I think Terrence brings up some interesting ideas about the necessity of television in our world today – and more than necessity, I think it is complicated to totally remove it from a child’s life – but I do tend to question some of the things he mentions as the “positives” of television.
I think television does very frequently sell destructive trends to children and adults. Television frequently provides a world where people are cookie cutter – particularly when it comes to body image. This lack of variation is difficult for a lot of young (and old) people to navigate – if you don’t fit into that size 2 world, if you aren’t a “cool” guy, if you aren’t wearing the newest trend then the message is you have no place of value in society. People who do not live “in the norm” are not valued – they are frequently shown as the “uncool” counterpart to the “cool” protagonist – I think this has a harmful effect on a lot of people. Valuing difference is important.
With that said, I think escaping television is hard. It sounds to me like Terrence's parents truly cared about him, and the media he consumed, so they probably played the most important role that he had with his television – they helped him decode the message. I think removing television from a child’s life is probably short-sighted in today’s society – if they don’t see TV at their parents’ home, they’ll see it somewhere else. This is why, I believe, the most important part of television watching for children is the conversation afterwards – helping children to think about what they saw, how it made them feel, and helping them think of why what they saw might not always be true and helpful. Decoding the message becomes the most difficult, but most valuable part of that equation, and so I don’t think TV should be totally accepted – navigating the positives and negatives can make us richer individuals, but you have to really take the time to do it.
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