What if Television had Never Been Invented?

Obviously, Flavor Flav would have to quietly find his own female companion.  That would be a blessing in and of itself.

There would have been no Ed Sullivan Show, so The Beatles would have stayed in England. That would have made some people sad, some people glad.  I remember the first time I saw their pics and said to my husband, “Look at that hair!”

World events would not be as vividly depicted, because reading and hearing about something is not even close, in my opinion, to actually seeing it live.

I’m sure you remember the TV coverage of the Gulf War.   It was scaring the adults; let alone what it was doing to our children.   This was also true of 9-11.  Every time they repeatedly showed those buildings being blown up, children thought it was happening all over again.  Psychiatrists were telling U.S. TV watchers to take a break so they wouldn’t become depressed.

And where would the Presidential hopefuls be?  No eye witnessing of facial expressions or debates. I’ll leave that up to your imagination simply because I want to be politically correct. 

And the infomercials.  One half hour of how to get rid of wrinkles or how to cleanse your colon.  How could we live without that?

A very cryptic overview, you argue?

OK.  Legitimate information and news of such a wide scope could not be covered by the radio or magazines.  As a society we really need all that.  So, I believe, this is the positive and necessary side of the invention of the television.

XX number of years later they’ve invented the remote to accompany each television.  Most of you remember the family argument that involved who was going to get up out of their chair and change the channel or rearrange the rabbit ears. 

I could make a list of pure and real things in life.  Television would not be on that list.  However, thanks to the remote we can solicit the channels we want and, miraculously, even use the off button.

- Not Quite A. Rooney

(Photo from www.dkimages.com)

Comments

[Heidi]

I think for a lot of parents, not having television would mean actually talking to their kids!

[biscuit]

or how to get wrinkles out of your colon.

[Justin]

Television is such a time waster. I stopped watching it after Seinfeld ended it's run and I don't miss it a bit.

Good essay!