[comp.edu] tEEvEE

wbralick@afit-ab.arpa (William A. Bralick) (01/20/89)

In article <1932@buengc.BU.EDU> bph@buengc.bu.edu (Blair P. Houghton) writes:
>In article <1179@uw-entropy.ms.washington.edu> charlie@mica.stat.washington.edu (Charlie Geyer) writes:
>>
>>Americans are intellectually inferior because they learn everything
>>they know from TV.
>
>Can you tell who's been watching too much of the tube?
>
>The Boston globe ran an article this past Sunday where the authors took
>every study they could find (a few hunnert...) of TV vs. intellect from
>the past umpteen years, and summarized:
>
>TV doesn't hinder nor does it aid one's education, unless you're learning
>the numbers and letters offa Sesame Street.
>

I am somehow extremely surprised that the results of this "study," 
published in the esteemed (and refereed) journal, _Boston Globe_, 
pander to the prejudices of the Globe's tube-head readership.
Everyone *knows* that tEEvEE doesn't turn your brain to mush, it's
educational.  Personally, I am amazed at people who can view _Three's
Company_ or a foo-bah game while they read Plato and derive great 
intellectual enlightenment from both.

Of course tEEvEE hinders your education.  How can you continue to educate
yourself as an adult while that mindless, insulting drivel sucks up your
attention?  Watch people watch tEEvEE sometime, then, just for fun, 
estimate how many hours of your life you have spent tubing.  When I did 
that, the figure worked out to be 30,000 hours.  I might as well have been 
lying in a drunken stupor for 4.5 years (18 (waking) hour days). 

Perhaps the Globe's results might just be due to low expectations:

Boston Globe Intelligence Test:

   Current events:

      1.  What did Vanna wear last night?
      2.  In which country is the District of Columbia located?

"Gee, look," say the (ahem) researchers, "tubers and non-tubers both 
missed one question!  tEEvEE must have no effect on intelligence!"

Regards,
-- 
Will Bralick : wbralick@afit-ab.arpa  |  If we desire to defeat the enemy,
Air Force Institute of Technology,    |  we must proportion our efforts to 
                                      |  his powers of resistance.
with disclaimer;  use disclaimer;     |               - Carl von Clauswitz

dave@emerald.PRC.Unisys.COM (David Lee Matuszek) (01/20/89)

In article <828@afit-ab.arpa> wbralick@blackbird.afit.af.mil (William A. Bralick) writes:
>In article <1932@buengc.BU.EDU> bph@buengc.bu.edu (Blair P. Houghton) writes:
>>In article <1179@uw-entropy.ms.washington.edu> charlie@mica.stat.washington.edu (Charlie Geyer) writes:
>>>
>>>Americans are intellectually inferior because they learn everything
>>>they know from TV.
>>
>>Can you tell who's been watching too much of the tube?
>>
>>The Boston globe ran an article this past Sunday where the authors took
>>every study they could find (a few hunnert...) of TV vs. intellect from
>>the past umpteen years, and summarized:
>>
>>TV doesn't hinder nor does it aid one's education, unless you're learning
>>the numbers and letters offa Sesame Street.
>>
>
>I am somehow extremely surprised that the results of this "study," 
>published in the esteemed (and refereed) journal, _Boston Globe_, 
>pander to the prejudices of the Globe's tube-head readership.
>Everyone *knows* that tEEvEE doesn't turn your brain to mush, it's
>educational.  Personally, I am amazed at people who can view _Three's
>Company_ or a foo-bah game while they read Plato and derive great 
>intellectual enlightenment from both.
>
>Of course tEEvEE hinders your education.  How can you continue to educate
>yourself as an adult while that mindless, insulting drivel sucks up your
>attention?

I disagree.  The Boston Globe's results sound right to me.

While I agree that reading Plato is more educational than watching
virtually anything on tv, this hardly exhausts the options.  The
average person who isn't watching tv is probably doing something
equally non-educational.  Those few of us who prefer more intellectual
activities are in such a minority that we won't have much effect on
the Globe's statistics.

So tv doesn't hinder your education.  It provides a convenient and
entertaining alternative to gossiping, going to a bar, playing cards,
etc.  Some things can actually further your education--the nightly
news, Nova, Discover, National Geographic, etc.  Admittedly most of
them are pretty low-level, but that's appropriate too.

I think the bottom line is:  tv is not the cause of brain mush; it
just meets the intellectual needs of its viewers.

----------

BTW, kudos to Sesame Street (and also Square One).  Too bad we don't
have an equivalent of CTW for adults.


-- Dave Matuszek (dave@prc.unisys.com)
-- Unisys Corp. / Paoli Research Center / PO Box 517 / Paoli PA  19301
-- Standard disclaimer:  Any resemblance between my opinions and those of my
   employer is strictly coincidental.