My kiddos have been using some of their free time to watch older television shows on Netflix. I love this option, even if it's Spongebob, because they're not being mentally flooded with a bunch of lies and deceit (i.e. "Whether it's corn sugar or cane sugar, your body can't tell the difference!" - The Corn Refiners Assoc.) or McDonald's telling them that joy if a gift you can find in a Happy Meal box. But it turns out they may be getting something unintended from their viewing indulgences.
Reezle commented the other day about how someone learned a lesson of some kind in each episode of Dinosaurs. "Earl learned that his family was more important than TV," she said. And while this should be common sense, it is far from the message kids are receiving today - to the point it really stood out for my daughter. The lesson learned in earlier family television shows were part of the feel-good aspect of those that I grew up with. Sure, real problems don't work themselves out in 30 minutes and conclude with the entire family collectively vomiting glitter and sunshine (a common criticism of family sitcoms back in the day), but somehow it did provide a sense that hope was not misplaced and eventually things would work out.
These days we have a bit too much "reality" on television. I realize people tune in largely for the shock value and out of morbid curiosity; after all, it's often like watching a train wreck in slow motion. But it seems this is not a sideshow or a fleeting glimpse into the lives we all should be glad we're not living; it has become acceptable, even admirable, to live for oneself and flaunt abuses of excess and material possessions as if these things could somehow ever compensate for what these individuals lack in substance and character. From the Bachelor to Housewives, I wonder endlessly why anyone cares about the smallest details of a person's dating life or how spoiled, entitled women spend their husbands' fortunes to the point of bankruptcy. I'd like there to be a reality show about the benefits of making good financial decisions, saving money, and preparing to put your kids through college.
Children's shows have eroded into nothing more than screaming, whining stupidity, completely devoid of any value whatsoever. What happened to shows that had a moral to their stories? Where are the shows emphasizing the importance of family and friends, regardless of what form those come in? They're relics of the past, apparently, replaced by a world that is obsessed to the point of isolation with creating virtual existences behind the screens of laptops, cell phones, game consoles, and other electronic devices. Even when we do interact with others, it's through some device much more often than not.
Our whole existence is fake. Our lives are on a screen, our images are filtered and Photoshopped, our language is abbreviated, we eat food-like substances instead of actual food, and kids today want to grow up and get their own reality TV show instead of being a doctor, firefighter, or astronaut. How can we stress the importance of not engaging in stupid behavior when talentless celebrities are made famous for doing exactly what we're warning against? What happened to wanting a good future, an interesting career, and a family? When I was growing up, having money meant you wanted financial security. Now it means you feel entitled to more in that paycheck because your husband's salary, which should be sufficient for a family of 6 to live comfortably in a reasonably-sized home with a couple of reasonable family cars, isn't enough to pay for the Escalade and a $500,000 house you feel you damn well deserve because, hey, everyone else is doing it and being harassed by these creditors isn't any fun!
What has happened to our society? It's like human beings are no longer evolving; we reached a point where our technology far surpasses our intellect and ability to use it appropriately, and now we're circling the drain.
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