The Dangers of the Drug called TellaVision
Yes, that's right, I said it: TellaVision is a Drug. And it's ravaging our culture.
How do I know it's a Drug? Because it induces an Altered State of Consciousness (aka "Trance"). Users of TellaVision often report a calming, euphoric feeling of "escape" when using the Drug. Most Users are, in fact, TellaVision Addicts. The definition of an Addiction is "The condition of being habitually or compulsively occupied with or involved in something." The litmus test for Addiction is to see whether the Addict-in-question can Quit for one year. Excuses that they "don't need to quit" or "can quit anytime (they) want" only further prove the depth of Addiction, as any Addiction Specialist will tell you. Further evidence that TellaVision is a Drug are when the Addict is deprived of TellaVision (especially one's "favorite shows"), the Drug Addict will often go into withdrawal--including sudden bouts of anxiety, jitters, inability to concentrate, imagined feelings of social isolation, obsessive thoughts of the missed show, retreat into fantasy worlds/hallucinations, aggression, fits of rage, and the like. All of which, of course, are maladaptive behaviors.
All of that aside, TellaVision use itself has negative side effects. It seems to have shortened the attention span of entire generations of individuals, who want things to be bigger, brighter, louder, and faster! Are you still with me? I hope I'm not boring you with my words, dear reader. The literacy rate seems to have gone down since TellaVisions' mass marketing, as well. Who needs to read when you can watch TellaVision for news, information, and mindnumbing entertainment? There are studies which link ADHD to excessive TellaVision Abuse in children.
TellaVision is also the cause of desensitization to violence and other heinous acts. The average child witnesses literally hundreds of thousands of rapes and millions of murders before reaching the age of 18. There are many arguments around this issue, but I doubt any sane individual would argue that this is in any way a good thing.
What other wonderful side effects does this wonder Drug give the User? It chains them to the wheel of Chronos in ways that few other Drugs can. Witness the anxiety surrounding different "time-slots". Frequently, social interactions and other more pressing obligations are skirted and avoided, because a particular show "is on" during that time. Of course, there's always something on. Such craving for the Addict's Drug is maladaptive in their life. It should be noted that this type of behavior is also a hallmark of Drug Addiction.
Speaking of avoidance behaviors, unlike many other Drugs--especially Hallucinogens and Uppers--TellaVision is an "away-from" Drug. Much like opiates, they depress the neurological system, and push the Drug Addict away from Reality. Even worse than opiates, though, for TellaVision spoonfeeds Visions in a carefully Controlled and Regulated manner to the recipient. There is no Action (let alone interAction) when doing the Drug known as TellaVision--everyone must be quiet and pay attention to the magical flickering idiot box. The User is not only disCouraged from actual Reality, they can often become hostile toward it, and often even confusing "TellaVision reality" with actual Reality. Many maladaptive beliefs and behaviors can arise from such dependence and abuse of this dangerous Drug.
One of the worst dangers of TellaVision is that, as stated above, TellaVision does just that--it "Tells" you "a Vision". Not one involving your own Creative Imagination, or even wishful fantasy (both of which are active, personal, and safe), but one carefully crafted by strangers whom you've never met. This might not even be so bad, if it weren't for the fact that TellaVision is a Designer Drug that is designed to lull you into complacency and euphoria just long enough to View Commercials. It is no coincidence that the people who Create TellaVision shows are called "Programmers". They Program viewers who are Ignorant of the Power of Trance states, with an endless barrage of Images, which has a Powerful effect upon our Beliefs and Behaviors. But they don't stop there! Then the commercials come on, and they create a Need that can only be satisfied by buying their product. Any introductory advertising class (or knowledge of memetics) will tell you the same and more. Of course, the fact that the vast majority of TellaVision Drug Abusers deny that commercials have any effect upon them only exemplifies their naivete. Advertisers would not spend billions upon billions of dollars every year if advertising "didn't work".
But perhaps the most insidious of TellaVision's dangers is that it promotes the religion of Consumerism. The god Money is exalted above all others. E.g., Christians seem ignorant of Money's usurpation of God's throne as "he who shall be worshipped, and none else". Why is it that churches seem to need so much money, pray tell? And what is it that TellaVision Evangelists stress so much at the end of their sermons? They ask for Money as devoutly as they ask for Prayer. But to step back from this particular group who falsely proclaims their only allegiance to a particular god other than Money, what is the "ultimate measure" of things in our society? What is the biggest motivator in our culture? Is it "doing the right thing?" Of course not! It all boils down to making, saving, investing, and spending money. It's not a matter of what we need, but what we want (and remember why we want these things in the first place--ads!).
The single best way to identify what people Worship above all else is to see where their Attention is regularly directed. In the truly Holy (e.g., monks, nuns, etc.), there is a constant turning of one's Attention toward "God", "Mindfulness", and the like. But what do the vast majority of people in our culture constantly Obsess over? Money--and the neverending plethora of things that Money can bestow upon us--of course, and this can be seen as the true measure of where one's Devotions lie. We have become a Culture obsessed by THINGS, and this is the greatest danger of TellaVision Addiction.
"TellaVision is not my 'Drug of Choice'."
How do I know it's a Drug? Because it induces an Altered State of Consciousness (aka "Trance"). Users of TellaVision often report a calming, euphoric feeling of "escape" when using the Drug. Most Users are, in fact, TellaVision Addicts. The definition of an Addiction is "The condition of being habitually or compulsively occupied with or involved in something." The litmus test for Addiction is to see whether the Addict-in-question can Quit for one year. Excuses that they "don't need to quit" or "can quit anytime (they) want" only further prove the depth of Addiction, as any Addiction Specialist will tell you. Further evidence that TellaVision is a Drug are when the Addict is deprived of TellaVision (especially one's "favorite shows"), the Drug Addict will often go into withdrawal--including sudden bouts of anxiety, jitters, inability to concentrate, imagined feelings of social isolation, obsessive thoughts of the missed show, retreat into fantasy worlds/hallucinations, aggression, fits of rage, and the like. All of which, of course, are maladaptive behaviors.
All of that aside, TellaVision use itself has negative side effects. It seems to have shortened the attention span of entire generations of individuals, who want things to be bigger, brighter, louder, and faster! Are you still with me? I hope I'm not boring you with my words, dear reader. The literacy rate seems to have gone down since TellaVisions' mass marketing, as well. Who needs to read when you can watch TellaVision for news, information, and mindnumbing entertainment? There are studies which link ADHD to excessive TellaVision Abuse in children.
TellaVision is also the cause of desensitization to violence and other heinous acts. The average child witnesses literally hundreds of thousands of rapes and millions of murders before reaching the age of 18. There are many arguments around this issue, but I doubt any sane individual would argue that this is in any way a good thing.
What other wonderful side effects does this wonder Drug give the User? It chains them to the wheel of Chronos in ways that few other Drugs can. Witness the anxiety surrounding different "time-slots". Frequently, social interactions and other more pressing obligations are skirted and avoided, because a particular show "is on" during that time. Of course, there's always something on. Such craving for the Addict's Drug is maladaptive in their life. It should be noted that this type of behavior is also a hallmark of Drug Addiction.
Speaking of avoidance behaviors, unlike many other Drugs--especially Hallucinogens and Uppers--TellaVision is an "away-from" Drug. Much like opiates, they depress the neurological system, and push the Drug Addict away from Reality. Even worse than opiates, though, for TellaVision spoonfeeds Visions in a carefully Controlled and Regulated manner to the recipient. There is no Action (let alone interAction) when doing the Drug known as TellaVision--everyone must be quiet and pay attention to the magical flickering idiot box. The User is not only disCouraged from actual Reality, they can often become hostile toward it, and often even confusing "TellaVision reality" with actual Reality. Many maladaptive beliefs and behaviors can arise from such dependence and abuse of this dangerous Drug.
One of the worst dangers of TellaVision is that, as stated above, TellaVision does just that--it "Tells" you "a Vision". Not one involving your own Creative Imagination, or even wishful fantasy (both of which are active, personal, and safe), but one carefully crafted by strangers whom you've never met. This might not even be so bad, if it weren't for the fact that TellaVision is a Designer Drug that is designed to lull you into complacency and euphoria just long enough to View Commercials. It is no coincidence that the people who Create TellaVision shows are called "Programmers". They Program viewers who are Ignorant of the Power of Trance states, with an endless barrage of Images, which has a Powerful effect upon our Beliefs and Behaviors. But they don't stop there! Then the commercials come on, and they create a Need that can only be satisfied by buying their product. Any introductory advertising class (or knowledge of memetics) will tell you the same and more. Of course, the fact that the vast majority of TellaVision Drug Abusers deny that commercials have any effect upon them only exemplifies their naivete. Advertisers would not spend billions upon billions of dollars every year if advertising "didn't work".
But perhaps the most insidious of TellaVision's dangers is that it promotes the religion of Consumerism. The god Money is exalted above all others. E.g., Christians seem ignorant of Money's usurpation of God's throne as "he who shall be worshipped, and none else". Why is it that churches seem to need so much money, pray tell? And what is it that TellaVision Evangelists stress so much at the end of their sermons? They ask for Money as devoutly as they ask for Prayer. But to step back from this particular group who falsely proclaims their only allegiance to a particular god other than Money, what is the "ultimate measure" of things in our society? What is the biggest motivator in our culture? Is it "doing the right thing?" Of course not! It all boils down to making, saving, investing, and spending money. It's not a matter of what we need, but what we want (and remember why we want these things in the first place--ads!).
The single best way to identify what people Worship above all else is to see where their Attention is regularly directed. In the truly Holy (e.g., monks, nuns, etc.), there is a constant turning of one's Attention toward "God", "Mindfulness", and the like. But what do the vast majority of people in our culture constantly Obsess over? Money--and the neverending plethora of things that Money can bestow upon us--of course, and this can be seen as the true measure of where one's Devotions lie. We have become a Culture obsessed by THINGS, and this is the greatest danger of TellaVision Addiction.
"TellaVision is not my 'Drug of Choice'."