Cable Television Can Be Bad For Your
Psyche
We think it is safe to say that many of us have thought, "I am not enough." One of the ways that message is kept alive is through the media. For instance, the narrow definition of what an attractive individual is supposed to look like damages our positive body image. One week we suggested a change to Challenge the Image of Beauty. If you feel like shit about yourself, you are more likely to consume more beauty products, alcohol, clothing, food, etc.
Another message that we receive largely through the news is that we should live in fear. There are a handful of multi-billion dollar corporations, such as CBS Corporation and News Corp., that are known to donate large sums of money to politicians and political campaigns that you may or may not agree with. Regardless of what you believe, what ends up being brodcasted to the general public is biased news. This biased stories are shared with the masses and usually promote an agenda of self-interest.
This is what Jamie Solis had to say about her personal choice to get rid of cable,
Over five years ago, when I first moved out from my parent’s house, I couldn’t afford cable if I wanted to. I was working 40 hours a week, going to school full time and responsible for about $650 in rent for my studio apartment . . . among numerous other bills. I’ve always been really active about political and social issues, and I have always aimed to empower myself against the pressures from outside influence. This is when I decided that I would no longer allow the media and government to instill fear in me.
Do an experiment for me if you will. Turn on the television to any news channel 2-13. Time how long it takes before there’s news coverage on terrorism, murders, an impending epidemic or something else that invokes fear into the viewer. Fear to go outside, fear to mistrust other countries, fear of your neighbor, etc. Using fear as a control tactic is nothing new, but I don’t remember experiencing this until the unfortunate 9/11 terrorist attack. From the time I was 12 until I gave up cable when I was 19, I was constantly bombarded with messages from the media that I wasn’t safe and/or I wasn’t pretty enough. My life is much richer now and my self confidence has actually improved since forgoing television. While I still see advertisements in print media and on billboards, it's not something that I willingly allow into my house every night for hours on end. Make the change, save some money and tell profit driven institutions to get out of your head!
The media uses television as a catalyst to express the "you're not enough" and "live in fear" messages. We are dedicated to finding alternative news sources that are not owned by the handful of multi-billion dollar corporations that have special interests in mind.
All of this brings us to the change for this week—get rid of your cable. Oh the horror! We know, we know . . . this seems like a drastic change. In reality, it could be a lot easier than you think. Did you know that the average amount of time spent watching TV is about five hours per day? By getting rid of cable, you’ll find more time to write, clean, spend time outside, exercise, read, do homework and do everything else you could be doing instead of wasting away in front of the television. Imagine the amount of negative messages we receive in a three minute commercial break.
We are aware that even if you cut out cable, you will still be inundated with negative messages from other outlets. Resist at least one form of media and think for yourself.
