What happened to society?

[CFett]

Society today scares me.
Most people are dumb. And TV's behind it. Why read? Why challenge your brain when you can sit in your fucking groove that your pop-swilling, chip-drinking ass has made, and watch some tired plot that you've seen 23 times, except that this time, it's on Joey! Oh that Joey...he's funny cuz he's dumb! Hmmm..i wonder why people identify.
And at least here in north america, we're getting bigger. Waaaaaay bigger. We're gonna sink if people don't realize that you don't have to eat until you're full to equate a meal. Get the calories your body needs, not overstuff yourself.
Oh, and definitely, definitely drive as expensive an SUV as you can get, cuz i mean fuck, people gotta know you're rich. What's the point if they don't?
And kids...what the hell happened?
Respect just seems to have went right out the window. You can get lip from an eight year old these days. With his X-Treme spiky hair and his Ipod that mommy bought, and his cellphone and his clothes that cost more than my tuition.
I think kid's are being raised to love themselves. They already get everything they want because the West has been pussified into believing that disciplining your kids is wrong.
"It's not his fault..honey, get his medication."
Just drug him up, it'll go away..right?
And haven't we had enough of this
"some drugs are ok cuz we make billions of dollars from them, but these ones? These ones are baaaad drugs. Don't get them confused with the good drugs."
The good drugs amount to more deaths in one year than the bad drugs could hit in probably 10 years.
"But the bad drugs come from bad people. People who hate freedom."

Well, that's my cheery thought. I'm not aiming it at the boards here, or anyone in general, but if i touched a nerve, good. I guess i just had some things I had to get off my chest. Maybe i'll have some more things to add tomorrow.

Anyone else wanna chime in?

[Lurker]

I agree. It's a sad situation, and I'm doing my best to counter it. There's no Playstation/Xbox in our house and we try to limit the TV/computer time. Except for a few shows, TV pretty much sucks.

[Rhinoqulous]

Society today scares me.
Most people are dumb. And TV's behind it. Why read? Why challenge your brain when you can sit in your fucking groove that your pop-swilling, chip-drinking ass has made, and watch some tired plot that you've seen 23 times, except that this time, it's on Joey! Oh that Joey...he's funny cuz he's dumb! Hmmm..i wonder why people identify.
I work at a small distributor for television stations, and TV doesn't just rot the brain, it actively seeks out and tries to destroy intelligence, for the most part. It was even worse with "sitcoms" back in the 50's and 60's, but today’s shows are still doing pretty much the exact same plot lines, with a few "modern" twists here and there.

There are some good shows though, with intelligent writing and great acting (West Wing, certain sessions of Law & Order, 24, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, NOVA, stuff like that). And cartoons, I love my cartoons.

Rhinoq

[Lundie]

I work at a small distributor for television stations, and TV doesn't just rot the brain, it actively seeks out and tries to destroy intelligence, for the most part.
Doesn't that make you a perpetrator of stupidity? :D

[Sir Sin-O-Lot]

I work at a small distributor for television stations, and TV doesn't just rot the brain, it actively seeks out and tries to destroy intelligence, for the most part.
Doesn't that make you a perpetrator of stupidity? :D
He is one of them. Be careful THEY see all.:|

[Bloody Jay]

Personally, I think the only good show on is LOST. Very clever writing!

[Tenspace]

Isn't blaming TV for our problems like blaming the mailman for bringing bills? The TV is a source of information. I think we should really blame the producers of most programming, especially the ones who force the latest fad down the collective throat of society. :O

Discovery, The Science Channel, Comedy Central... and Speed TV if there's a motorcycle race on. That's about it for me.

Tenspace

[Amazonis]

Isn't blaming TV for our problems like blaming the mailman for bringing bills? The TV is a source of information. I think we should really blame the producers of most programming, especially the ones who force the latest fad down the collective throat of society. :O

Discovery, The Science Channel, Comedy Central... and Speed TV if there's a motorcycle race on. That's about it for me.

Tenspace
Generally TV is not educational. Even if it is educational, it still sends the brain into a receptive coma, and its infomation becomes hard to memorise. TV causes so much fat to clog up this society that it may one day send some countrys broke. Its main objective is to get our attention, and then try to get us to buy products. It is one of the driving forces behind consumerism , which causes massive environmental and humanitarian problem for our planet.

[The Judge]

Isn't blaming TV for our problems like blaming the mailman for bringing bills? The TV is a source of information. I think we should really blame the producers of most programming, especially the ones who force the latest fad down the collective throat of society. :O

Discovery, The Science Channel, Comedy Central... and Speed TV if there's a motorcycle race on. That's about it for me.

Tenspace
I agree. Such fears were originally founded on ideas of behaviourism and social learning, but the net effect of increased violence and sex on TV, whilst correlating with similar aspects of social degradation, canot be proven to be causal - in fact it could be seen as a reflection of society ("art" imitating life).

More often than not people seek out what they want to watch (as above) but the new intellectual cancer that is reality TV could be said to be worse than all the violence and sex on TV put together.

[Tenspace]

Generally TV is not educational. Even if it is educational, it still sends the brain into a receptive coma, and its infomation becomes hard to memorise. TV causes so much fat to clog up this society that it may one day send some countrys broke. Its main objective is to get our attention, and then try to get us to buy products. It is one of the driving forces behind consumerism , which causes massive environmental and humanitarian problem for our planet.
What is a receptive coma? References? Any studies which show that information gleaned through television makes less of an impression on memory than other methods? Any comparative information, say, between TV, Radio, and Print?

Tenspace

[Lurker]

Isn't blaming TV for our problems like blaming the mailman for bringing bills? The TV is a source of information. I think we should really blame the producers of most programming, especially the ones who force the latest fad down the collective throat of society. :O
Advertisers produce commercials/ads because they work. They alter people's thinking and behavior patterns. TV shows are basically long 30-minute or 60-minute commercials. They DO alter people's thinking and behavior.

The best thing to do it shut the TV off or stick to the more educational shows. A comedy or two is also good to keep your sense of humor in tact, but stay away from shows like "Brittney's Chaotic Life" or whatever the heck it's called. I watched that one for about 3 minutes before running to the bathroom to blow chunks. Oh yeah, the news channels pretty much all suck too - Fox included although it's better than most when it comes to the straight news segments.

[Tenspace]

Isn't blaming TV for our problems like blaming the mailman for bringing bills? The TV is a source of information. I think we should really blame the producers of most programming, especially the ones who force the latest fad down the collective throat of society. :O
Advertisers produce commercials/ads because they work. They alter people's thinking and behavior patterns. TV shows are basically long 30-minute or 60-minute commercials. They DO alter people's thinking and behavior.

The best thing to do it shut the TV off or stick to the more educational shows. A comedy or two is also good to keep your sense of humor in tact, but stay away from shows like "Brittney's Chaotic Life" or whatever the heck it's called. I watched that one for about 3 minutes before running to the bathroom to blow chunks. Oh yeah, the news channels pretty much all suck too - Fox included although it's better than most when it comes to the straight news segments.
Blame the TV programs, not the medium. I agree that most is crap. I disagree about Fox news not sucking. Fox is to news as Britney is to philosophy. In other words, they try just as hard to change people's thinking and behavior patterns through fear and sensationalism, as Britney tries to change your average clone's opinions of fashion and fad.

Tenspace

[Lurker]

Blame the TV programs, not the medium. I agree that most is crap. I disagree about Fox news not sucking. Fox is to news as Britney is to philosophy. In other words, they try just as hard to change people's thinking and behavior patterns through fear and sensationalism, as Britney tries to change your average clone's opinions of fashion and fad.
Notice I only said Fox's straight news segments - not the shows.

[Amazonis]

Generally TV is not educational. Even if it is educational, it still sends the brain into a receptive coma, and its infomation becomes hard to memorise. TV causes so much fat to clog up this society that it may one day send some countrys broke. Its main objective is to get our attention, and then try to get us to buy products. It is one of the driving forces behind consumerism , which causes massive environmental and humanitarian problem for our planet.
What is a receptive coma? References? Any studies which show that information gleaned through television makes less of an impression on memory than other methods? Any comparative information, say, between TV, Radio, and Print?

Tenspace
Unfortunately i can't find anything along those lines on the internet. Loads of crap on how violence and sex on tv destroy kids brains, but no actual scientific research on the effect tv has on brain function (it must be out there, but nothing came up through google). However i have watched a programme about the effects tv viewing has on neurological activity in the brain. I know that children are the worst effected, becaus it trains there developing brains into a passive state and builds up useless neurological pathways in the brain, and some of those bad neurological pathways remain to enforced throughout later life. Its esspecialy easy to experience these effects yourself by watching bad tv late at night when you are extremely tired. After a few hours you will feal like a zombie. Video Games are even worse than tv (you may think that they require more thought, however this thought is unwanted and useless in real life).

[Tenspace]

Unfortunately i can't find anything along those lines on the internet. Loads of crap on how violence and sex on tv destroy kids brains, but no actual scientific research on the effect tv has on brain function (it must be out there, but nothing came up through google). However i have watched a programme about the effects tv viewing has on neurological activity in the brain. I know that children are the worst effected, becaus it trains there developing brains into a passive state and builds up useless neurological pathways in the brain, and some of those bad neurological pathways remain to enforced throughout later life. Its esspecialy easy to experience these effects yourself by watching bad tv late at night when you are extremely tired. After a few hours you will feal like a zombie. Video Games are even worse than tv (you may think that they require more thought, however this thought is unwanted and useless in real life).
Hmm... I'll have to do some digging. I do see what you're saying, but I'm not sure if the phenomena is limited to television. The same hypnotic-type state can be induced through other passive inputs as well.

Ten

[Philboid Studge]

Blame the TV programs, not the medium. I agree that most is crap. I disagree about Fox news not sucking. Fox is to news as Britney is to philosophy. In other words, they try just as hard to change people's thinking and behavior patterns through fear and sensationalism, as Britney tries to change your average clone's opinions of fashion and fad.
Notice I only said Fox's straight news segments - not the shows.
I think even with the "straight news" disclaimer, the comparison is still an insult to Britney (http://www.alternet.org/story/16892).

[The Judge]

Unfortunately i can't find anything along those lines on the internet...Video Games are even worse than tv (you may think that they require more thought, however this thought is unwanted and useless in real life).
The above post caught my eye so I thought I'd try and help out. I'm still searching, but I remember there's some research that shows an improvement in visuo-spatial co-ordination and problem solving abilities in children who play some of the more popular computer games regularly, but they also suffer more from hyperactivity and an inflated aquaintance with violence and death. I supposed it depends on what you would rather your kid would be - a ruthless problem solving psychopath or a meek little book worm! :D. Seriously the subject has been around since th advent of tv itself and there's a lot of interesting research around it.

Anyway - here goes. Any more neede / wanted, just yell. ;)

1.)Krcmar, Marina; Vieira, Edward T Jr. (2005). Imitating Life, Imitating Television: The Effects of Family and Television Models on Children's Moral Reasoning. Communication Research. Vol 32(3) Jun 2005, 267-294.

Abstract:
(from the journal abstract)...previous research found an effect of exposure to television violence on children's moral reasoning, this study tested whether children's perspective taking mediated the link between exposure to television violence and moral reasoning. Results suggest that (a) communication orientation is negatively related and control orientation positively related to children's exposure to television violence, (b) television violence has a negative effect on children's moral reasoning, and (c) perspective taking mediates the link between exposure to fantasy violence and children's moral reasoning about justified violence such that more exposure to fantasy violence leads to less advanced perspective taking that leads to less advanced moral reasoning. Even when the age of the child is controlled, parents' moral reasoning is unrelated to that of their children.

2.)Robinson TN, Wilde ML, Navracruz LC, Haydel KF, Varady A. (2001). Effects of reducing children's television and video game use on aggressive behavior: a randomized controlled trial. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine. 155(1):17-23.

CONTEXT: The relationship between exposure to aggression in the media and children's aggressive behavior is well documented. However, few potential solutions have been evaluated. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of reducing television, videotape, and video game use on aggressive behavior and perceptions of a mean and scary world. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled, school-based trial...CONCLUSIONS: An intervention to reduce television, videotape, and video game use decreases aggressive behavior in elementary schoolchildren. These findings support the causal influences of these media on aggression and the potential benefits of reducing children's media use.

3.)Potts R, Doppler M, Hernandez M. (1994). Effects of television content on physical risk-taking in children. Journal of experimental child psychology. 58(3):321-31.

Abstract:
This study is an investigation of effects of risk-taking by characters in television programs on children's self-reported willingness to take physical risks. Twenty-four boys and 26 girls, ages 6 to 9 years, were assigned to view TV stimulus programs with infrequent physical risk-taking. TV stimulus programs with frequent risk-taking, or no TV stimuli. A self-report measure was used to assess children's willingness to take physical risks in several common injury-relevant situations. Five of the items were administered as a pretest before children watched the stimulus programs and five items were used as a post-test after they viewed the programs. A validation assessment on an independent sample of children indicated that the risk-taking measure was positively correlated with other measures of risk-taking as well as physical injuries. Results indicated that children who viewed the high-risk TV programs increased their self-reported risk-taking significantly more than children in the low-risk TV and no-TV control conditions. Findings are discussed within a theoretical context of observational learning processes, with implications for childhood injury.

[NihilistThug]

People are dumb because the government controls education, academea and popular media. It also steals money and disrupts the market, thereby raising time preference and making people more child-like. And it disrupts families.

What happened to society? The State.

[CFett]

What happened to society? The State.
I'd say the American State. I really can't speak for the rest of the world, but I'd say this is a North American problem.
The solution? Wait until the Chinese take over..