The 'Eagle Times' Student Newspaper

Television serves as true reflection of life

Commentary by Diana Hatcher

March 23, 2005

The invention of television has opened opportunities for people to express views and issues in society, whether it is through the news or sitcoms. Television is now one of the most lucrative industries in the world and has more influence than anyone could have imagined.

Many people think that television is detrimental to today’s society because of the violence and use of drugs that it inspires. However, television really has a positive side and enables viewers to see how the world is evolving and how it is taking us out of our everyday lives so we can enter a world filled with fun, adventure, and even love.

Television is not just a form of entertainment but can also be a form of education. There are multiple shows in which learning is a key theme. “Sesame Street” is a children’s show, which, unless you’ve lived in a hole all your life, you’ve heard of it. This show helps kids learn various fundamentals of everyday life like the alphabet and many life lessons as well, such as sharing and honesty. These shows can help a child develop the social skills that one needs at such a young age.

Adults can even absorb knowledge through television. There are channels dedicated to teaching such as the Discovery Channel and the History Channel. Viewers can get information about home improvement on “HGTV” and learn about health findings on “Discovery Health.” If you know where to look, television is filled with useful information.

Television viewers have been able to witness the American family evolve throughout the past 50 years. Families have gone from perfect to dysfunctional, and it is the dysfunctional families with which the viewers are more likely to identify. These families have served as teachers, showing the audience how things truly are in the real world.

“Roseanne,” for example, was a sitcom that moved away from the flawless family image. The Connor family experienced financial and marital trouble and the parents didn’t always get along with their children.

A great example of a problematic family is “Married with Children.” Despite the fact that it was a far cry from actuality, society’s opinion of its own culture was expressed in a humorous manner.

Lines have been crossed within television’s 50-year existence, but it has served a purpose of enabling us to see different points of views and expose us to out-of-the-ordinary situations. The “O.C.” is a popular drama among teens that intertwines real-life situations teens experience in life such as dating, relationships between family and friends, partying and even sexuality, although some of these situations have stirred up controversy and upset viewers.

Marissa and Alex, two of the female characters on the “O.C.”, have broke new ground and brought the topic of same sex relationships to the surface. “Will and Grace,” a hit sitcom on NBC, also confronts the sensitive subject of homosexuality with its two gay characters, Will and Jack. The writers of this show make light of their situations while still showing the struggles they go through with their sexuality. Television shows like this are a breakthrough, making viewers open their eyes and take a second look at the world around them.

Television has this reputation of exposing small children to situations they shouldn’t be viewing at such a young age. On quite a few of the channels, there are sex scenes, cursing, and violence, but most of this occurs on channels for which you have to pay extra. If parents are having such a difficult time controlling what their children watch, then maybe they shouldn’t have these channels until their children are responsible enough to watch. What can a child learn on television that he/she can’t learn from another child at school?

Out of the 20th century came much beneficial advancement, like television. However, some critics of television might think it should never have been invented, but the dependency and love many people have for television is undisputable. Much of the world, especially America, depends on television for a great range of entertainment and information. Our world has been shaped and changed since the invention of television, in ways that can never fully be understood.