"Mind Over Media"

qualiTy oVer quantity

I had an epiphany today.  I was hanging out with an 8 year old girl at a graduation cookout and she and I were watching TV together.  At that moment, I realized that television itself is not the problem.  The problem lies in the programming on the screen.

True, kids need to read more than they watch TV, but how many kids really want to do that?  Very few.  However, when they are watching television programming that is marketed to their generation, it should teach them more than how to be a celebrity.  Where is the substance sprinkled in with the silliness?  The humility intertwined with the humor?  The integrity alongside the innocence?

"The Fresh Prince," funny as it was, tackled issues like morality, substance abuse, and differentiating love from lust.  One episode that will always stick with me is when Will cried in Uncle Phil's arms because he did not know why his father didn't want him.  It was a monumental episode for me as a boy because it was the first time I saw a young man cry on television as a result of emotion.

I could go on and on about the lessons taught by Family Matters, Boy Meets World, Wishbone, Ghostwriter, The Cosby Show, Full House, or so many other shows that had a positive impact on children born in the late 80s and early 90s. 
 
 But at the end of the day, we, as people who want better for our children, must demand better.  I'd rather have 5 quality shows than 30 that were just thrown together.  The demand must be made.

Written By: Deryle Daniels Jr.
Check out Deryle's personal blog at:  http://d3in3d.blogspot.com/view/mosaic