Perception of reality is deteriorating. Every day, Americans watch television for six hours and forty-seven minutes. By the time a child finishes elementary school, they will have witnessed eight thousand televised murders. Leaving a poignant mark in their brain, acts of televised violence is desensitizing children to the magnitude of physical violence in real life. Broadcasting companies remain sanguine about their raising ratings.
Violence on television is responsible for a new generation of fruitless members of society. Major broadcasting companies know this though. While they may be ignorant towards the social outcome of it, violence and entertainment are favorites among viewers. Shows like CSI and Law and Order, and spin-offs alike, have inundated the primetime lineups and keep the viewers coming back for more. With these shows obtaining the popularity they have, more networks are running these programs on their channels. Now, regardless of what day it is, you can find a crime-drama show on some channel. These being people’s favorite shows, the amount of time people spend watching TV is drastically raising. In a way, networks have subconsciously coerced us into watching more TV.
Most television shows zealously portray interesting lives. People living on the edge, doing crazy things. Average people phlegmatic lives. Hardly lives like this. Watching these kinds of TV shows offsets the boring lives of people. This way, they can escape reality and find enjoyment in the lives of actors on television. As a result, viewers cannot comprehend reality and television. Statistics show that 79% of people think that television violence is responsible for real acts of violence. TV is affecting life. When will people be able to determine life from entertainment media?
While statistics seem overwhelming, of those 1500 hours kids spend watching television a year, there are still a lot more hours they are not. They are still out with friends, at school, playing sports, or just not watching TV period. Maybe they are watching television, but with friends. It is obvious that there are still kids that watch way too much television, but the number of children who are moderate and responsible about it should not go unnoticed. Since even the earliest of times, people who are lazy and do not take initiative go nowhere, where people who work hard and do not let themselves get distracted lead great, productive lives. It ultimately depends on the person.