A world without television

"If we could unplug all the TV sets in America, our children would grow up to be healthier, better educated, and more independent human beings."


     I can agree with this statement to a certain extent. The reason why I agree with this statement is because so many of our youth look to celebrities on television as role models. Instead of looking to our history books to learn about our culture and the world, children and teenagers spend time trying to follow after rappers, pop singers, and athletes for guidance. Being that many of our entertainers don't lead respectful lives outside of their careers; having our youth look to them for guidance can be a very bad thing. Our country's emphasis on maintaining morals and values along with self respect has diminished over the years. Once upon a time, we used to respect ourselves and others, passing these values down through the generations to come. We had dignity, morals, ambition, wisdom, etc. Our behavior wasn't influenced by a singer, dancer, or rapper. We remained entertained by them, but still had our own mind.

     It seems like nowadays when you ask our youth what do they want to be when they grow up, they only say "A rapper, a singer, a dancer, a groupie, an athlete, etc." What ever happened to wanting to become an astronaut, or a firefighter, or maybe a lawyer? When I was a child and that question was asked, everyone in my class had big dreams. Many of the children I grew up with went on become lawyers, doctors, international businessmen, public relation reps., etc. They worked hard in school, and fulfilled their dreams. I feel that our youth nowadays has become lazy. They want the glamorous life, but have no clue what it takes to get there. Some choose to slang crack just to have the "dope boy" status added to their reputations; not even realizing that selling crack was initially a method of survival for very poor people lacking education. Many didn't choose that lifestyle, they were born into it, and it was all they knew. If they knew it was a chance to do something better, they would. But because of the glorified advertisement of making big, fast money through selling drugs; people not knowing the real history behind this choose this lifestyle for the fast money and popularity. In the process, permanently damaging their record and possibly having their lives taken from them before ever really living.
    
     As for me disagreeing with statement made, I have only one supportive reason for doing so. The last thing we want is to produce offspring that grew up in an extremely sheltered environment. It is important for everyone to have exposure to the outside world whether it be through television or newspaper. We all need to be aware of what is going on in the world around us, outside of our city and country. While we may want to protect our youth from the impurities of the world, they still need to know about reality, and that the world isn't as friendly or safe as we pretend it is. There is a lot of corruption in the world, so the youth should be aware.
    
     I believe that somewhere there can be an equal balance. Spend more time with your children, keep them busy in extracurricular activities, and watch television with them. Let you children know not only what's inappropriate, but why it's not acceptable. Explain to your children, younger siblings and cousins that it's okay to dream big and to reach for the stars. Try setting a good example yourself. Talk to your children about famous role models in our history, politics, the military even. Doing so will show them that real life heroes exist and it will give them someone positive to admire.