Does watching TV make us smater or stupid?

Introduction

Television is one of the most profound inventions of the twentieth century, yet I feel it is one of the most notorious inventions ever. Television is a very useful invention when it comes to certain events but watching television extensively can lead to many problems. The problems that television has is that it is extremely bad for your health, can have a negative effect on your social life, and it corrupts whoever is watching (Turow pp.25-30).

It is a matter of great importance to speak about TV. It is something that affects every body, so we must shed light on it. As we know, there is probably no greater influence on society than the television. It has become arguably the greatest invention of the past century. With it, we have witnessed countless historical events: Inaugurations of presidents; man's first steps on the moon; the assignation of John F. Kennedy; even disasters as they happen. Americans watch TV in the morning to receive the daily news. They eat watching it. They watch it before they go to bed. But as television has saturated our lives, has it always resulted toward our betterment or has it possibly led to the deprivation of American society? Does it have a bad effects on people or good effects.

Thesis statement:

There is probably no greater influence on society than the television. It has become arguably the greatest invention of the past century.

Discussion

Although there are many benefits of television, American society has most assuredly been adversely affected by it. Since the birth of television, crime has skyrocketed. Many years ago, problems in school were chewing gum and running in the halls. Now, students fear for their lives as our schools have turned into war zones, with school shootings becoming a national problem. Many attribute this problem to the violence children watch on television. Children have become desensitized concerning the value of human life by the many murders and violence viewed on the screen. Television has led to the moral decline in our nation like no other device in history. With the coming of cable and satellite television, Americans now have scores of channels to watch with very little educational value. Many children sit for hours in front of the television, and could not imagine missing a favorite show or movie (Signorielli pp.56-70).

The media has an arguable hold on the politics of this nation. Many attribute Kennedy's victory in the close election of 1960 to the presentation he made in two televised debates in the closing months of the campaign. The media has an agnate ability to control the ideas of American politics and rewrite history without too many people even noticing. Most Americans hold dear the precious first amendment right of free speech. But with freedom, there must also be responsibility. Societies that do not offer freedom in the media often have the lowest crime rates of the world. Why is this?

Television has softened the moral values and ideals of its ...