What are peoples view on televison? How much television do people watch? Also, do you think the following theory has any basis, or am I just being crazy and stupid?

The theory - The reason television draws people in the way it does, is due to an evolutionary hangover, from when long ago we used to sit around staring at a campfire? Now it fills that gap - we are evolutionary predisposed to sit and stare for hours.

I may watch too much television, though I often am only half or even quarter-watching it (if its on its normally just on in the background). However, there was a time when I watched FAR too much, which made me pretty mentally challenged for a while

Basically, its a terrible, and often very pointless habit (excluding high-quality documentaries, perhaps). But do people watch it because they are lazy, or is there a possibility it is built into our brains evolutionarily.

Has this been utilised for mind-control, by the elites and big buisnesses, and advertising, of the world? Soap operas, for example, seem like a kind of 'guidebook' for people to live - they tell people what is acceptable, and what is 'normal'...some of the messages in these programs are deplorable at best. This could go far to explain the homogenised behaviour of many people ( their revulsion at difference, false sense of national pride, hatred and fear of other nations, a blinkered view of world events, casual racism, sexism and homophobia, endemic machismo and worship of violence etc etc.)

Thoughts?

I watch much less tv now than when I was younger. When I was younger I would have to watch tv in order to fall asleep or I would have a very difficult time doing so. I'm now currently pretty much the only one in my family who not only can go to sleep without the tv, but doesn't want it on in the first place. I have many other activities taking up my time to have time to watch tv. The only things I watch on tv now are documentaries as you mentioned, and I have a soft spot for certain comedies. Comedies can sometimes be brain numbing I suppose, but I keep my psyche healthy and non-depressive through laughter. My favorite comedy is It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Yes, it can have a deranged sense of humor, but no other show that I can think of can consistently shatter my expectations for what amoral thing is about to take place. I'll also catch the Daily Show and Bill Maher from time to time even though practically everyone I talk to thinks that Bill in particular is too left-leaning. They make me laugh, and that may not be the best excuse, but it keeps me positive.

I really don't like any reality tv. It's all really pathetic and is just a reflection of the pathetic state of society. They will literally follow anyone around with a camera now and stir up drama in households and businesses where there used to be none.

Comedies are indeed sometimes good to kick back too...but even the vast majority of those are truly awful (canned laughter etc.). It is also important perhaps to just let you brain be numb from time to time - if you work hard, socialise hard, and are too tired for a book or soemthing. It just still seems bizarre though...humans were perfectly fine without television for thousands of years - now as soon as it comes along (relatively speaking), the 'masses' seem to be addicted to it. Strange.

Maybe Marx's 'Religion is the opiate of the people', should now be amended to 'Television is the opiate of the people'.

Hmmmm...

I watched a decent amount of TV as a kid, went through maybe 15 years of not watching ANY TV at all (and not missing it)... I slowly got sucked back in over the last 7 years or so, and now, I have gotten to the point where I really like some of the better shows out there.

I never watch TV like just turning it on and zapping around, though. I usually Tivo my specific shows and watch them when I feel like it. My favorite way to consume TV is by watching a whole season of a show on DVD.

I suppose my resurgent interest in TV has followed the upswing of quality long form serials and intelligent adult themed comedies. While most TV still sucks ass, there are shows on HBO (for instance) that are really good. Some of my faves are: Curb Your Enthusiasm, Breaking Bad, Dexter, Louie, Hustle, Family Guy, Treme...

I like the historical stuff (even when it is only loosely historical)... Spartacus, Borgias, Tudors, Rome etc.

Going back and catching a show I missed previously and watching it from beginning to end is pretty awesome actually. I actually got rehooked to TV by a friend bringing over Sopranos and 24 DVDs back in the day. I recently did The Wire & Deadwood.

Like the others have said, a good documentary can be a joy. I have a soft spot for Ancient Aliens as well.

Come to think of it, I guess I am slowly becoming a TV junkie. I still dig the Simpsons, American Dad, South Park and other adult cartoons. I also like me some Daily Show and to a lesser extent The Colbert Report. Real Time with Bill Maher is okay. Just don't let me get sucked into a competition show like American Idol, The Voice, or So You Think You Can Dance...

Hehehehe.

Yea, watching back to back is definately the way forward. I dont tend to watch TV shows when theyre on, ill just watch stuff on 'TV Catch Up'. Last thing I watched back to back was Twin Peaks, which if you havent seen, I couldnt recommend highly enough...

Some shows (like Twin Peaks, Sopranos) are probably better than some films, shame they get absolutely swamped over with a torrent of, well, sewage.

Which brings me to my next point . Those competition shows are so bad. Simon Cowell has basically monopolised a whole 'talent' genre (Britain/Americas got Talent, X-Factor, American/Pop Idol etc etc), which he uses bascially to rake in money. Theres this new show on British TV called Red or Black, which is basically a glorified 'Heads or Tails' show. It is also made by Cowell, and all the acts that feature on the show are ex-X-Factor contestants, or managed by Cowell.

And people lap it up!!! It has no comedy, no interesting plot developments, no intersting facts, no mental stimulation, and is based solely around the glorification of GREED. And its on everyday for like 1 and a half hours...I mean, who is actually watching this stuff?!

IMO shows such as this are offensive and insulting, to my, and everyone elses intelligence. I just cant believe the cretins that make these shows are still getting away with it!

Many people refer to ayahuasca as, jungle television.

I think so many people watch so much tv, because we crave imagery and themes and stories. Our society is not familiar with natural connections to imagery , so we create it through tv.

To the original post: I do think television influences its audience, I do believe that humans are susceptible to their society's over-all perspective and that coincides here with television through the general World press. To comment on my own life, my house-hold no longer has live television, although we do have a Tv, ps3, and netflix. The subliminally provocative messages we receive aren't limited solely to televisions/live televisions reach. The internet (plus daily life) has plenty if not more of the same junk. Some videos, articles, books, or shows can be educational, but much like the U.S. political system, it's all about entertainment value. And just as those pharmaceutical companies in India refuse to create morphine because Doctors are too afraid of being prosecuted to order the drug for cancer patients, it isn't profitable not to produce fast-talking, loud, garbage for the intention of boosting ratings (see: $$$). However, what boosts ratings are based on what ever the general societal perspective is. I think certain natural laws can been seen in a practicing society, and I don't believe the golden age of technology will lead itself into self-destruction or some annihilation of its own intelligence somehow. And I certainly believe there exists a formidable sub group to society who's able to resist the amalgamation of misinformation and dull-wit.

Summary: Television certainly isn't the equivalent of a professor in a classroom, people get this, I believe, as a majority, but there are still those dedicated fans who will take their last breath watching the Chicago Clubs lose their 115th baseball year in a row. Television isn't going to end society; society will end society, and the specific details of this generation will show that several things and events led up to a so-called era of stupidity, not just media.

There is a cool song by Michael Franti from his old band Disposible Heroes Of Hiphoprisy called "Television, The Drug Of The Nation" which nails a lot of ill shit about TV.

However, I am sort of put off by the typical cognoscenti knee-jerk idea that TV is all bad, brain rot stuff. As Jdubs said above, there are some shows that are superior to film. The depth of character and extended format of a multi-season show can lead to a very deep and rewarding kind of entertainment. Not quite like reading a great book, but certainly deeper than a 2hr film or even a trilogy.

As someone who dabbles in screenwriting myself, I understand the art and craft of penning a teleplay. I'm probably somewhat more familiar with how writer's rooms work, what showrunners do, how the arc of a season is plotted out etc. than most. Even people who watch all the bonus shit on DVDs. It is also somewhat difficult to judge a script by the finished product, considering that flim is such a collaborative medium. A great script can get bought on the strength of its amazing writing, only to find the production and development teams shredding it to try and make the thing more marketable to a certain demographic, incorporate the notes from the non-creatives up top, reconcile the results of poor screentesting, and/or having a poor actor deliver the greatest lines pathetically.

In fact, it is a wonder that anything we see is any good at all. That is why when I see a show that kicks ass, I have serious respect. TV in general might be a brainwashing tool, and do more damage than good in the world... but a good show is still a joy. Fiction is not just something to numb the brain. It is a highly evolved artform. Character, plot, subtext, foreshadowing, perspective, dialogue, setting... these things are not fundamentally different whether you are talking Crime & Punishment or Breaking Bad. Only, I find Breaking Bad a whole lot more interesting as it deals with modern takes on Dostoyevsky's themes at a modern pace... and with music.

Even when I didn't watch TV at all, I still respected the potential of the medium. People love stories. Always have, always will. Sitting around the campfire, people don't just stare into the flames... they tell stories. People in bars don't just stare into their drinks, they tell stories (loosely related to their experiences perhaps). In days of old, people would come running when a storyteller came to town and sit transfixed as he spun his tales. Personally, I would rather have a DVD box set of any HBO show over listening to some old guy ramble on rehashing some basic archetypal legend.

I rarely watch TV nowadays. Sometimes a film (but not on cable TV...I hate TV commercials), sometimes a documentary. And that's it.
There is a cool TV station in Europe, it's called ARTE. I love lots of the stuff they broadcast.
I don't think there's anything wrong with TV, it's just the way people use it that makes it harmful. I think selective viewing is more easily done online....

I hope our current stage of media interaction is just a transition phase... something we must do for some generations in order for us to look back at ourselves and laugh/gape-in-horror. I used to enjoy great series like the shield and sopranos, and as a child I watched far too much TV.

Along with video games its a very easy way to procrastinate, to ward off introspection, for escapism. It makes me very sad to see my mother, father and grandparents completely sucked in by it all. The internet is ushering in a new wave of media escapism, we can now choose exactly what we want to indulge in - better or worse? There is more potential for the internet to be used toward self-improvement and education, but looking around, it's easy to see that is not mainly what it is used for.

I agree that our propensity towards watching television could be a throwback to the days where we only had a fire to watch.
I don’t think television is mind numbing, although I think it can lead to this if you spend waaay too much time watching it, moderation with everything is the key, and I think people forget that.
I work in the film industry and have to get quite creative when it comes to amending directors treatments for adverts, or tweaking scripts, and I attribute a lot of my creative thought process to a healthy appetite for watching television. I tend not to watch pointless things like reality shows or god forbid Sex and the City. I do however like a lot of comedy, which helps keep my wit sharp. Crime series, just because I think they encourage deeper thinking, CSI does not qualify as an intellectual crime show in my opinion, but the special effects are pretty cool. Documentaries are my favourite, I devour every morsel of information they throw at me and I try incorporate it into my daily life. Things like a new type of migratory bird or what the ancient Egyptians used to keep their sun-chapped lips supple are all things that I could need to know one day so I fill my head with lots of facts about everything, and I like been the one who always wins at Trivial Pursuit.

I tend to average about 2-4 hrs of television a night, not that I watch it every night, but I like to unwind with a joint or a beer and turn on the box after work. I do all my chores, and have a decent chat with the wife before I shut out the world, and I think this is important. It definitely keeps me informed and helps me incorporate others ideas/concepts into my own way of thinking. I don’t think television has had any negative effect on my brain function or my day to day life.

Blaming an inanimate object for dumbing down the population is ludicrous, its like saying violent video games create killers, and kinda seems like an easy scapegoat. Well in my opinion anyway.

But really!!

-Television, what is it???// -it's something that people watch because they ain't got a better easier option i guess. In South America you'll find people out in the streets walking and interacting. I never watched any tv there, cos i was never bored, and hated being indoors.

-Back in unstimulating and overexpensive England i do watch tv--- Truly a sad scenario. What's even more sad to me is that it is considered "normal" to come back from work and watch tv untill sleeping time!

I don't own nor watch TV.
Although I sorta watch sometimes (once a week at most) something like a "breaking bad" episode or another thing in the taste.
My girlfriend is more about streaming series and some special info stuff.
I go to cinema once a week instead
It's way more orgasmic if you do'nt mind this adjective, or a wholesome experience in my experience as far as screen goes.
SO no TV but Cinema !

Did not take the time to read this whole thread, so sorry if this was mentioned, but for a general summary of my opinion about television and I think a very insightful commentary, read Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman.

dont have one, dont want one

Cinema is possibly, in general, a superior form than television. However, sometimes I do wonder. If I go to the cinema, it is normally to watch either independent or foreign films. Dont get me wrong, some that Hollywood has to offer is enjoyable - yet there is only a certain amount of explosions and re-hashed storylines that I can take in a year. I think the 'escapist' type of film does have its place though, from time to time.

Most of what Hollywood offers though, is just dreadful - again...who is watching this tripe?!

Surely, the best of television is better than the worst of cinema...in that way we can conclude, that there is both good and bad on both mediums. I agree - to say all television is worthless, is folly. Yet I do fear that the majority of work, in most forms of media and art, is mediocre at best. The reasons for this are unclear - though I suspect a lot is down to its market-driven nature.

I try to be highly selective, yet I still find myself watching what feels like too much. But it's specific shows or movies, always pre-recorded, then watched without commercials. Current favorites are the recently ended Through the Wormhole and The Daily Show.

I don't have one

but i enjoy a good movie now and then

Oddly when i was a baby and would cry at night my mum said that if she put me down in front of the tv i would go right to sleep..

When i'm with people who have a tv, the only shows i care to watch are the nature shows while stoned

I have one. It is only used for watching movies with the girls and playing videogames with the boys.

Every stream of media is utterly clogged with garbage. Listen to the radio (for as long as you can ), and then ask, is all music bad?

Of course not!! Great art is great art and great art is TIMELESS.

It's also few and far between...

I watch a few things on my computer, documentaries, sci-fi, trippy anime, and worthwhile movies. I recently just watched the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. There is absolutely nothing garbage about that movie. I would also say (like drinking Ayahuasca with the sediment), there is nothing recreational about that movie.

TV is a tool--most abuse it as a drug to numb themselves, but it CAN be an extremely clever and condensed/symbolic way of communicating ideas.

There are also a lot of ideas being practiced en masse by humans across the globe that will kill us--if we don't think of something better. So, yes, communicate ideas. Get inspired and inspire others. Take advantage of every (information) channel you have. QVC doesn't count.