Mom was right!

Mom, I know you have been waiting a long time to hear this, but, you were right.

When I was younger, my mother continuously told me that Television was evil. And, that if I watched too much Television, it would rot my brain. Well, like every other kid in America (at that age), I thought my mother was crazy.

I admit: it took me a really long time to figure it out. In fact, it was not until about four years ago that I started to realize that there was something disturbing about some of the television shows. Up to that point, I would just watch the shows and be entertained - just like everyone else in America. Then, I started to notice patterns in the situations that were being portrayed in the shows. These were situations that were not really that prevalent, but, these situations were being portrayed as being very prevalent. At first, I thought the choice of situations was based on dramatic license; doing something that was out of the ordinary in order to keep the interest of the audience. Then, I realized that the scenarios were aligned with liberal social issues.

I started to pay much closer attention to the plots; noting the messages that were embedded in the plots. And, over time, I realized that the plots were crafted to garner sympathy (or tolerance) for certain social situations. You see, when someone sees a certain situation over and over again, they begin to adjust what they consider to be normal. If you are curious about the psychological principles, your should read about hostages and the Stockholm Syndrome. The messages have been extremely subtle over that last couple of decades - kind of like boiling a frog. :-)

I would like to give you a scenario. Now, what I am about to say is going to sound really strange. When I first wrote this blog (months ago), I could not bring myself to publish it, because I was afraid that it made me sound like some kind of nut. But, I remembered something my mother told me: "Don't let someone else think for you - that is why God gave you have a brain". I decided to go ahead and post this blog; with the message that readers should use their brains, and make up their own minds about things. And, now that I have given the disclaimer, I will get on with the scenario.

The thing about Television is that it enables viewers to immerse themselves in a fantasy world. Viewers can experience all kinds of scenarios and situations through the drama of Television. The problem is that viewers can begin to adjust their perceptions on things, based on repeated exposure to a particular theme from certain Television shows. You see, the brain (over time) will treat the Television shows just like any other real-life experience. And, repeated exposure to a common theme will effectively brain-wash a viewer. Believe me, I know how crazy this sounds. It has taken me four years to finally come the realization: mom was right!

Here is the really scary part: imagine if a person or group of people could have their perception modified over time. People would not know who or what to believe. Or, they would only believe, based on the major source of the information that was used to form their perceptions. In other words, if they are basing their beliefs on what they have learned from Television, then it is likely that they would trust the Television more than any other source. Got goose bumps yet?

Lets take this one step further. Why would anyone want to manipulate the perception of a population of people? Well, the answer seems to be very straight forward. If people are thinking for themselves, then they are more likely to ask questions. And, if they are more likely to ask questions, they are less likely to just blindly do what they are told. So, it's all about control; the ability to control a population. In fact, with Television, it's not likely that the viewers would even know they were being manipulated. It's like: The Matrix. :-)

So ... mom ... I know you have been waiting decades to hear this. Here goes. You were right about Television. God gave us all brains, and we should be using them to think for ourselves. I know it took a really long time for me to figure this out. But, I finally did!

Thanks mom!