Just read it all the way through…
The most important thing we’ve learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, NEVER, NEVER let
Them near your television set —
Or better still, just don’t install
The idiotic thing at all.
In almost every house we’ve been,
We’ve watched them gaping at the screen.
They loll and slop and lounge about,
And stare until their eyes pop out.
(Last week in someone’s place we saw
A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)
They sit and stare and stare and sit
Until they’re hypnotised by it,
Until they’re absolutely drunk
With all that shocking ghastly junk.
Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,
They don’t climb out the window sill,
They never fight or kick or punch,
They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink —
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK — HE ONLY SEES!
‘All right!’ you’ll cry. ‘All right!’ you’ll say,
‘But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children? Please explain!’
We’ll answer this by asking you,
‘What used the darling ones to do?
‘How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?’
Have you forgotten? Don’t you know?
We’ll say it very loud and slow:
THEY … USED … TO … READ! They’d READ and READ,
AND READ and READ, and then proceed
To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!
One half their lives was reading books!
The nursery shelves held books galore!
Books cluttered up the nursery floor!
And in the bedroom, by the bed,
More books were waiting to be read!
Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales
Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales
And treasure isles, and distant shores
Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars,
And pirates wearing purple pants,
And sailing ships and elephants,
And cannibals crouching ’round the pot,
Stirring away at something hot.
(It smells so good, what can it be?
Good gracious, it’s Penelope.)
The younger ones had Beatrix Potter
With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter,
And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland,
And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and-
Just How The Camel Got His Hump,
And How the Monkey Lost His Rump,
And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul,
There’s Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole-
Oh, books, what books they used to know,
Those children living long ago!
So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.
Then fill the shelves with lots of books,
Ignoring all the dirty looks,
The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,
And children hitting you with sticks-
Fear not, because we promise you
That, in about a week or two
Of having nothing else to do,
They’ll now begin to feel the need
Of having something to read.
And once they start — oh boy, oh boy!
You watch the slowly growing joy
That fills their hearts. They’ll grow so keen
They’ll wonder what they’d ever seen
In that ridiculous machine,
That nauseating, foul, unclean,
Repulsive television screen!
And later, each and every kid
Will love you more for what you did.
– Roald Dahl
So…get rid of the television in your home and save your child’s brain and a hundred bucks a month in the process.
P.S. We have a television in our home…but shut down the cable over 7 years ago. We have saved over 10,000 dollars, our kids love to read, and I spend my time writing, working, and hanging out with the family instead of watching re-runs of SportCenter over and over again. Our kids don’t know what to ask for at Christmas and birthdays because they don’t see commercials for the latest toy that everyone has to have. Although I do miss the occasional sporting event…overall, we feel like it has blessed our lives and the lives of our children to get the empty and addicting media out of our homes and out of our heads.
The oompa loompas said it best all the way back in 1964.
We moved from UT to MT 4 yrs ago and when we moved in the last thing we were concerned about was getting cable set up…….so we just never bothered. We have now been 4 yrs without the junk and filth that is 98% of todays cable shows. My kids are all teens and they couldn’t care less about not watching the latest shows. They really don’t care to go see movies either. Although I have to put in a little more effort to find out what is going on in the world since I dont have news, I haven’t missed it at all. I am thankful my kids enjoy reading, playing card games and yes they have their digital devices, but that is monitored so it isn’t overly used. If I can block that filth from coming into my home in just one way then I feel like I have accomplished something positive!
Thats so awesome Paige! Nice work!
Stopped watching the “soaps” years ago and watched the “News” basically, but eventually gave it away 2004 when I realized I was “hooked” on the news shows believing I was “keeping up.” I have never missed it. I am reminded that I don’t miss it every time I see it at the gym and it is the very same message I saw daily when I had one. ugh. LOL. Life goes way beyond that promoted by the 2D screen of television and their purveyors. Bless you Greg for verbalizing this and providing the forum.
Wait.. you just admitted that you own a television but you also encouraged everyone to get rid of their televisions…?
This article reminds me of the time that Aristotle condemned books (the latest ‘technology’) because people would no longer be required to use their minds to memorize stories. He essentially described it as the end of the world as they knew it back then.
Technology is a great thing. People practicing self-control can do amazing things with it – so no, I won’t ever get rid of my television. It’s an amazing piece of technology.
I’ve been browsing your site now for a bit. It’s absolutely wonderful and uplifting. Thank you for sharing goodness!