Thursday, January 7, 2010

Our Lives Revolve Around Televisions

By Patricia Connor

A century ago life was simple. As we look back at our ancestors and their lives, however, we can't help but wonder how on earth they existed without cell phones, microwaves, airplanes, computers and of course, televisions. And out of all those new inventions, many would insist that if they had to choose just one - it would be televisions. Hands down.

Although we now rely on televisions to keep us entertained and informed 24/7, our grandparents actually had plenty of opportunity to have fun, and some today would be jealous of what they did to have fun on a regular basis. Elegant supper clubs, night clubs, world famous entertainers, dances, cocktail parties, theater, dining out - to name a few activities.

What happened to all this fun when televisions took over our lives? Most of it disappeared. New York watched in sadness at the closing of the last of the great supper clubs, El Morocco, in the 60s. Even the motion picture industry suffered greatly because people decided to stay home and watch the new TV shows rather than head to the movies.

Originally, tv's were enclosed in wooden cabinets, or consoles, that were made to coordinate with the rest of the furniture. They came in popular styles like Early American, Mediterranean and Modern. Some of the more expensive models had stereos included in another part of the cabinet, apparently for those times when there was nothing on TV worth watching!

Fast forward fifty years later, and not only does almost every family in the civilized world have a TV, they have one in every room, including bathrooms and kitchens. The kids have their own TVs and each one is probably connected to a DVD or DVR player to watch movies and videos whenever they want.

Five decades later we not only have televisions in the home every family in the civilized world, these homes have multiple TVs. Kitchens, bathrooms, and even outdoor patios have TVs so no one will miss a show or have the opportunity to watch something that was programmed on TiVo earlier.

With the advent of digital reception, televisions entered a new age. Not only can we watch regular programs, there are now over 1,000 stations to choose from that suit every taste, every fantasy, every hobby and every need possible. Stations that specialize in new movies, old movies, animated movies, or adult movies. Cooking channels that teach you new recipes and shopping channels to help you buy anything you could ever want.

Televisions have become entertainment central, a basic need, a family gathering ground. We have come full circle.

About the Author:

0 comments:

Post a Comment