Jerry Springer, Reality TV. and Real Life

Back in the day, I would wake up early on Saturday morning, head to the kitchen and fish a box of sugary cereal out of the cupboard, snag the milk and a bowl and go sit in the living room and watch cartoons until my mom woke up.  The choices were 2, 4, 7, 9, 20, 50, 56, or 62.  That was it.  There wasn't a whole lot of educational value but, it was funny and kept me entertained.

I'm not going to pretend that there weren't controversies on television back in the day.  I remember there was a bit of concern because every Saturday morning children were watching a coyote basically commit suicide in the pursuit of murdering a roadrunner. There was also the level of violence portrayed on the Tom and Jerry show.  And we can't forget the sexual undertones of the Love Boat or the mystical undertones of Fantasy Island...scandalous...every Saturday night from 9-11pm!

Oh, and it was a HUGE big deal when I would be allowed to stay up with my grandpa and watch Hockey Night in Canada. I use to love the Peter Puck cartoons!  Sometimes the games would run so late that after it was over the national anthem would play and then the ant fights would start (that's the technical term for screen fuzz when the station would go off the air).

Today we have 100's of channels that air shows 24 hours a day.  And the violence of the coyote killing off the roadrunner has been replaced by two baby momma's duking it out over a drug addicted, unemployed baby daddy on Jerry Springer.   It's sad.  It's also addictive.  I struggle, big time, with television.  Even as I type it's on in the background with a Bravo Real Housewives show babbling on about useless things.  

I'm not sure if the news channels are really any better because they report the news like it's a reality tv show. Clips and captions written and promoted as if they are the pins and points that all of our lives should pivot on. The reality of reality tv is that it doesn't represent reality!  It highlights the most extreme version of any people group and then exploits it for monetary gain.  Sadly people watch this and are convinced this is the norm and that they need to model this craziness in real life.  

Here is the difference between when I was a child and now:  40 years ago people viewed television as an entertainment resource like bowling, the movies, or a sporting event.  Today, people view television as an educational resource that replaces personal experiences, encyclopedias, and classrooms.

I don't think we need to be extreme and eliminate television but, I do believe we need to realize that it is entertainment and not education.  We need to remind the next generation that they have a choice.  They can live like they are on a Jerry Springer episode; fighting, throwing things, stomping off, solving little or nothing.  Or, they can live a real life.  

Real life means loving your neighbor as yourself.  Putting others first.  Loving your spouse because it is commanded and not a feeling that comes and goes.  Real life means taking responsibility for yourself and being accountable to those around you.  Real life is founded on a personal relationship with Christ.  Based in faith, grown in honesty, and blooming with generosity, real life is almost completely opposite from anything shown in reality tv.

Your thoughts?