as well by not providing the same level of depth that a common Wikipedia page could elaborate more deeply on. A surprising thing about TV is that the average human uses his or her brain the least when watching TV. That means staring at a wall or sleeping requires more brainpower than watching TV. When we zone out into the TV show, we just accept anything that comes out on the screen like a zombie.

TV shows used to be something, though. Old '90s comedies were decent entertainment that at least poked fun at society, though not offering too much depth. TV back then had quality control and less commercials since TV was actually used to engage the audience or tell something important. The news was really important and the Vietnam War proved it with its vivid detail on the accounts of the war. But today, news stations don't even list the names of the people who die and are used by the government so as to not stir up everyday citizens. Another great TV show was "The Twilight Zone." By having such bizarre storylines and playing at humanity's darkest moments, it had a charm about it while still portraying the experience the protagonist of each episode goes through.

TV quality has declined and everyone knows it. So why do everyone still watch TV? Because we're stimulated by the images flickering on the screen. Because we like not having to use our brains. Does this mean that we, as a society, are degrading? Should we have concern over how our TV quality has declined? No one really knows the answer and we find ourselves wondering whether or not we should actually do something about this dilemma. Nevertheless, people will always waste their time mindlessly watching the next episode of "Keeping up with the Kardashians" or something else that has little significance.