Television
It goes without saying that television is one of the greatest inventions
in our century. With its help people are able to see the far away planets
and even enjoy a direct broadcast from the space. TV makes it possible
to watch the splitting of the atom, the birth of life, the volcano eruptions
and even the earthquakes.
It’s needless to say that TV has become part and parcel of our daily
life. According to the poll watching TV is the most popular leisure
activity in the industrial countries. Nearly every household has at
least one TV set. About 80% of all the population is involved in TV.
Have you noticed that the first thing we do when we come home is the
following: we switch on the TV set, which has become one more member
of any family and even the centre of family communication. We discuss
films, show and sports programmes, news issues and also correspondent’s
image.
Our life is circulating around “the box”. We need to hear it non-stop,
whatever is on. The TV voices create the atmosphere of not-being-alone
in an empty flat. Whether we realize it or not, TV plays a very important
part in our lives. There are a lot of reasons, why so many people can
say that the TV set became the member of their family. The first and
foremost is the informative value of TV. Frankly speaking I would have
never learned so much about Great Britain or America but for the videos
we have watched on TV. A single panel-game or a quiz show will make
memorizing ten times more efficient and enjoyable. So TV is a blessing
at school. Also we become better informed by watching documentaries,
science programmes, discussions by learning about the most important
economic, social, political issues of the day. We become more cultured
people by learning more of the arts.
Television gives us the opportunity to travel without getting up from
the sofa. We see people in our country and in other lands, and learn
about their traditions, occupations, problems, opinions. We can also
see great events which will pass into history. We can see famous people.
There are a lot of kinds of programmes on TV: News, Play, Documentary,
Educational, Sport, Films, and it is important for viewers, because
they can choose what to watch. As for me, I like documentaries and educational
programmes. One of my favorite programmes is “Òàéíû Âåêà”. This programme
deals with political and social secrets of the past. Its aim is to tell
about the problem, and then to give some versions of happened, so we
can decide, which point of view is more truthful. A lot of historical
documents, photo and video materials are used in the program. I like
this programme because it’s very interesting and helpful at school.
Also TV helps us to relax after a hard day’s work and escape from reality.
But we shouldn’t forget that TV sometimes substitutes our nearest and
dearest as it doesn’t demand any warmth and understanding on our side.
It steals us from the family and friends and makes us more indifferent
towards their problems.
Besides watching TV is only one more illusion of living. It prevents
us from thinking and acting. In fact it also damages our health. We
are captured by TV nets. And our existence is limited by the frame of
a television.
Some people think that television is a terrible waste of time. It makes
us lazier. We stay at home instead of going out. We read less, we think
less, and we even talk less. Many people do not concentrate when viewing
– so their time is largely wasted.
Also there is too much blood and violence on TV and it worries people.
As George Mikes once said, TV teaches us “how to kill, to rob, to shoot
and to poison.”
It’s true that some TV addicts spend hours in front of the “box” watching
whatever’s on — from second-rate Mexican soap operas to silly ads.
There is one more thing on TV that irritates many people — it is too
much advertising. A lot of products are advertised on television. The
advertisements show their advantages and try to convince people that
they are of excellent quality. Although some of them are amusing, colorful,
pleasant to see, and famous stars of the cinema, theatre and sports
appear in them, I think they occupy too much of the screen time.
So, as you see, it’s rather difficult to say, if television is a blessing
or a curse and a time waster. In my opinion, TV is my friend and my
enemy at the same time. The trick is to use it carefully. I shouldn’t
afford it to switch me out of my own life.
