Today Melissa's going to tell us all about funny people and TV!! It's a very fun post. To read more about Melissa and her daily musings visit her blog. She hosts lots of weekly contests and this week she's celebrating her new release with even more contests!! I hope you all enjoy.
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My friend Anne and I sometimes talk about how most people aren’t very funny. We consider ourselves extremely hilarious, so meeting unfunnies is disappointing. Then Anne talked to her friend from high school and they decided that we might all be VFP (very funny people) because we watched a ton of network sitcoms growing up—The Wonder Years, Growing Pains, Who’s the Boss, The Cosby Show, My So-Called Life, Friends—you get the idea. Not that all those shows were funny (some were really not), but they were all quippy and fast and sharp, which is how VFPs are.
I had cable television in my room from the time I was about 10 years old. Gasp! I know. Sometimes I question my parents’ sanity. But the truth is, my career as a magazine editor and as a writer has depended on pop culture knowledge. It’s important. It’s a job skill!
That’s why I think this study might be BS (http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN0439129420080407?feedType=RSS&feedName=scienceNews&sp=true). TV never made anyone lazy or stupid or averse to vegetables. It may even be creating future VFPs, and those are the girls I want to know!
What do you think: Is TV helpful or harmful for teenagers? I’m really curious! And I won’t argue back if you disagree with me. But I may ignore you and watch one of my two dozen DVR’d shows instead.
PS-My characters in the Violet books are big TV watchers—especially Roger.
4 comments:
I think that TV isn't a bad thing for teens. I mean, if you're only watching TV all DAY LONG then that might not be the best thing..but it's not normally how it works. Most teens I know eitehr don't watch a ton of TV, or it really does not hurt them in the slightest. And agreed: having pop culture knowledge is even GOOD for some circumstances.
:)
Lauren
First, I loved reading the VFP comments. I loved the same shows growing up. TV is big with my sisters and I, and it didn't destroy any of our lives. I don't think TV in itself it the cause for any of the areas mentioned in the study. For example the meals parents provide from a young age and type of snack food in the house will determine eating habits rather than whether or not someone watches TV.
This makes me think about how in my high school class "Interpersonal Communication" we watched more than a handful of episodes of the show My So Called Life. Actually watched them in class and had to do writing assignments about them. That RULED! I don't think tv is bad at all, how else are you supposed to learn about the world when you are young and probably don't get to experience much for yourself. Then again, I was one of those kids that could do my homework and watch tv at the same time, my homework wasn't usually too tough.
I am so jealous of Alea for watching MSCL in class. For the most part, tv is helpful to teenage viewers because it can teach them how to deal with situations that they don't often encounter. It also exposes them to types of people that they might not regularly meet or spend time with. This could be style (punk, prep, jock), race (black, white, hispanic, asian), culture, religion, sexuality.
I remember meeting Ricky on MSCL and to this day, I still adore him. He taught me that homosexuality was not something to fear or from which to shy away. I see the person, not their sexuality, because of what I learned on tv. (other characters like Ricky - Marco/Dylan on Degrassi: TNG, Jack on Dawson's Creek, Willow on Buffy)
TV can be bad, but I choose to look at the good aspects that coincide with its entertainment value.
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