whole generations are growing up addicted to television. food is left uneaten,homework undone and sleep is lost. television is a universal pacifier. it is now standard practice for mother to keep the children quiet by putting them in the living room and turning on the set.
it doesn't matter that the children watch rubbishy commercials or spectacles of sadism and violence--so long as they are quiet. there is a limit to the amount of creative talent available in the world. every day, television consumes vast quantities of creative work. that is why most of the programs are so bad; it is impossible to keep pace with the demand and maintain high standards as well.
when millions watch the same programs, the whole world becomes a village, and society is reduced to the conditions which obtain in preliterate communities. we become utterly dependent on the two most primitive media of communication: pictures and the spoken word.
television encourages passive enjoyment. we become content with second-hand experiences. it is so easy to sit in our armchairs watching others working. little by little, television cuts us off from the real world.
we get so lazy, we choose to spend a fine day in semi-darkness, glued to our sets, rather than go out into the world itself, television may be a splendid medium of communication, but it prevents us from communicating with each other.
