Turn Off The TV!!!

[Peta Babkama Luruba Anaku]

I stumbled upon this Doc the other day and felt compelled to share it. Although most if not all of us on this forum know the hazards/pitfalls/problems/distractions associated with the soul sucking boob tube, its still amazing to see it and its participants in action.

Of all the things that I found disturbing in this Doc the one that stuck out beyond anything else was/is the parents. Is it wrong of me to say that perhaps its time we put a moratorium on people/couples right to procreate? If you own or have owned a T.V. in a 5 year period prior to planned or unplanned childbirth should you really be allowed in this day and age to procreate? Start watching again when the are at age of consent.

Yes that sounds ludicrous and preposterous and shame on me for saying it, but look at what we are turning into. We have been trying it this way for so long, maybe its time to take some drastic and radical measures.

The above suggestion is just one and not at all realistic but you get my drift, I hope. I would love to hear any and all of your suggestions. Is it really up to the parents? But what if the parents are victims themselves? Like a pregnant addict mother or abusive father/mother it just gets passed down from generation to generation doesn't it?.

I am really really really looking forward to some serious and extreme solar flares in the near future. I think its the only way we can shut the damn thing OFF. Should be interesting to see kids playing outside again. Brothers and Sisters, Mothers and Fathers. Families outdoors. **** what a concept.

Enough rambling. I hope you enjoy the doc as much as I have. Viewer Discretion is not only advised but also urged. Keyword is Discretion. It may make you angry. Please let me know what you think.

Link to Doc: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/starsuckers/

"Thank You For Not Listening". TM.

[moondaze]

i haven't watched it for years, even having it on in the background,(my wife watches) makes me feel physically sick. It sucks your soul out...

[Modwiz]

Sitting in front of a TV screen with TV programming coming out of it is like being vomited on and when the commercials come it is like being pooped on.

Did I say I don't like it??

[Peta Babkama Luruba Anaku]

Sitting in front of a TV screen with TV programming coming out of it is like being vomited on and when the commercials come it is like being pooped on.

Did I say I don't like it??

Thanks for the laugh. Couldn't agree more.

[Odah]

you know how many people will die in the U.s if A solar flare knocked out the power and the electronics in the US. I hope you don't get your wish on that. how will the people in cananda fare with a fried grid. people will go outside alright ..to bury the dead.

Make your own choices about turning on the tv.. don't try to live other peoples lives for them. lets prevent people who watch tv from procreating.. how bout we start handcuffing overweight people hand behind their back after they have what we think is enough for them to eat.. how bout we fine people who don't read books.. or how bout we tax people per mile driven that they could have walked.

There are a ton of laws we could put into place to make people live who we think they should live.

Ok i will stop.. I am sorry i don't mean to personally attack you in this .. Just this kind of message .. You can't make other peoples choices for them.

[Odah]

Turning off the tv is good advice though..i usually just watch cooking shows and such .. then about ten minutes of the bad news and after about a few dozen commersial telling me to buy gold and see a doctor for something .. or call a lawyer if someone in my family has died of anything after takeing medication x.

LOL But again people have to decide for themselves

[Peta Babkama Luruba Anaku]

you know how many people will die in the U.s if A solar flare knocked out the power and the electronics in the US. I hope you don't get your wish on that. how will the people in cananda fare with a fried grid. people will go outside alright ..to bury the dead.

Make your own choices about turning on the tv.. don't try to live other peoples lives for them. lets prevent people who watch tv from procreating.. how bout we start handcuffing overweight people hand behind their back after they have what we think is enough for them to eat.. how bout we fine people who don't read books.. or how bout we tax people per mile driven that they could have walked.

There are a ton of laws we could put into place to make people live who we think they should live.

Ok i will stop.. I am sorry i don't mean to personally attack you in this .. Just this kind of message .. You can't make other peoples choices for them.


"The above suggestion is just one and not at all realistic but you get my drift, I hope".

[Odah]

Tv is fine for those who are asleep .. it prevent them from hurting others for their entertainment .. directly anyway. and it is good for population control .. because the more husband and wife are watching tv the less they are producing more children.. i think there are studies on this in developing countries.

If you are trying to wake up though. the tv is the first think you have to learn to control .. or at least pay attention to what it does to you .

[Peta Babkama Luruba Anaku]

" and it is good for population control .. because the more husband and wife are watching tv the less they are producing more children"

That's kind of funny.

[Odah]

It is kinda funny but only because in a twisted way it could be true . It is more of a Developing world thing though. I( think it also needs satalite tv or cable tv .. Stuff that give those women strange ideas from the west .. that they are not really meant to be baby factories.

[OneLittleFrog]

Sitting in front of a TV screen with TV programming coming out of it is like being vomited on and when the commercials come it is like being pooped on.

Now I remember why I've always loved reading your posts modwiz -- for the sheer elegance and eloquence of your words....:D :hug:

[ArtyCarl]

I would add to this title 'Turn off the TV - and Go Read a Book'

Instead of being drip-fed by the box in the corner, pick up something that engages the intellect and expands your vocabulary, broadens your horizons and sets your imagination soaring.

[Tabernanka]

I threw out my TV in September last year.

[NICK]

G'day,

I havn't watched very much telly in the last year cause I've been on the laptop, which is kinda sorta a telly in a way.

I love to watch BBC Life you know like Sir David Attenbourgh (spelling) when he's doing those wonderful doco's on plants and animals,or the news when its something important like the japan earthquake.

But I hate the adds and all the rest of the rubbish so I listen to the radio and then know when its worth turning the box on to see something important, or pick up on things here.

..nick..

[Janos]

We haven't used our TV for anything in years other than to watch the occasional movie. Actual television... I can't even remember the last time we watched that. (Other than a Stargate episode on Hulu or something, but I still consider that in the categories of 'movies'.)

[3optic]

As part of his "Unplug the Signal" campaign, Nathan Janes has released a new audio piece produced by Michael Wolsey. Activist Artist Janes is calling for an awakening to the gross manipulation of reality that is broadcast by the six major corporations controlling the content of television. The constant carefully planned message guides the masses to their conclusions. Janes asks everyone to turn off their televisions, seek alternative news sources, allow new information to challenge your thoughts and opinions and become engaged in constructing a new reality while building relationships within your community.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO-zGbEasTA

[Vajdan]

I was talking with a friend a while back and he mentioned something regarding cable channel schedules and program times and for a moment I hit a figurative 'wall' and was like, "Why would anyone subject themselves to that? It's just silly and it makes no sense, why would you force your leisure around someone else's daily program itinerary? It's just so inconvenient." And then it all came back to me, and I was like, "Oh YEAH, that's right, most 'normal' people have that stuff, don't they?"

It truly stunned me at how alien such a concept had become to me after having voluntarily lived without it for so long. I don't miss it at all.

[Modwiz]

Turn off your TV........or else!

http://www.davidicke.com/images/stories/March20114/rage_i.jpg

[Janos]

That would be a hilarious image Modwiz, if it wasn't so accurate.

Sad fact is, I know folks that look like that, and pretty much fit that stereotype to a T. Quite a few people, in fact.

I truly feel for these people, as many of them have no idea what kind of filth they are really eating. If they had better food choices, other than the fast and easy hollow death food, they'd probably take them.

When I was a teenager I worked at Wendys for a bit, in a major metropolitan city. Every day, dozens of folks would come in, and order the following, (for one person) plus or minus a particular sandwich based upon preference. it was never 'to go', so they weren't ordering for anyone but themselves. I'd watch these people sit down and eat the following in about a 15 minute span

4 jr bacon cheeseburgers (or 4 singles with cheese)
4 double stacks (or 4 doubles with cheese)
1 or 2 large bowls of chili
1 or 2 fully loaded baked potato
2 or 3 biggie fries

And a biggie DIET soda. (free refills)

(Post Update)

Forgot to add..

Then come back for a LARGE Frosty! (or two!) :P

[Modwiz]

That would be a hilarious image Modwiz, if it wasn't so accurate.

Sad fact is, I know folks that look like that, and pretty much fit that stereotype to a T. Quite a few people, in fact.

I truly feel for these people, as many of them have no idea what kind of filth they are really eating. If they had better food choices, other than the fast and easy hollow death food, they'd probably take them.

When I was a teenager I worked at Wendys for a bit, in a major metropolitan city. Every day, dozens of folks would come in, and order the following, (for one person) plus or minus a particular sandwich based upon preference. it was never 'to go', so they weren't ordering for anyone but themselves. I'd watch these people sit down and eat the following in about a 15 minute span

4 jr bacon cheeseburgers (or 4 singles with cheese)
4 double stacks (or 4 doubles with cheese)
1 or 2 large bowls of chili
1 or 2 fully loaded baked potato
2 or 3 biggie fries

And a biggie DIET soda. (free refills)

(Post Update)

Forgot to add..

Then come back for a LARGE Frosty! (or two!) :P

Janos, I posted it because it is a sad fact, otherwise it would have been cheap and cruel humor.

We know and see people like this all around us, this picture is a snapshot of what we often do not see.
We can, and often, call people like this acquaintances, co-workers and even family.
These are facts that we will have to come to grips with as we face greater challenges in the near future.

I do see a brighter future as a possible and even probable reality but, the probable one will come with both inner and outer hurdles to overcome.
Those who fund their spirits to accomplish this are our light into a better existence for us all.

[VajraYaya]

I pretty much agree with everything you say. About 6 months ago I had cable connected again. I let it go for the three introductory months and got rid of it again. There is just so much on there that is just so toxic. I watch movies and a handful of TV shows [partly because of the business I'm in] but for years now have seen people live their lives imitating [in ways they are not aware of] the behavior their favorite TV characters that are the product of writers.

You can see in the ways people act that they watch too much TV. In recent years I have become very sensitive to what I call BS drama and how shows help to grow completely illusory perceptions in people. Cop and crime shows are a particular problem [well.... okay, others are too.] This is a big reason why parents drive their kids to school every day even if it is only a block to walk. They have been brainwashed by TV and news into thinking that there is someone on every street corner every day that wants to kidnap/kill/rape/ their child.

I learned about 15 years ago that news is fiction. I figured this out quickly when I started traveling to war zones and other interesting places in the world and found first hand that news had absolutely no resemblance to reality or truth. Just take a trip to Gaza or Palestine and you'll quickly see. When solicitors call me to subscribe to their newspapers I tell them I will as soon as they print under their masthead "For entertainment purposes only"

But the worst part is TV advertising [Okay, ALL advertising]. I have been getting much more sensitive in the last year. When commercials would come on, it would feel like I was just being energetically assaulted. When I go and visit my folks, they watch a lot of TV, I have to mute it during the commercials. It's like someone sticking and icepick in my ear. I think overall I'm getting much more energetically sensitive so this may just be a reflection of that.

I do watch good, well written movies and about half a dozen TV shows but these days I just download them. That way I watch whenever its convenient, pause whenever I want, no advertising and when the show is over it's done, I go and do something else. No temptation for mindless and mind damaging surfing.

I am heartened though to see some shows that show pretty healthy characters that aren't driven by being hopelessly F***** up. One is "Fairly Legal" where that main character used to be a lawyer but hated the adversarial nature of it so has become a mediator who works to unite two sides of a dispute. Overall a very positive show. The same with David E Kelly's new show, Harry's Law. Just like in Boston Legal he makes public, big important issues that people generally know nothing about. Last week he dealt with the issue of albinos in Tanzania being hunted and butchered for their body parts. In that show there is a message of unity and community, when Kathy Bates' character Harry sets up her office in the worst, run down part of Cleveland.

My position on the whole thing is that if people are going to watch it anyway, maybe we can influence them by writing healthy characters living healthy lives. I myself am doing some writing experiments, writing drama without conflict, or outer conflict and making inner conflict [really the only kind there is anyway] visually interesting. Not easy but I am getting some interesting results. I think we just need healthy and evolved writers and producers and broadcasters. And I'm all for short 13 episode TV seasons. If everybody did that maybe people would get up from the chair earlier.