TV turn-off week
April 22nd, 2006 | Published in Consumerism, Television, Culture, Technology
This week, April 24-30, 2006, is TV turn-off week. Did you know that the average US home has a television on for over 7 hours a day? And that they admit to watching it for an average of 4 hours a day? 49% of Americans say they watch too much TV. Do something about it this week. Turn the stupid thing off. Instead of mindlessly staring into a screen, pick out a couple of good books to read (see my recommended reading page for my suggestions). If you haven’t already read it, one of those books should be Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death. Everyone should read Postman’s book at least once. It will help you understand the effects of television on our society and make you want to keep it off. As a society, we have long turned away from reading in favor of watching. Let’s reverse that trend. It can only happen through each of us doing something about it. If someone laments the current problems that television has had a hand in creating (and there are many), and then turns on the tube each night, they are part of the problem. Let’s be part of a solution. I challenge you to keep your television off the entire week—and, God willing, beyond.
A few more resources about television:
- Television: the Cyclops That Eats Books by Larry Woiwode
- Important Books About Television (and not TV shows about books) by Douglas Groothuis
- Quotes about television from books I’ve read