I hardly think so.

I’ve never really been a ‘movie watcher’. I’ve always thought that, after watching a bad movie, I had just wasted two hours. I hate wasting time. Whenever I’m just sitting around I’m constantly thinking of what I should be doing instead of what I am doing. And movies, they don’t really fit into that ‘productive’ category. As a result of all this, I watch very few movies now, which isn’t shocking, and I grew up being, as some would say, ‘deprived’ of all movies and television. 

The reasoning behind this? Who knows? Perhaps it was to keep me from developing bad habits, to keep me active, or just because, let’s face it, I’ve got hippy parents. In my dad’s words, “It affects your brain development and there’s hardly anything worth watching.”

Some may ask, well if you didn’t watch TV, what on earth did you do?! My answer to that question is a simple one. What didn’t I do? I started learning to read when I was three-and-a-half so naturally, I could read, comprehend, and be entertained by chapter books at a young age. I also took up cello lessons when I was the same age. As if that wasn’t enough for just a youngster, I had three older brothers to keep me on my toes and out of trouble (or rather in trouble). Well, I have to say, little things like forced creativity, and being immersed in unusual experiences and ideas might have led me to be where I am today. I see myself as a free thinker with my own unique and strong opinions about the world and my surroundings. Always cynical and challenging other’s personal views. I suppose this could lead me to some trouble, but a lot of things can lead to trouble if you don’t carefully groom them and care for them trimming off the bad spots and nurturing the healthy ones. 

Kids in my generation don’t realize how, by watching television so young, they learn to believe everything it tells them- lies and all. Some kid shows teach that violence is not the right way to deal with your problems: However, somewhere along the line between childhood, and adulthood, that mindset of peaceful conflict management, is stamped out of us all. The government solves their problems by making war and nuclear weapons not just for self-defense, but to attack. Sometimes, or rather a lot of times, I think that as American citizens, we see ourselves as the ‘heros’ and it comes as a shock to remember how many people we killed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I’m not sure how we can go from one end of the spectrum to the other in one lifetime, but we can. It’s so hard to differentiate between the truth and lies, between right and wrong. 

Children’s shows often show children that authority is superior and always holds the right answers luring us all into a false sense of security under the ‘safety’ of our corrupt government. To me, it seems like television is far more harmful than beneficial. Is it really necessary? Is it really becoming something that is common to entertain young ones with and keep them busy? I hope we’ll realize, before it’s too late, that we can do better than that for our next generation of kids. 

So a favorite childhood movie? I hardly think so.     -fb