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Since the invention of the television in the early 1920s we have seen it become a worldwide "need" for families. The National Centre for Children Exposed to Violence (NCCEV) had much information on the site regarding the television and how it has become a American need, one point in particular that they made was that "Forty-one percent of American households have three or more televisions." In the twenty-first century, we are born into a world where everyone in America and many other places watch a large amount of television from the day they are born. Everywhere we go we see types of televisions being used for various reasons. Whether its for entertainment or security, the television has become the world's most widely used electronic device. People are being born into a society that has been raised much of its life by the piece of equipment residing in every North Americans, South Americans, Europeans, and many more family household who can afford it, even those who cant. Were turning into creatures similar to zombies, accept instead of not being able to survive without brains, it is television we cannot survive without. Many children spend over 40 hours per week watching television shows in which less than half of the time do the parents know what the show is about, which usually does not bother the parents. Should people not be aware of what their children are viewing? The Health Canada website specifically states that "Twenty to thirty percent of students regularly watched a significant amount of television, with more males doing so. Television watching declines as students get older." It continues in pointing out that "in contrast to watching television and videos, playing computer games was more prevalent among males than females for all grades and years." Also at school, rather than the teacher teaching something to the class he or she will show them a video. NCCEV had many points which would alarm many such as "the average 18-year-old will have viewed 200,000 acts of violence on television." It also stated that "Fifty-six percent of children ages 8-16 have a television in their rooms." Is that really necessary? Now our children can watch what they want when they want without the parent knowing. And although many parents are afraid of the violent shows and activities with which their children are being raised, many dont seem to be concerned enough to pay attention to the media the children are exposed to. The NCCEV also stated the percentage of television time that children ages 2-7 spend watching alone and unsupervised which was an alarming eighty-one percent. Even when the child may be watching a simple show such as a cartoon, the child is still being exposed to minor violence, particularly when a commercial comes on, and television violence is only one of the many concerns. Next, let us address everyone else. We are wasting our valuable time watching nature shows on the tube rather than going out and experiencing it ourselves. We consume every commercial without realizing it and then go out and purchase that GAP shirt we have always wanted, (or have we?) No wonder the people who make the commercials call us the consumers: we are a product of our own doing. We go out and purchase all sorts of clothing with logos. This is free advertising for the companies, and we think its hip when all we are really doing is becoming and contributing to exactly what most of us hatea billboard. Now we are walking billboards. If we lived a hundred years ago and saw what we have become we would laugh. We are no longer individuals of fashion. We are now the advertisement! Television has consumed so much of our time that we tend to get bored without it. There is so much more to life than sitting in front of an electronic box and wasting our lives away. There are countless activities that people could be doing, yet sometimes people tend to make excuses, such as, but my favorite team is playing tonight Go see it live; better yet go play basketball, volleyball, soccer, or hockey and turn on the radio while playing, healthy and fun activities. Spend time reading a good book or playing chess, not only are these entertaining activities, but also educational. Have some friends over and cook because nothing is better than making a great snack or meal that someone other than the one cooking can enjoythe comments received make a person feel so good. Go sit on a patio downtown and enjoy a drink. These are just a few suggestions. Take a moment and think about how life was when there was no television! Consider this the next time you turn yours on! AUTHOR: Lisa Knapp  TAGS: Life world Family america time US Friends Movies society BOOKMARK: Digg it | Add to Del.ICIO | Add to FARK ACTIONS: Comment Save Print Register free acount 
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