The Perils of Television

The wanderer

Looking back in retrospect to the time in which a chapter of my
life was consumed by the Watchtower Society, revealed another
Watchtower enemy—the television.

What was the real motivation?

The Watchtower was always "warning" us about the perils of the
television. The dangerous time consuming programs and our
"association" regarding the television.

Do you think that they wanted us to stay away from television
because they were afraid of the media?

Do you think it really was for our benefit or because it was taking
time away from field service?

The dangerous peril today—the internet

Today it is the internet that gets most of the Society's attention.
During your time in the organization what seemed to attract the
Society's negative attention?

Please post your thoughts and viewpoints.

Respectfully,

The Wanderer

AK - Jeff

I think that they has some valid points regarding too much television. It can be a waste of time, and a dangerous source of information for young minds if not controlled to some extent.

But mostly, I suppose they wanted witnesses to spend time in the book-club activities - service, meetings, highlighting answers for better indoctrination sessions, building new halls, etc.

They are afraid of the internet for different reasons entirely, though they may use the same reasoning to keep it in check. The internet is an interactive media - and it contains volumes of information that could never be covered in a broadcast medium like television effectively.

Comparison of tv with the internet is like comparing Dr Suess with the library of congress, IMO. They are far more terrified of the internet than they ever were of the television.

Television stole a few Saturday book salesman away from the work. The internet may crack the doors wide open and they know it.

Jeff

fullofdoubtnow

I used to watch tv while I was a jw, but was careful about what I watched, because of the counsel from the wts. I don't think it was so much fear of the media that they were worried about, rather that watching tv was time - consuming, and would draw us away from so - called theocratic activities,ie selling books and magazines, which of course they saw as the best use of our time.

As for the internet, that is very dangerous for the wts, as there are so many sites now where one can learn the truth about the wts. When I was first having doubts, it was the information I learned on the internet that helped confirm those doubts, and made my mind up to leave. Any doubting jw would probably come to the same conclusion I came to about the wts if they did much research on the internet. They know that if they can keep their members away from the internet, particularly the many "apostate" sites, there is less chance of them finding out the truth about the wts and leaving the org.

choosing life

I think that the TV warnings were mostly about wasting time better spent in being Watchtower drones. I always watched what I wanted to anyway. I remember an article that said to put your TV on a shelf in the closet, so it would be a bother to have to get it down and set it up to watch it. TV has changed though, with cable and satellite TV. A person could spend all their time just sitting around.

The internet, however, is the straw that will break the camel's back. Way too much information about the dubs. And when you go to their official site, there it is, right below it. It is just too tempting and available.

They have good reason to be afraid of it. How many here were helped to exit by information and support on the internet? I know it was a big factor in helping me to stay away, by getting moral support on this forum.

heathen

They definately are afraid of the net more than the tv. The only web site they do authorize is their own . TV I know I've heard plenty of talks about wholesome recreation and being careful what to watch but hey these days it's sex and violence so I can't blame them there where as 30yrs or so ago we were watching the waltons and ingles today is alot of adult humor and violence . TV is letting alot of things including language get raunchy. I never asked anybody what they watched on TV but heard some say they liked to watch the news .

nelly136

i think i was in junior school before my father finally relented and rented a black and white tool of satan from rediffusion.

Undecided

I didn't have a TV until I was married for a while. I can remember really enjoying a night when I had some time off to watch TV and not be tied up with some ~~theocratic~~ WT work. I hated it when some brother would come by on my night off.

Ken P.

gaiagirl

Admittedly, a great deal of tv programming is a waste of time, just filler so there won't be dead air. I've gotten so that I won't watch a movie on tv because of all the commercials. When "What Lies Beneath" aired a couple of years ago, I watched the movie because I'm a big fan of Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford. I actually kept track of the commercials shown during the broadcast, and made tick marks on paper for each ad. I counted 125 separate commercials, in blocks often spaced 7-10 minutes apart. So a movie which has an actual running time of 130 minutes took 180 minutes to broadcast, or to put it another way, commercials took up almost 40% of the broadcast time. This is why I choose to watch movies on DVD The same thing happens with sitcoms, your average 30 minute show only actually runs for 22 minutes, the rest is commercials, usually delivered in 2 or 3 blocks during the show, or between shows. Between the vast amount of shows which aren't worth watching anyway, and the added "time tax" of commercials even on the good shows, WTBTS is surely concerned that people might be burning up valuable time which might be "better" (cough) spent attending meetings, etc. And heaven forbid that someone might actually watch PBS and see a documentary about evolution, the fossil record, or animals demonstrating qualities which might indicate that they have souls.

Little Drummer Boy

And heaven forbid that someone might actually watch PBS and see a documentary about evolution, the fossil record, or animals demonstrating qualities which might indicate that they have souls.

I really wasn't aware of any of the scandals, etc. surrounding the org until I got out. What got me to really thinking about what I believed though were shows about bible history, evolution, and so forth on The History Channel and the different science channels. Whether these shows are accurate or not is now a moot point - they did get me to think for myself. It wasn't until I had pretty much made up my mind to leave the org that I allowed myself to look on the internet for anything related to jws. Without our trusty satellite dish, I might still be a dub. So for me, from a WT perspective, the TV was "deadly". LDB (of the "I've learned more about history from The History Channel than I ever did in school" class)

BlackSwan of Memphis

I think that the others have been right about the tv just absorbing too much time that would be well spent in the ministry

The internet is a huge problem. One way to think of it is that, even if a good jw Never goes to a site that has anti jw material, the liklihood they will run into a former jw on a non religious forum or chat is very high.

All of a sudden, the issue of a person reading anti witness stuff is not the issue. It's realizing that former witnesses Are human and have been hurt a great deal by the policies of the Organization.

And that is exactly what the Org does not want, to humanize the ones who've left.

The Perils of Television

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