My step-dad bought a huge 3D TV that sits glaringly at the fore of our tiny front room. This means the joy of being subjected the sights and sounds of the idiots of Britain in high definition every Saturday and Sunday night (unless I’m mercifully out of the house). ‘The Voice’ imparts a very commercialised and cruel approach to music. If all creativity was how they presented it I would truly lose the will to live. ‘Come Dine with Me’ shows a weak approach to socialising, meeting others with differing opinions and the handling of food. I don’t understand a lot of modern TV. As passive entertainment it does not require any intelligent interaction with the viewer. You can just zone out on mindless nonsense. It has a huge influence on these generations. The limit to what parents allow their children to watch is ever loosening. It’s the age of technology, and instead of going out and playing rain or shine, kids tend to vegetate in front of the television. It can impart all the news of the world in one hour, pictured clearly onto a screen and delivered in precise cool tones. Why go explore the world when you have it on your screen, right? The lady with a microphone stood gloweringly in front of the parliamentary buildings educates you surely.
However, I am fond of some aspects of TV. My favourites tend to be fantasy, period drama, or sometimes serial killer documentaries. No I’m not gathering ideas; the human psyche just fascinates me. But aye, TV is magical in some ways. It can immerse you in ancient fictitious lands, steamy affairs, mythical creatures, bloody fights, a serial killers mind, wildlife across the world, and other such potentials. But… so can books. No I’m not saying TV is evil and turns people’s brain to mush completely, but books sharpen the mind like a whetstone (actually a quote from Game of Thrones which ironically I heard from TV) and are important. It pisses me off often that actors get so much more money for performing the tales that books provide than the writers that created them. But sods law. TV isn’t going to lose its dominance over books for these generations.