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Yet another essay on television...


akern 4 / 10  
Feb 15, 2009   #1
No crazy instructions only requirement is to be 5 paragraphs.
Thanks for any suggestions.

It seems to me, that people constantly try to pass off their child rearing woes onto someone or something else. Taking the brunt of the blame, the television has become America's favorite excuse for ill-behaved lazy children. The gamut of grievances can take us anywhere from violence making our kids aggressive to junk food ads encouraging eating disorders to wily ad men targeting our pocketbooks via our children. Let's stop blaming the most convenient scapegoat and make adult decisions.

Some believe that commercials during Saturday morning cartoons turn their children into professional naggers, constantly pleading for the latest gadget. Those clever advertising executives place attractive commercials around shows they know our children watch. They're practically stalkers! Assuming television didn't exist, would our children stop wanting? I'm pretty certain that if my daughter went out to play, and noticed her friend had a new I-Pod Touch, that she would want one too. People find it easier to condemn an inanimate object rather than taking responsibility and imposing rules or limits.

A newspaper article in the Post Dispatch claimed that children who watched violence on T.V. are more likely to display aggressive behavior. Brutal violence found in the news, primetime programming or music videos can confuse children about their values and upbringing. While I do not doubt the truth of these claims, many preventative techniques can be applied to ensure that negativity on television will not interfere with a child's development. In response to public concerns the television industry and the FCC devised a simple and easy to use guide: the T.V. Parental Guideline system. To me this absolves any fault you can find with the television or media content.

According to the Surgeon General's website, 12.5 million children in the United States are obese. Stat spouting researchers are quick to blame the television for this alarming epidemic. They say food advertisements influence children to make unhealthy food choices or popular movie and TV characters encourage children to buy and consume more high-calorie snacks. Really? Who does the grocery shopping in those households? Obesity in childhood and adolescence can be primarily related to lack of exercise and overeating. Parents in America desperately need to be intelligent and responsible enough to make food choices for their children and promote the positive effects of physical activity and sports.

If you want to stop them from watching television, you must also stop them from doing everything else that might be harmful to them. Putting your foot down and saying "no" can be a difficult task for many parents who want to please their child. When an issue comes up and you're forced to make a decision that doesn't agree with your child everyone feels unhappy. A pervasive gloom settles on the entire household. It's easy to see why a lot of parents take the easy way out and give in only to blame the television later. We want our kids to have everything we didn't so rather than teach them manners and limits, we give them the world and hope for the best. Stop blaming TV for making our kids fat and lazy. Pointing a finger at television is a cowardly short cut, a mere distraction averting ownership of fault.
EF_Kevin 8 / 13,321 129  
Feb 16, 2009   #2
Wow, this is an amazing essay. I read through it twice, and could find nothing to correct or suggest. You made some great points, it was clear and concise, easy to read and interesting. Good luck in school.

:)
OP akern 4 / 10  
Feb 16, 2009   #3
Thanks! You're too kind!
This class has been hard for me, I haven't had to actually write anything in at least 15 years.
I'll be bugging you guys for about 14 more weeks. :)
EF_Sean 6 / 3,491  
Feb 17, 2009   #4
Your essay is very well-written. If you have the room, you could improve it by addressing possible objections to your arguments. For instance, how would you respond to the following:

"I'm pretty certain that if my daughter went out to play, and noticed her friend had a new I-Pod Touch, that she would want one too." Yes, but she would only be able to want the things her friends had. Whereas, with television, she can see, and so want, an unlimited number of things. Moreover, she may see many things that her friends have that she personally has no interest in, whereas, most of the things she sees in ads will interest her because the ads have been designed to have that effect.

"In response to public concerns the television industry and the FCC devised a simple and easy to use guide: the T.V. Parental Guideline system." This assumes that parents are always around to make sure their kids aren't watching inappropriate material, or that kids always obey their parent's instructions.

"Obesity in childhood and adolescence can be primarily related to lack of exercise " Watching television is of course a completely passive activity. So, it is all television's fault.

"Putting your foot down and saying "no" can be a difficult task for many parents who want to please their child." Impossible, actually. Most parents today accept the notion that corporal punishment is always wrong. However, authority rests entirely on the threat of force, either directly or indirectly. A parent who cannot use corporal punishment is not in charge of the house -- the child is. Thus, they must do what they can to please the child. Television makes this more difficult. Ergo, it is a great household evil.

You don't have to address all, or for that matter, any of these objections. Your essay is fine as it stands. But, if you're looking for some way you could strengthen it . . .
GHouse 2 / 8  
Feb 17, 2009   #5
LMAO. I loved this essay. It's so damn true and to the point. I've read it about 3 times.
drmemo - / 1  
Feb 20, 2009   #6
This is very good, you have alot of talent. I wish my teacher let me write first-person, or even second-person! lol


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