Comments about ‘TV goes too far’

Don't watch TV--read books.

Technology has advanced so much in the past few years. Back in my day; TV's, stereos, etc, came with a button/switch labeled off/on or 1/0; if you do not know what these mean, perhaps you should read the owners manual.

Better yet, just unplug it and find something more enriching to entertain yourself with.

Roland, Vic: Don't be so myopic - the kid's point is about society, not just his own viewing habits.

This young man obviously has wisdom beyond his years. Modern television has become a cesspool that is overflowing with putrid filth.

Unfortunately, this filth is not limited just to television. Indeed, the entire modern entertainment industry has adopted an open agenda of promoting substance abuse, immorality, and immediate self-gratification without regard to the consequences.

Too many recognize this trend but state that it is just harmless fun. This could not be more false. As this young letter writer has pointed out, the harmful aspects of the modern entertainment industry are spreading to society at large. Modern society is being afflicted by an epidemic of substance abuse, crime, and immorality. Hopefully, more of America's youth will join this young mane in rejecting modern Hollywood entirely.

Um - people have been laughing at use of the word "hoe" for at least 70 years....

long before most homes had TVs.

The author will have to find a different scape-goat.

grj- If society didn't want these things in their shows, then Hollywood would not make them. If you do not like it, then don't watch it. You have a choice.

At the end of a long day we look to television to provide some entertainment and we pay for that. Surely an hour's good wholesome fare is not too much to ask for.

It is shameful that there is so little that is worth watching in the realm of entertainment. There are certainly some good educational programming if you can search it out but the majority of "entertainment" on the other hand is of a poor standard, often sleazy and / or with a bad message. For something lighter you often look in vain for anything that is not more or less degrading.

We have tried to save good wholesome entertainment in dvd form but it should not be such a hard task. And yes it is a great pity and a shame that you can hardly say anything to some people without something being taken in a sexual way, seeing or finding an innuendo intended or not.

News programming has become too much of advertising, fluff, mindless banter and political and social messages of negative worth.

This all started when women sere allowed to vote and show their ankles. Or, not content to live their own life, this is another case of "everyone should be like me and do as I say" from the writer and people like JCS.

If you didnt laugh when the principal said "everyone should bring their own hoe" then you are DEAD INSIDE. That was funny.

Perhaps you should move to Hilldale or some Amish community. Im sure you wont see any evil elbows or ankles there.

If one is not smart enough to turn off the television they deserve what they are watching and learning.

Perhaps it’s time to talk to this boy/girl about the facts of life. He/she needs to be told about sex being the most powerful drive of life, behind eating and breathing. That it is wonderful, fun and has great commercial value along with great dangers and responsibilities.

Because it is so powerful and effective at grabbing our attention, commercial vendors use it to grab our minds and associate the good feeling that it brings to a product for sale. And that product can be anything from toothpaste to the quest for fame and fortune of the stars.

It is unlikely that something this powerful could be hidden in a free society so the best thing is to know the truth. The alternative might be to go live in a Muslim society under the Islam religion.

Oh come on...... If my principal would have made the hoe comment 35 years ago (when I was in high school) there would have been the same reaction.

On/off switch..... Use it

There is often nothing worth watching in the evening in the realm of "entertainment". It is typically all more or less degrading stuff.

We do pay for a television service and can expect a better choice than we have. Standards have deteriorated and are still deteriorating. It is not good enough to say the choice is merely to watch or turn it off. Television should do more to provide choice with so many channels.

There are some good educational shows but what is being bemoaned is the dearth of good "entertainment".

It is also true, as the original letter stated, that there are people you cannot address without them seeing some innuendo or salacious meaning to almost anything you say.

We did cancel our subscription to a well-known satellite service when it introduced a homosexual channel and "swinger" events. We are considering dumping our basic cable too just because there is so little good entertainment.

We do deserve better; there does not always have to be the "lowest common denominator" approach by television companies.

Three11 has missed the entire point of this letter and the previous comments. It is not simply a matter of not watching something oneself because it is obscene, crude, vulgar, and offensive. It is a matter of societal harm that comes from others watching this filth.

The Spring family is not protected from the harm of the modern entertainment industry simply because the Springs refuse to participate in it. Because we interact with members of the community, we are effected by their behavior. When they willingly fill their lives with depictions of violence, drug use, and indisriminant sexuality, they behave accordingly and it affects everyone in the community.

In America we have a puritan back ground that designates a great many words as, swear words or vulgar. The youth weren't taught useful words concerning bodily functions or having to do with sex. Most of our "four letter words" are German, learned by our troops from the Mercenaries during the revolutionary war. They are useful and frequently more descriptive then medical terms.
If we had not been taught that they were bad, then we would not have any "bad" words. So the kind of people who are upset by there use, are also there creators.

In Japan, by contrast there are not "bad words" because their religon doesn't get into that kind of stuff.

Forbidden fruit is attractive.

Jace’s letter reminded me of the whole Don Imus situation from a few years ago.

For years and years, rappers and comedians frequently used words like, (can't repeat them here) in describing members of the opposite sex, and NO ONE said a word except those who shouted, “Freedom of Speech,” or “If you don’t like it, don’t listen to it.”

Then Dom Imus comes along and talks about the Rutgers Women’s basketball team using the same word described in this letter and LITERALLY OVERNIGHT, such words became hateful, ugly and offensive.

Imus was fired from his radio show and everyone from Oprah to Al Sharpton were saying, “How can people talk about women like this?”

What Jace needs to understand is, political correctness rules the day. While some people have a constitutional right not to be offended, Jace isn't among them.

I suspect some of those who have told Jace to, “Turn it off,” would likely be among the first to call for a ban of any radio or TV program they found offensive.

Does the sentence, "Hannity and Beck don't practice free speech, but hate speech," sound familiar?

"Unfortunately, this filth is not limited just to television. Indeed, the entire modern entertainment industry has adopted an open agenda of promoting substance abuse, immorality, and immediate self-gratification without regard to the consequences."

This is brought to you by the same miraculous invisible hand of the free market that provides drugs and the sex trade. This is America, you decide what you choose to worship.

@ JCS:

I feel the same way about religion. I guess I will just have to teach my children to ignore the things which I believe are detrimental to society (religion) because although I think you are misguided and perhaps foolish to follow a made up religion, I also think you should have the freedom to think/feel/do as you wish.

Living in a free society isnt about MAKING everyone conform to your ideas/ideals. Its about living your and allowing everyone else the FREEDOM to live theirs.

Kids have been reading unintended suggestion into the words of adults since time immemorial. That's what adolescents and their hormone-addled brains do.

Another thing some kids do is try to distinguish themselves as more "mature" than their peers by not laughing at juvenile jokes. Most don't take it to the level of writing letters to newspapers, but far be it from me to discourage young writers.

Also happening since time immemorial: anxious adults bemoaning immorality and the degradation of society, convinced that this is the most depraved of times. Your lack of perspective amuses me more than a teenager with a hoe joke.

I agree that most things on TV are worthless, so I decided to do something about it--I stopped watching TV.

I wanted to learn vegetable gardening to be more sustainable and all that. So I googled "how to use a hoe" and I'm still blushing from the results.