TV broadens our horizons (do you agree?)

[ReynardKitsune]

i need help with this! cant seem to think of any idea apart from mentioning documentary shows that broadens our horizons and also news that are broadcast. the contrary argument is it limits our scope in terms of people being more superficial and manipulated for commercial benefits ,sometimes the tv also espouses half-truths
it also leads to some girls having unrealistic expectation of themselves in terms of looks

[dafydd manton]

Even documentary shows only portray what the editor/producer wnats you to see. I have taken part in two separate programmes, one on the Dams raid and the other on a certain type of bus (yawn), and the editing was such that what people were saying to camera and what appeared on screen were in some cases almost diametrically opposed. Regrettably, TV might be good for entertainment, but frankly, very little else. Even the BBC has been accused of bias, rightly or wrongly, which only shows that the whole thing is subjective.

[minstrelbard]

TV is just a medium. What broadens, or otherwise, or horizons is the programming on TV. There's good stuff and there's bad stuff on TV, so TV's effect on us depends on what we watch.

It's the same with books. There are good books out there that help us grow as people and there are mean, ugly books out there that shrivel up our souls. We just have to choose the right ones to read.

[Wilde woman]

TV does broaden your horizons if you think outside of the crappy shows on network TV. What about PBS? They have much more than just Nature, Nova, and documentaries. There are also the do-it-yourself shows that demonstrate how to cook something, fix something in your household, play an instrument, paint, travel on a budget, etc, etc. They've also got Great Performances which expose you to artistic performances (concerts, ballet, drama) which might not be in your budget to see.

And what about their children's programming? Sesame Street and the like? One reason I grew up loving literature so much was because of the PBS show "Wishbone", which merged literary stories with the experiences of a book-loving dog and his human family.

There are lots of things TV is useful for...yes, news and current events, but also things like severe weather warnings, warning people about recalled foods/products, even promoting special deals. (My boyfriend and I recently got a 50% discount on an incredible hot air balloon ride over the Napa Valley b/c we ran across a show that was all about planning cheap vacations.)

[ReynardKitsune]

thanks a lot everyone! how would you define expand horizons?