I chose to write about the television next, because it stirs up so many memories of my childhood. I do not remember when or how we acquired the television set. All I know is that it caused a lot of excitement. We were not the only ones in the neighborhood who could tune-in to world events, but we felt that we were pretty special. These feelings of jubilation were short lived. When football season came, we received so many uninvited guests that we could not enjoy the game. We understood the importance of the game but we could not abide the thought of sharing our new-found treasure with the entire neighborhood. I am pretty sure the number was much less but it felt like a throng.
In retrospect, I feel so much better that the television is much more common. The best part about it is that I can watch the news or any program of my choice in the comfort of my home. I talked to my friend Steve whose experiences are a little different. He was more interested in playing than in watching TV. “I guess my parents were pretty lucky,” he told me. He has a little girl who loves to watch music videos. It is almost impossible to watch anything but music in his house. Thankfully for him, he can opt to retire to another room where no one can disrupt his take on politics.
Philo is credited with the creation of the television even though he was not the only one who worked on the idea (Landen). His idea is about to choke our ability to think. In my opinion, he worked his mind and he reaped the benefits. I cannot imagine what he foresaw but he may not be too pleased with the fact that his work may have stunted our thought processes. Many seem to go to screen stars for ideas concerning their lives.
The television is a remarkable invention. There was a time when acquiring one would have been at the top of my list. I would have gone for the biggest or the best in my estimate. However, the tide is beginning to turn, now that I have children. I think of the time that they would rather spend watching TV and I worry. What would happen to them if they got so engrossed with the TV world that they did not have time for the real world? I then remind myself that I am the parent. My job is to chart a path for them and to guide them in times of confusion. It is now that I finally appreciate what my parents were doing when they turned off the TV. I had no idea how much of my time it could have consumed.
I remember thinking that I wanted to surpass my parents in just about every area. However, I had no concrete idea of what I wanted. Sure, I knew I wanted a bigger house but it is the TV that put it all in perspective. I watched open-mouthed as it revealed the lifestyles of the rich and famous. The lavish homes were a sight to see and I saw how splendid my life could be. All I had to do was model my life after my idols. I had my work cut out for me. I needed to cultivate wit, wisdom and knowledge at the same time; I had to be both humble and successful in something. After all these years, the lavish lifestyle is still out of reach. No matter. I have my own television set and I reserve the right to dream on.
Hal Landen
http://www.videouniversity.com/farnhal.htm
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As I read your blog, I also thought of my childhood. There was always a television in our house. It was big and had a record player attached to it. Of course it was black and white. There are seven of us in my family and I have a memory of sneaking down the stairs to watch Bonanza after we were supposed to be in bed. Watching television was a special time. We did it as a family. Every Sunday night we would watch The Wonderful World of Disney as a family. And after we moved from our house in town to the house on the farm, we would either have pizza or hot dogs (roasted in the fireplace) while watching.
There is an interesting movie about Philo T. Farnsworth called Big Dream, Small Screen. It is a PBS special about his fight for recognition as the inventor of the television. You can find more information at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/technology/bigdream/index.html
There is a quote in the movie about how from Philo’s wife, Pem, “He could foretell just what television was going to do for the world. It would make the world a smaller place because we could watch what other people's lives were like, and they, in turn, could watch us.”
I think television has made the world a smaller place. We can learn a lot from the television. We can see things that can influence our American Dream. Nevertheless, I don’t think the Farnsworth realized how much it would change our culture.
I agree that television is “choking our ability to think”. It is also affecting the family unit. I still watch television with my daughters but we don’t sit down as a family as we did when I was their age. By the time I was 18 we had two televisions in our house. Today I live in a house with four televisions. Sometimes, all four of us are each in a different room watching a different program.
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