Numerous institutions, traditions and prejudices function as modes of oppression and prevent us from collectively addressing the tragedy of the commons. Acts of legislation arbitrarily prohibit and criminalize our actions, schools indoctrinate us with a tacit deference to authority, and our interpersonal relationships are prone to crystalizing vicious spirals of interaction. Taken as a whole, they manufacture a society in which worldviews are intentionally constrained, warped, and self-defeating. In a world where soldiers laugh after murdering children, a president brands war as peace, a ‘recovered hero’ resurrects his father to try to sell shoes, and crucial scientific reviews are hollow whitewashes, we’re obviously in need of a new set of values. And one the most effective means of preventing us from collectively making these changes is our addiction to TV.'
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As with anything, we can control what we do.
ReplyDeleteTelevisions are addictive, but who controls the television?
I remember when I used to watch television into the early hours of the morning, flicking through the channels. Surprisingly, now I haven't watched television for about 8 months now and don't really have much of a desire to do so.
There are some things I miss on it though. However, as with everything, if you have a strong enough will of your own, you can control it instead of it controlling you.
I remember when I was at college, I knew so many people who were smoking weed, they would offer it to me for free and I always turned them down, frankly because I just didn't want to smoke it.
Some people are weak willed, some are strong-willed, I guess that's just the way it is.
Incidentally, a lot of those heavy weed smokers I knew from college days (UK) are now either dead or mentally-ill. One guy I met a few years ago and hadn't seen since I was about 19 told me that he hears voices. Of course he smokes weed everyday, unfailingly.
We went out for a while, he was very annoying, constantly forgot things and so on. I told him not to phone me ever again. He was weird.
(Anyway, I have totally gone off topic here).