One hour here, two hours there, even fifteen minutes, it all
adds up, and quickly too. Television is toxic to our self-
esteem. In fact, 90% of television programs are a
depressant. That leaves only 10% as a stimulant. With such
a high percentage of negativity fueling the majority of this
country television must play into the fact that anti-
depressant consumption is doubling by the year. So, if you
are wondering why you have low self-esteem, think about your
television habits.
Look how long the tobacco industry used television to
convince us smoking was “Cool.” If that doesn’t hit you,
now we know that fluoride is a toxic substance that
manufacturers couldn’t figure where to dump, so the
advertisers convinced the public, and the majority of the
dentist community, how great it was for our teeth,
especially our children. Now, the truth is really out,
including cancer in children in academic portions.
When is enough, just that, enough? Is the public that
gullible? Advertisers say yes, and we keep supporting it
because we keep buying and doing the behavior.
In order for advertising to work, advertisers must create a
problem or target a problem. If the problem isn’t big
enough, they blow it up with misleading information to push
the problem up in our perception. Then they promote a
solution with a limited perception. These internal messages
tell us we need to be dissatisfied with our lives, what we
own, and especially our self-worth with their answer. No
matter where you are on the social scale, commercials
purposely make us feel that we haven’t arrived yet.
If you love your two-year car, they tell you how great it is
to buy a new one, and, of course, your self-esteem will rise
just because you drive it. The next time you drive your car
this message plays even if you don’t think it’s playing in
your mind. In addition, with all the car ads on television,
how can you miss one even if you mute or leave the room
during the commercials, you still get the tail end of one?
Advertiser even play people by giving expensive cars to
celebratees, create hype about them having the car, which in
turn creates the “keep up with the Jones” effect. Then, the
fans of those celebratees have just “got to have” that car
in order for them to respect themselves in the morning. The
individual’s emotional roller coaster begins in shopping for
the car, through the buying process, and the first few
months with the new car. Afterwards they must sit down,
watch 30 or 40 car television “gotta have” messages just
after writing a their car payment check for that new car and
immediately get depressed because they have $10 left in the
account and they now want the other new car. Then talk show
programs tell them they can’t manage their money and all it
takes is simple common sense. They get down on themselves,
grab another anti-depressant, and watch another car ad.
Its a-no-wonder depression is doubling year in children in
America. The message we’re bombarded with is whatever we
own isn’t good enough. Moreover, we allow the television to
be our babysitter while we are off doing something else.
Would you hire an individual to stand in front of your
children and yell at them every 10 to 15 minutes for 3 to 6
minutes on what to buy? No, television is doing it for you
already. Parents, what-are-ya-thinking? Or aren’t you?
Even though we’re intelligent enough to know that our life
is good, that most television programs and all commercials
are negative, the majority of the people still sit there and
soak it all in.
It’s scary to think how as a society we’ve allowed this to
have such a profound effect on us. Television advertisers
take the most basic human needs, social stimulation and
community, mix it with perception fallacies, like “we’re not
good enough” without whatever it is, and push it out. Why
is it so easy to influence us on how we need to fit into the
social mode?
Some people say if you don’t like it, just turn the thing
off or do without it. Or we need to be smart enough and
just watch the “good” stuff. Yet, even when we do that,
there are still the commercials.
Television is influential enough for humans to change their
values and the values of all the generations that follow.
Take a close look at someone who is financially well off and
ask them how much television do they watch. The major
respond, “they don’t have time,” some even say they don’t
even one a television set. Why? Because of its negative
influence.
Television can and does bar our own success. This author
tossed hers out five years and prosperity has doubled
because of it. Her self-esteem is up 1000% and her weight
down 35%.
Be smart in your life — turn of the darn tube off — maybe
then you can stop taking so many aspirins or depressants.
Don’t believe me, prove me wrong, try it for 30 days, and
write and tell me that turning it off didn’t improve your
life.
Television is an addictive habit and all addiction includes
a withdrawal stage. The same effect when you are getting
off carbs, caffeine, or sugar. Even those are in the body
and the television in your mind, your body will still react.
Hence, be gentle with yourself. When this writer weaned off
television, she paced in front of it every night just like
opening the refrigerator to see what’s available when you’re
not hungry. Television isn’t your babysitter, the majority
of the time it’s a drug. Children will go through a similar
withdrawal stage as well.
The only way to reduce the withdrawal stage is to substitute
it with something you like to do more than watch television.
Make a list of these activities. It will help you when you
are pacing in front of that bare spot.
Read a book, have a conversation, play with the kids, write
a book, there’s so much more to life. Start a business,
write a book, volunteer, clean out the garage. Oops, the
last one can’t ever be better than watching television but,
honestly, you will sure please your wife if you do it.
Take a stand, change by taking new action, and make better
choices this month with your time. Eliminate television.
Sit in front of a fireplace looking at the family album
laughing at everyone’s baby pictures. Do this and your
self-esteem, and the people you share more experiences with,
is guaranteed to soar.
