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The Trouble with Television

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The Trouble with Television

1: “Macneils essay is almost totally negative about televisions effect on its viewers. Write an essay in which you take the opposing view. Develop a thesis presenting the beneficial effects of television.”

Television benefits and educates this nation greatly – The sheer volume of facts that you’re presented, as well as the entertainment value, makes it the greatest invention of mankind since sliced bread.

Because of television we’re connected to the outside world, through numerous documentaries and news flashes throughout the day. How would we know that Gadaffi died this morning, if we didn’t have television? How would we even know that Libya was in revolt? We wouldn’t, and we only have the television to thank.

That hoax, MacNeil, proposes that you could’ve taught yourself several languages or a bachelor degree, if you didn’t watch television. If you submerged yourself in a subject for 10’000 hours, you could’ve mastered it, but really, what’s the point? This kind of pro-nerderism that MacNeil preaches is completely detrimental to our nations economy, education and future.

What is the point of reading Homer or Dostoevsky in the original languages? In those 10’000 hours you devoted to reading a single piece of literature, you could’ve made several T.V.-adaptations of the story and sold them to major broadcasters. You could’ve earned half a million dollars for your nation, or watched ten thousand documentaries. You’d even have time to spare, in which you could read Homer in say, English?

But is it addictive? Of course it’s not! You’re the one holding the remote; you can turn off the news any time you like. As opposed to what dusty old bookworms like MacNeil wants you to believe, you have the power - the power to learn anything in the whole wide world.

According to this false prophet, 30 million adult Americans are

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