The Old Boob Tube

Dear readers,

Life is real not a reality show. Back in the day television was simple people watched soaps, day time talk shows, westerns, and watching T.V. was for entertainment and made for good dinner conversation. I remember the pleasure of Saturday morning cartoons, real funny cartoon not the violence animations that this generation see on T. V. After Sunday dinner the family would gather around the one Television set and watch a  movie. In my day, children watched the occasional program during the week day, but most of our after school hours were spent completing homework and house chores. Family night involved board games and other creative family activities, with special foods like hamburgers and milkshakes from White castles. Back in those days T. V. Wasn’t the focus of our lives.

When I was growing up the biggest names in movies was Bruce Lee and Pam Grier. Today, everybody wants to be Cardi B or Beyonce. I remember being excited to see Donna Reed and Lola Falana, the point I’m making is when we watched Television and turned off the boob tube, that was the end there was no reliving what we knew was programmed for entertainment.

Fastforward……

We went from black and white, to color T.V., manual control to remote control, big box TV to flat-screen, now I think there is a 3D T.V. We watch shows on phones, Ipads, and  binge watch our favorite shows season after season But this is not about the T.V. ; nor is it about the dramatic change in programs this post is about how people mistake what they see on T.V. as reality. Young girls and boys are role playing in real life the characters they see on T.V.  Every body wants to be either a Thug, player, video vixen, which translates to video whore. And, so called reality actors and actress who have basically no talent are revered as role models.

The movie industry isn’t making matter any better. Movies are becoming more action packed and violent. I started thinking about what I watched on T.V. and the impact it had on my behavior. I would arrange my work schedule around my favorite shows. It become so bad when I had a day off during the week, I would not leave the house until I watched ” the young and the restless.” I use to be the queen of binge watching, NCIS, law and Order, Criminal Minds, Numbers and more. I was allowing too much T.V. to  distract me from meaningful task, like going to the gym, reading , volunteer work, anything positive except for sitting hour after hour laying on the sofa and suffering my face with junk food.

Life is real not a reality show. Don’t spend time watching T. V. to avoid living your life.

Thank for Reader, dragthepen