Television is much criticized for its excesses, and people who watch a lot of television are suspect, as if they were wasting their time. What people get out of watching television depends on how they do it, and indeed this general rule applies to everything we do. I like television because it serves as a window on the world and brings us news, entertainment, and information, and how much we learn from television depends greatly on the way we approach the medium. I find that television allows me to see events taking place around the world in a way that was never possible before. I know many political leaders on sight and can recognize their voices because I have seen them on television, and from washing them respond to questions and react to different situations, I believe I have a better idea of who they are and what they represent in the world. I am selective about what I watch, but I make it a habit to watch many news and information programs so as to have a better idea of the world. This certainly does not mean I do not read, for reading gives much more information as a rule, but it does mean that I seek the values television can bring.
Television has changed the world in a number of ways. While people complain about television, they must also admit that television has had many positive effects on our society and has been part of a huge change in the way we live. Television has helped educate the population in a variety of ways and has in particular provided a key to bringing us together as a people, with a shared tradition. There is some concern that this may be changing with the coming of cable television because our choices are so much greater that we will n longer have the shared experiences we have had with the smaller broadcast television spectrum, but until now television has helped bring us together.
Television has linked every part of the country directly with the power centers that control our lives, wi...