I don’t watch much television but when I do I make sure it is in another language. Picture from one of my stays at a manga kissa. Battle Royale manga, empty glasses, internet and a remote control. Classic!
Everywhere I go it seems there is someone or something telling me not to watch television. I guess that’s one of the dangers of reading too many books!
Furuichi Yukio in his book 1日３０分を続けなさい！人生勝利の勉強法５５Learn to Win (Every Day Continue for 30 minutes: 55 study methods to Win in Life) asks three simple questions:
- If you continue to watch television every day for two hours will you acquire the skills you want?
- If you watch television, are you going to become the kind of business person you want 5 or 10 years from now?
- Have you gained any skills from watching television for so long?
If you haven’t guessed it from the title of this post, the answer is no. (BTW, AJATT reminds us that Furuichi Yukio learned English in part by watching a lot of episodes of Friends so maybe watching a lot of TV in another language doesn’t count.)
Another book、 テレビは見ていけない, is more blunt. The title means Don’t Watch Television. I’ve skimmed it and I am waiting to read until I finish watching all the episodes of Family Guy! I’m going to lost in translate the Amazon.co.jp summary of the book here. ( I would love more exact translations from any of you out there on the internets:)):
- This is the first paperback version of the groundbreaking work of the self-actualization and brain function scholar. 画期的な自己実現法で話題の希代の脳機能学者が初の新書を刊行!
- Without knowing it, your brain is being badly influenced [by television]. How can you lead a life without being fooled? あなたの脳は知らぬ間に毒されている! 洗脳のプロフェッショナルが教える「だまされない生き方」とは?
- Why are Japanese brainwashed by television?日本人はなぜテレビに洗脳されるのか。
- Commercials fascinate with their goods while entertainers wear their marvelous fashions and live in their high class apartments while visiting high fashion stores and eating extravagant food. Is this what you really want? Is this the way to lead a happy life?CMに映し出される魅力的な商品、芸能人が着ている華麗なファッション、著名人が住んでいる高級マンション、有名店の豪勢な料理……それらはホントにあなたが欲しいモノですか?幸福な生き方ですか?
- How the values of your heart be overridden by the standardizing values of powerful brainwashing.「空気を読め」と画一的な価値観を強制してくる最強の洗脳装置を前に、知らぬ間に自分の心が書き換えられる原理とは。
- Fear, brainwashing, and the media: How visual media is one of the powerful forms of brainwashing. 洗脳メディアの恐怖】視覚情報
James Arthur Ray, author of Harmonic Wealth: The Secret of Attracting the Life You Want, writes about how television undermines our unconscious. He explains how much of television is “soul-sucking programming” and encourages us to create our realities instead of getting caught up in “reality television.” “When your life becomes enthusiastically inspired, the greatest, most exciting, and entertaining reality might just be the reality of your own life.”
Ray also gets a little mathematical on us. A four hour a day television habit equals 1,456 hours a year, which equals two months a year, and adds up to twelve years over an average lifetime. He also drops some “science” on this and explains that television makes your brain waves slow down from beta to alpha and does the following:
- affects your ability to learn while watching
- puts you in an “alpha-wave trance” that makes you more susceptible to advertising
I know I’ve put a lot of other people’s thoughts in front of you. Kind of like watching television, innit? It’s just strange that all the sudden so many writers are telling me not to watch television. One thing that I have definitely stopped doing is watching the news while we eat or get ready to eat dinner. I don’t know what I was thinking by doing that, especially since I have two young daughters.
Do whatever you want. I am just a motivational speaker who lives in a limited equity co-op down by the Hudson River. If you watch television, watch your mind and your results. What are you accomplishing? How are you feeling and thinking?
Are you ready to be a samurai unplugged?