March 12, 2008 |
Reading Versus Television
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by Jim Muncy We encourage our children to read and yet we discourage them from watching television. Some people have commented that this is inconsistent. "Why is the written word a superior way to get information than television?" That's an interesting point of view worth further exploration. Reading is a skill that is in much greater demand than the demand for watching TV. I have seen few jobs that require a person to be able to watch TV but reading is an integral part of many jobs. Why? The written word is an incredibly flexible and efficient way of communication. I can write something down and, in no time, it can be communicated to many different people. Not only that, I can assimilate vast amounts of information through reading in a very short time. I would argue that a good reader can acquire more information in reading for two hours than someone watching TV can acquire in a full day. I know some people predict the eventual downfall of the written or printed word. It will only be gone if a more efficient means of communicating large amounts of information is discovered. I am able to gain a lot of information quickly because I am a fast reader with good comprehension skills. I want my children to have the same ability. It will save them massive amounts of time and they will be able to assimilate vast quantities of information. I don't see the same benefit if they acquire the ability to be great TV watchers. So, if I have a choice of encouraging my child to read a book or watch a TV program, I would much rather him read a book. I have a seven year old who absolutely loves Archie comic books. We buy every one of them that we can find for him. Why? It would be much cheaper to let him watch free cartoons on TV than to buy these comics. And, after all, when he finishes reading an Archie comic book, he probably has no more knowledge than if he watched a cartoon or a TV program. But, in my humble opinion, he is much better off after reading the Archie comic because he has had a little more practice at something that will help him in the future. We encourage Alonzo to read just about anything that interests him (within certain limits). Even if he doesn't get anything out of the content, he is accomplishing something in that he is practicing developing his reading skills. On the other hand, our TV viewing is quite limited. So much of it is a waste of time and this time could be so much better spent, even if it is in just reading a useless Archie comic book. From the editor: For more essays by Jim Muncy, please visit the web page: |
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