Journal Entry #3: Why I Stopped Watching Television

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been watching TV. I was just lying in bed watching the cartoon “Cow and Chicken” while drinking my milk. I guess I was three years old back then. I was really entertained with the shows in television, that most of my childhood life was spent staring blankly into the TV Screen. That’s how I came to know about cartoons and anime, which have been a huge part of my life. My parents bought a personal computer when I was eight, and that’s how I was introduced to computer games. Because of this my time spent in front of the television was halved. I have spent most of my free time in front of these two things.

 Somewhere along the way I have encountered the word Idiot Box which is a term used to describe the TV. I have wondered why the television was called the “Idiot Box”. For most of my life I’ve shrugged it off, not really giving any care about what it means. Watching television is fun. Playing games is fun. Why should I ever try to stop doing something that makes me happy?

I was only able to ponder about it deeply when I was in high school. Being introduced to books such as Fahrenheit 451 and 1984, I have become increasingly aware cancer of society that makes up most of the population, the so called “Hoi Polloi” and “Plebeians”, the masses. It’s actually quite simple. Television keeps you entertained and by doing so, makes you satisfied in the status quo. It pleasures you so much that you will lose track of your ambitions and goals in life, because you think you’re already happy. Why should you yearn for more if you’re already happy? That’s the trap of watching too much television. You immerse yourself so much into the pleasure of watching television, that you forget everything else. It numbs the brain because it doesn’t make you think critically. You don’t really use your head to watch television, all the information is already presented to you, you just have to enjoy it. Couch potatoes don’t think, they just passively watch shows as entertainment and not giving a bat’s eye about learning something from it. Unfortunately, so many people are trapped in this type of lifestyle. To a certain extent, even I am still living like this.

Think of the recent trends in television: Aldub, Pastillas Girl, Vice Ganda, and so many other celebrities. What they all have in common is that they encourage random nonsense. They just babble about stupid things most of the time and whole hordes of people find them entertaining. Instead of focusing on the important issues like climate change, fighting diseases such as cancer and HIV, actually researching about the candidates for Election 2016 before deciding who to vote for, and the increasing threat of terrorism and war. If anyone of those people read about this article, I think they’ll say something along the lines of “I’d rather watch shows the make me happy. I don’t like thinking about bad news.” You know what they say: "Ignorance is Bliss." That’s where the problem lies. People want to escape from problems instead of trying to solve them, and some aren't even aware of these these problems. It makes me cringe when I think about how many followers these celebrities have, and it makes me lose my faith in humanity that they willingly submit themselves to them as a fanbase. Television is a distraction that makes you lose sight of what’s really important.

Television numbs the brain, and that’s what the government is hoping to do. The government needs more stupid people, because they are obedient. The more uneducated a person is, the more likely he is to follow the orders of leaders blindly. That’s why so many celebrities get elected, because the ones who voted for them aren’t thinking it through and just votes for “whoever is the most popular” or “the person I’m most familiar with”. The media only shows people what they want the government to show. There’s always a filter of information and there always will be. They will only show you content that favors them and they’ll hide all the information that can be used against them. Media is a tool used to brainwash people and to send subliminal messages. It programs the brain to stop thinking, drains all the important information and replaces it with nonsense, and distracts you to no end with a never-ending limbo of false happiness. It’s like a nightmare that never ends. There’s only one thing you can do to end a nightmare: Wake Up!

I refuse to let myself be fooled by the lure of pleasure and entertainment. That’s why I stopped watching television. I know some television shows are actually educational, but you’ll have to search carefully to find them. Besides, I prefer the content showed on the internet, the true source of freedom of speech and unfiltered information. You have to make sure the content you’re searching is legit though. That’s why you should cross-reference. Whether it’s television or internet content, you have to make sure the information you’re getting is valid. That’s the smart thing to do.

Only intelligent people dare to question and doubt the status quo. That’s why so many intelligent people are thought of as insurgents or rebels, like Dr. Jose Rizal who was encouraging free thought and education of Filipinos back in the Spanish Occupation of the Philippines. Smart people are not satisfied with the status quo. They continuously find ways to improve themselves, they welcome change. A nation can only truly progress if the citizens themselves put their conscious effort to encourage development. That’s why we need we need more intelligent people in the Philippines. The people of the Philippines need to wake up and stop escaping from the problems that we are facing. We need to stop lazing around in front of the television all day and start acting towards our own goals. Fulfillment is more important than temporary happiness!