Editor's Note: This is offered as a kind of token balance, because I have not found any problems with letting TV be just another option in my kids' lives, nor have I distinguished between TV and watching videos or DVDs or being on the computer (possibly watching videos or DVDs there). —Sandra Dodd "Balance to what?" you might ask? To this.

Marie Winn insists that TV itself is addictive. But later in her book she says that mothers have to entice their young children to watch TV. Apparently, very young children somehow sense that TV is not real, so they have to be taught how to watch it. Once the kids are hooked, though, mother will not be able to tear their little eyes away from its power.

Another thing that comes out in the later chapters is the author's attitude about children. Basically, they are manipulative little creatures who only want to do what is easy and fun. Modern parents have lost their natural authority over children, so we have to resort to bribery to get them to do what we want. Parents in the good old days didn't have the problems we have today, because they (the parents) insisted on regular naptimes. As children grew, this forced naptime became quiet time, because the children had become accustomed to staying alone in their rooms whether they wanted to or not. They knew that when mother said quiet time, she meant it! Mothers who devoted their children's preschool years to teaching their children how to use scissors and paste (messy, but worth it in the long run!) would have children who could make collages while mother had time to get her important things done. Therefore, the children knew how to entertain themselves.

They didn't need TV! Modern parents do not have to work at parenting, because we rely on TV to keep our children busy and out of our way.

I am not kidding! I have summarized, but the tone is the same as the book's. It just keeps getting more and more absurd and disgusting.

Mary Ellen

Television is an Hallucination
by Frank Martin DiMeglio
Badly written, but short. (This guy used to write and try to get me to change my site. His article can still be seen from the wayback machine: http://web.archive.org/web/20100105042455/http://radicalacademy.com/studentrefphilfmd11.htm

From the UK Amazon site, a review of Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television:

Jerry Mander has a lot of convincing arguments in this book. However, most of them are not really about the harmfulness of TV. The real title of this book should be _Four Arguments for the Elimination of Capitalism_. Most of the specific anti-TV arguments are spurious and fantastic. I hear that David Bianculli's _Teleliteracy_ presents the other side effectively (unfortunately, it's out of print)."

Waldorf Homeschoolers anti-media page. (I've also added a Waldorf image at the bottom of the page, the chalk art)

Turn Off your TV "They put an off button on the TV for a reason. Turn it off . . . I really don't watch much TV." -- President George W. Bush, C-SPAN interview, January 2005 [Editor's note: The world would be SO much better had the man watched much more TV. I can't leave this link without noting that some of the references are lame.]

TV B-Gone is fun. This universal remote control has only one button which can turn TV sets off. Though a little larger than most key fobs, TV B-Gone is surprisingly light. The growing annoyance of television in public places can be eliminated with this handy device." The inventor wrote this: "Me, my life got so much better from watching TV less. As a result, I had enough time to invent TV-B-Gone! My idea was to give others a similar chance — so I created a fun way to get the message out there that turning a TV on or off really is a choice. Anywhere, anytime. Please, go out there and choose." He's basing his LIFE on TV, and has a website against TV. TV is much bigger in his life than it is in mine. —Sandra]

Now the question of morality and legality. The main site of that TV B-Gone page recommends using it "anywhere there's a TV: the office! at your Friend's house! fun at Parties! the Laundromat! in School!" I think that shows a little confusion about private property, purview and government personnel. Their page on using it has no suggestions about when to use it or when not to. One testimonial said "Thank you for giving me the power to control what pops on other people's TV while I have my kids with me - bless you! I don't want Christian dads having control of what's on my TV, nor the laundromat's, nor a restaurant. Eat at a restaurant or don't, but don't turn off sports because you don't want to watch. Others might, and the restaurant owner owns that television, and the right to turn it on or off. Patrons don't. What nonsense.

Okay, I'm trying to provide anti-TV links, but I get so frustrated with the total BULLSHIT there. I was going to link this article without comment, but the second and third paragraphs are like a huge turd in the lemonade:

"Each hour in front of the TV increased a child's chances of attention deficit disorder by 10%, their research in the Pediatrics journal showed.

"The study of 1,345 children showed three hours TV a day made children 30% more likely to have the disorder."

Children who were exposed to the unrealistic levels of stimulation at a young age continued to expect this in later life, leading to difficulty dealing with the slower pace of school and homework, he said.

But wait!! The article's LAST two paragraphs are this:

The researchers admitted there could be problems in the study as the parents' views may not be totally accurate.

Also it was not possible to know whether the children already had attention problems early on that attracted them to TV viewing.

Perhaps I'm incapable, for reasons of integrity, of providing an anti-TV page. Here, then. Find your own:

If you put in the words Satan TV children, you'll get millions of links. Have fun. Don't read them all in one sitting.

Here's one: Your children, by manner of the infernal boxes in your homes, the televisions, are being now schooled to kill, to sin. And many parents shall be murdered by their own children! Another page on that same site says "This world is polluted with sin. Satan, the devil, is capturing young souls to take them to hell with rock music and sex. MTV is satan's way. Please don't listen. It is satanic." - Our Lady of the Roses, November 14, 1992, from the response dictated to Veronica to a teenage girl. [I didn't make up that citation. Couldn't have. They used quotation marks on exact words for something that was what a teenage girl told Veronica that a particular incarnation of the Virgin Mary said. I think it's as valid as some of the "scientific" anti-TV things you'll find, though.] Marty was wanting to go to his friend's house, but got involved watching something Holly was watching. He saw the clock and said "I'm going to be late because of you and your EVIL TV." Neither of them knew a thing about the "evil TV" conversation, so I said "OOH! Come look!" They looked at the picture above and became very serious. We all agreed that it's a scarier image than anything we've ever seen on TV.

How about this art! It would seem the garbage can art at the top of the page is straight theft except that the details are so different. Maybe they're both based on another older drawing that went around on paper, maybe in the early days of photocopies when so much "office humor" was exchanged that way (though these aren't humorous). These with the gun coming out though, aren't as similar. If anyone knows any history of these or has other examples please write to me at [email protected] This was put up on facebook in August 2012:

This one

A page just about the art, and similar motifs. Is there folk art even on the web?

TV Free Living: Free Yourself from the Shackles of Your Hypnotizing Square Furniture!!
Bummer than one has been changed to permission-only access, and Wayback Machine doesn't have it. I like the title, though, so I'm leaving it.

White Dot, two bits from their "about" page:

White Dot was started in 1996 by Jean Lotus as a newsletter for people who don't watch television. In the same year David Burke launched the British edition by standing on a busted TV set in front of a sign saying "Get A Life" near Westminster Abbey and reading out a letter to Prince Charles asking him not to televise his coronation.
. . . .
In 2005 White Dot helped publicise and sell the TV-B-Gone, a keyring that turns off any television. To launch this modest revolution we got volunteers in London, Brighton, Cornwall, Edinburgh and other cities to zap TV sets in cafes and pubs.

There [used to be] a dozen or more anti-TV images here:

On Facebook (a screen), transferred with a digital camera (likely had a screen), transferred electronically here, even though it began as chalk art in New Zealand: