The no limits culture of television is harming our society

By Theresa Blume

Featured Columnist

Have you noticed that there no longer limits on what can be said or done on TV? Nothing is sacred, and nobody’s mouth gets washed out with soap. When did this start, or should I ask, when did the days of decency and discretion end?

It is not just about sex either. The latest string of detective shows seem to compete as to who can come up with the most horrific details. Even the news channels are showing more things with warnings like, “What you are about to watch may be disturbing.”

Is that a promise or a threat?

Maybe it started with comedy when a bad word was thrown out there to startle us and make us laugh. Shows like “Seinfeld” and “Friends” made us laugh as long as it was just between friends.

Then “Sex in the City” came along like a personal diary to anyone with a TV. MTV became a blocked channel in my house when I realized that music was being used as a conduit for making the sexiest video. When reality shows like “Real Housewives” or “Keeping up with the Kardashians” started showing, we lost any sense of privacy or decency.

It is not bad to bring certain subjects out in the open. We better our health with knowledge, and we improve our self-esteem and relationships with talking about and discovering new ideas, but there is a way to talk openly in the right environment and with appropriate words. Respect of one’s self and others should be the rule of thumb for talking about delicate subjects.

It seems humans have to go from one extreme to another in order to find a good balance. Like kids that have been given freedom to do and say anything they want, the first thing we do is everything we once were not allowed to do. I see that with my granddaughter. She has tons of toys and books, but she goes for the scissors, the stove top, or the TV remote the first chance she gets.

In that manner we learn only once we get hurt, burned, or something is ruined. Stubbornness teaches the hard way until we finally get that we do not have to experience pain ourselves to make wise decisions. In fact it is a sign of maturity when we can ponder a situation instead of reacting first.

What are the results of being able to say and do anything in the public eye? Nowadays people are increasingly desensitized to violence, death, and criminal acts. It might not be words that actually cause the act, but they are a predecessor to an undisciplined life.

Without discipline, where will we end up? Or are we already there and do not know it yet?