I'm sure all of us have come across an anti-television post at some point, especially if you follow members of anonymous or are one yourself. These posts will say something along the lines of, "tv shows are called programmes for a reason!" or a similar comment about how televisions will brainwash you. There was a point in my life where I posted one of those memes myself, and believed it too. I've always watched a little too much tv, and it made me really hate myself for loving it so much; but time went on and I continued to watch my shows.
Then there was a point recently where I started jotting down thoughts I had while watching TV, making connections between the show and reality. Some of these were commenting on the shows propaganda and how it had a clear agenda, whether it be good or bad. Some of my other notes would pick out parts that could be used to prove a point, or create an analogy to help people understand, and I also wrote down a number of quotes that I thought were important. I loved how these shows could have a deeper meaning to me, but this only really applied to actual shows and not the news or reality tv; those I am forever disgusted with and truly believe they can not serve a purpose besides dumbing people down.
I then moved on to putting my notes together and writing essays. A few of them I have posted on here already, and they may not be the best but the shows are popular enough that I have sent those essays to people I was having a discussion with. I think people often connect to tv shows on an emotional level, so being alt-right and trying to accept how patriotism could mean turning against your government is quite difficult, unless you have the help of Jaime Lannister of course! It seemed to work on him, and my hope is that it will work for others too, or at least gets them to think about my point and try to understand it. I don't see watching tv as a waste of time for me anymore, or a form of brainwashing, i can stick to my principles while having some leisure time. I can watch a show I enjoy and yet still he productive. What could be better?
I'll still agree that books are better, and I myself prefer reading, but not everyone does. Doing something we enjoy doing is important and we shouldn't feel ashamed for it. Trying to balance television with doing something productive is the tricky part, as binge watching shows has become a social norm; everyone relates to it and does it from time to time. But the problem here is laziness, not brainwashing!
The best part about the anti-television stance is that a lot of people I come across who have it are fans of Mr. Robot, The Matrix, and V for Vendetta. I guess the hate is selective.
Perhaps they have been brainwashed by those 'programmes'?
