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Show and Vl Home cp J Dr. Daryl J. McCarty Executive Secretary Utah Education Association Ever stop to wonder how many murders the average American has seen on TV by the time he or she reaches the age of 14? One estimate puts the figure at 11,000 killings. Some parents are loudly complaining about all that bloodshed before their children's eyes. Others are griping about the sly and not-so-sly sexuality in many TV programs. More parents are simply disgusted with the pure and simple shoddiness of many television shows. Poor TV programs are like the weather. Everybody talks about them but nobody does anything about them. But hold on. One organization is actually suggesting that something can be done by us individual viewers to make the programs better. It's all outlined in a highly intelligent PTA brochure titled "For Your Listening-Viewing Listening-Viewing Pleasure." First, the booklet in all fairness fair-ness mentions that there are some "bright oases" in the "dreary wastelands of TV territory, both for children and adults." The way to better your family's TV habits requires only two things, according to the booklet-selective dialing and self-discipline. "Self-discipline" means turning the set off when the selected program is over. The PTA booklet argues that the most effective stimulus to quality programming will be a refusal of many people to watch worthless shows. That's correct. TV programs live and die on their ratings. If you and millions of others switch off the TV because the only programs in view are a silly game show, a poor situation comedy and a kill em dead com opera, you can bet your TV set that things will change. |