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A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small Texas town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on. As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger...he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies. If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind. Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave?) Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home... not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush. My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... and NEVER asked to leave. More than 50 years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures. His name? We just call him, "TV." And the stranger has a wife now. We call her "Internet." Published: Sunday, November 04, 2007
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Don't agree with the point of the story
I think the error in this piece is that there was no judgement used in what to watch. If you have a "nebuch" person in the community whom it is a chesed to invite into your home, you put up with conversation from them that is inappropriate sometimes because it is a mitzvah to be kind to them. But, the TV will not be insulted if you only watch speciifc programming. That has nothing to do with the TV itself, and everything to do with using your own good judgement.
(2) Arthur 11/21/2007 10:55:00 PM
Good and Bad
I agree with every thing that this author says about TV.Both can be used for good or evil.I guess we must find when to change channels or just turn it off!.In a society like we are put we must still be able to make that choice!. Thanks for this reminder.G-D be Merciful too you all.
(3) kathee 11/20/2007 10:46:00 AM
The Good and the Bad
I did enjoy this article. I agree with others here that both TV and the Internet can provide some very interesting, even valuable, information and entertainment. However, they also can be unpleasant, offensive, even harmful (such as predators). They can become an addiction, which also is harmful. We must be cautious and teach our children to be cautious so we can gain from the good (such as Aish.com!) and recognize and avoid the bad.