March 25, 1997
								         Essay #2  p. 178 #8.c.  
	"TV is justly called 'the boob tube'."  I disagree, in my opinion, television has many positive and informational uses.  Television is now being used more in school because it is proven that students remember and comprehend better than from a regular class lecture.
	Television has always been good for spreading the news of current world events but it is now being used for more educational and informational documentaries.  Television is becoming more and more an educational essential for children. Before they start school, children learn many basic and fundamental tools from television.  Most kids learn the alphabet and how to count from shows like Sesame Street and Barney. As children get older there are many story-telling shows that either feature stories with good morals or they tell masterpiece stories like Hercules, Hunchback of Notre Dame, etc..  Some of these stories are now a part of our culture and children know and understand them because of television.
	As people grow older, television, at least for recent generations, plays a large role in socialization.  On many sitcoms and talk shows one can learn of problems of today like teenage pregnancy, poverty, drugs, etc..  Television also seems to support somewhat decent morals, a very religious person may not think so but television still follows the good guy-hero, bad guy-loser theme.  From certain shows on TV one can learn what sort of things are socially acceptable for instance fashion, behavior and hobbies.
	Television features many "how-to" shows like gardening, painting, cooking, etc..  It also has many documentaries on foreign lands and historic events.  Television is also an inexpensive form of entertainment.  There are many movies and sporting events shown on television.
	In my opinion there are many positive things associated with television but you can get too much of a good thing.  A very important thing to remember is to watch television in moderation, when used correctly television can be a very useful tool.