Study: People Without TVs Lean Toward Political Extremes

[Bradley in DC]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,416743,00.html

Study: People Without TVs Lean Toward Political Extremes
Friday, September 05, 2008
By Clara Moskowitz

For many Americans, the thought of life without TV is akin to forgoing food, shelter or, God forbid, the Internet.

But about 1 to 2 percent of Americans do abstain from the boob tube, and they might seem like strange bedfellows.

A recent study of those who live without found that about two-thirds fall into either the "crunchy granola set" or the "religious right, ultraconservative" camp, said researcher Marina Krcmar, a professor of communication at North Carolina's Wake Forest University.

Krcmar interviewed 120 people from 62 different households who do not watch television, as well as 92 people from 35 households with TV, and described her findings in a new book, "Living Without the Screen" (Routledge, 2008).

Aversion to television, it turns out, is a common ground for the very liberal and the very conservative.

"I interviewed one guy who was 31, single, an artist living in Boston, who saw himself as countercultural," Krcmar told LiveScience. "The next day I had an interview with a religious woman with ten children who lived in the Midwest.

"These people seem like they would disagree about almost everything, but if you asked them about television, the things that came out of their mouths were almost identical."

Why do people give it up?

Krcmar herself lives on the dark side, having given up television about 13 years ago.

"It's just something I don't want in the home — it's a perpetual annoyance, like a gnat," she said.

The motivations for most people who abandon TV fall into three categories, Krcmar found.

Some give it up to avoid exposing their families to the excessive sex, violence, and consumerism they feel are promoted onscreen.

Others object to the medium itself, claiming television intrudes too much into their lives, interferes with conversation and takes time away from the family.

Finally, some people have a beef with the power and values of the television industry and don't want its influence in their homes.

In contrast to the average American adult, who watches three hours of television a day, non-watchers fill their time with a plethora of activities.

"Non-viewers had a greater variety of things that they did with their free time than viewers did," Krcmar said. "It's not just that they were reading instead of watching TV. They were hiking and biking, and going to community meetings and visiting with friends. Overall, they tend to do more of everything."

Are they right?

Science does in fact support many non-watchers' worst fears about TV.

"The research tends to show that increased exposure to television and violence results in greater aggression in children," Krcmar said. "That's a pretty consistent finding."

Though not all children become more violent, and everyone reacts uniquely, it's fair to say that what we watch affects us.

When parents did cut television out of their homes, they reported that their kids didn't bug them as much for junk food and toys advertised on TV.

They also said giving up television made their children easier to manage.

"It's sort of counter-intuitive, because people think their kids would drive them nuts without TV," Krcmar said. "But parents found that kids became very good at entertaining themselves and didn't need to be entertained all the time by something that was lively and active. They didn’t complain about being bored."

Downsides of life without TV

People who had relinquished television didn't report too many downsides. Most felt satisfied getting their news from newspapers and radio, and while some people said they felt less connected to pop culture, "many adults noted that as a point of pride," Krcmar said.

Even most kids in non-watching households seemed to agree with their parents that they were better off without the reviled medium, though a number of kids around ages 10 to 13 said they resented feeling left out when other kids talk about shows and actors on television.

By the time they reached later adolescence around age 14 and 15, though, most had come full circle and said they didn't really like TV and didn't mind doing without.

For those who want to experience some of the benefits of life without the tube, but don't feel ready to go cold turkey, Krcmar said she thinks good things can come just by setting limits.

"I think you can have the benefits just by having kids watch less television," she said. "Be selective about content. You don’t go to a restaurant and let them eat anything on the menu. Instead you say choose something that's healthy that you would enjoy."

A similarly restrained approach to TV could go a long way toward protecting kids from the downsides of TV.

Copyright © 2008 Imaginova Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[amy31416]

This must be why the government is so incredibly interested in making sure we all have the digital converter boxes by the time things go high-def.

[Andrew-Austin]

For many Americans, the thought of life without TV is akin to forgoing food, shelter or, God forbid, the Internet.

lol, well I'm not the average American and indeed a radical per Fox news. Feels good.

[Agent CSL]

Interesting. I used to watch tons of TV, and then, the internet. I don't watch as much TV anymore but I enjoy some shows and every once in a great while, an ok movie comes on. I'm wondering if I should cut it out completely (but I like Jay Leno headlines. It's a necessity like coffee.)

I was amused at this last part:
Copyright © 2008 Imaginova Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. :P

[nayjevin]

They have it backwards:

'Political extremists' (i.e. smart people) are more likely to scrap their televisions.

[libertea]

I lived 11 years without television. I was politically to an extreme. Extremely uninterested.

We cancelled our dish this summer and have cable schedule to be installed this Sunday. I think is was great for the kids to not be glued to the TV at all this summer. I would have liked to have seen some of the Olympics.

Even when we have TV, it is my wife and kids that watch it. I may catch an occasional Daily/Colbert. I am far from being a liberal, but the right has no sense of humor.

[Fox McCloud]

For me, TV is a venue, mostly, for 2 things; movies, and the really big one for me: video-games.

I watch the occasional show here and there, but overall, it's not high on my priority list; why watch TV when I could be reading a book, doing stuff online, or playing with a computer and/or video-game?

[Conza88]

Television is a medium. It can be used for good, and evil.

Good Night & Good luck. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCaBCdJWOyM)

[pacelli]

Anyone else find it incredibly ironic that FoxNews, a major extremist TV station, publishes a story about 'extremists' who choose to not watch TV?

[nate895]

I could have told you that. I never met any people who didn't have a TV until I went to my Ron Paul meetup group.

[lucius]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,416743,00.html

Study: People Without TVs Lean Toward Political Extremes
Friday, September 05, 2008
By Clara Moskowitz

For many Americans, the thought of life without TV is akin to forgoing food, shelter or, God forbid, the Internet.

But about 1 to 2 percent of Americans do abstain from the boob tube, and they might seem like strange bedfellows.

A recent study of those who live without found that about two-thirds fall into either the "crunchy granola set" or the "religious right, ultraconservative" camp, said researcher Marina Krcmar, a professor of communication at North Carolina's Wake Forest University.

Krcmar interviewed 120 people from 62 different households who do not watch television, as well as 92 people from 35 households with TV, and described her findings in a new book, "Living Without the Screen" (Routledge, 2008).

Aversion to television, it turns out, is a common ground for the very liberal and the very conservative.

"I interviewed one guy who was 31, single, an artist living in Boston, who saw himself as countercultural," Krcmar told LiveScience. "The next day I had an interview with a religious woman with ten children who lived in the Midwest.

"These people seem like they would disagree about almost everything, but if you asked them about television, the things that came out of their mouths were almost identical."

Why do people give it up?

Krcmar herself lives on the dark side, having given up television about 13 years ago.

"It's just something I don't want in the home — it's a perpetual annoyance, like a gnat," she said.

The motivations for most people who abandon TV fall into three categories, Krcmar found.

Some give it up to avoid exposing their families to the excessive sex, violence, and consumerism they feel are promoted onscreen.

Others object to the medium itself, claiming television intrudes too much into their lives, interferes with conversation and takes time away from the family.

Finally, some people have a beef with the power and values of the television industry and don't want its influence in their homes.

In contrast to the average American adult, who watches three hours of television a day, non-watchers fill their time with a plethora of activities.

"Non-viewers had a greater variety of things that they did with their free time than viewers did," Krcmar said. "It's not just that they were reading instead of watching TV. They were hiking and biking, and going to community meetings and visiting with friends. Overall, they tend to do more of everything."

Are they right?

Science does in fact support many non-watchers' worst fears about TV.

"The research tends to show that increased exposure to television and violence results in greater aggression in children," Krcmar said. "That's a pretty consistent finding."

Though not all children become more violent, and everyone reacts uniquely, it's fair to say that what we watch affects us.

When parents did cut television out of their homes, they reported that their kids didn't bug them as much for junk food and toys advertised on TV.

They also said giving up television made their children easier to manage.

"It's sort of counter-intuitive, because people think their kids would drive them nuts without TV," Krcmar said. "But parents found that kids became very good at entertaining themselves and didn't need to be entertained all the time by something that was lively and active. They didn’t complain about being bored."

Downsides of life without TV

People who had relinquished television didn't report too many downsides. Most felt satisfied getting their news from newspapers and radio, and while some people said they felt less connected to pop culture, "many adults noted that as a point of pride," Krcmar said.

Even most kids in non-watching households seemed to agree with their parents that they were better off without the reviled medium, though a number of kids around ages 10 to 13 said they resented feeling left out when other kids talk about shows and actors on television.

By the time they reached later adolescence around age 14 and 15, though, most had come full circle and said they didn't really like TV and didn't mind doing without.

For those who want to experience some of the benefits of life without the tube, but don't feel ready to go cold turkey, Krcmar said she thinks good things can come just by setting limits.

"I think you can have the benefits just by having kids watch less television," she said. "Be selective about content. You don’t go to a restaurant and let them eat anything on the menu. Instead you say choose something that's healthy that you would enjoy."

A similarly restrained approach to TV could go a long way toward protecting kids from the downsides of TV.

Copyright © 2008 Imaginova Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Not surprising; it is appropriately called programming--the medium is the message. 'Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television' by Jerry Mander (ISBN: 0688082742)


A total departure from previous writing about television, this book is the first ever to advocate that the medium is not reformable. Its problems are inherent in the technology itself...

[ChickenHawk]

Anyone else find it incredibly ironic that FoxNews, a major extremist TV station, publishes a story about 'extremists' who choose to not watch TV?

Fox News is very mainstream (not saying they are right). You and an extremist (not saying you are wrong). You don't know you are an extremist so you think Fox news is. Just the fact that Fox News is the most highly rated cable news channel proves they are mainstream.

[pacelli]

Fox News is very mainstream (not saying they are right). You and an extremist (not saying you are wrong). You don't know you are an extremist so you think Fox news is. Just the fact that Fox News is the most highly rated cable news channel proves they are mainstream.

I must have forgotten to use the smiley face or something, you've taken my comment the wrong way. It was meant as a joke.

[micahnelson]

Even when we have TV, it is my wife and kids that watch it. I may catch an occasional Daily/Colbert. I am far from being a liberal, but the right has no sense of humor.

Thats not entirely true- all political parties have jokes. The left tell jokes, the right elects them.

[devil21]

Pretty simple. If you don't watch much, or any, tv you aren't programmed to believe what the tv tells you to believe, thus making you an "extremist". I wear that badge with pride. I enjoy certain shows but never take it seriously or form opinions based on what I see.

[Matt Collins]

Is it any wonder that those who do not plug into the matrix every day have views that are considered "out of the mainstream" :rolleyes:


And it's funny that FOX is reporting on this, or any other TV network or that matter.


But yes, I DID INDEED CANCEL MY CABLE the day after Super Tuesday.

[Truth Warrior]

Whew, thats a real relief to know. We've got 6 TVs. :rolleyes: For now, only 2 people. :D

[constituent]

Just the fact that Fox News is the most highly rated cable news channel proves they are mainstream.

no, that proves that extremism is "mainstream."

[rpfan2008]

Fox News is very mainstream (not saying they are right). You and an extremist (not saying you are wrong). You don't know you are an extremist so you think Fox news is. Just the fact that Fox News is the most highly rated cable news channel proves they are mainstream.

So?? What's your FUCKING point? In 1930s Nazis were mainstream in Germany. And it's sheer ignorance in your part that you sided with Fox news. Fox news is the most biased news channels out there, with a very dangerous agenda...they literally fought for their right to lie in court, and secured their 'right to misinform'...

People who don't watch TV doesn't fall to that trap and notice that things are wrong.
Are you pimping Fox news here.

[rpfan2008]

no, that proves that extremism is "mainstream."

:)

Precise and concise on that one.

[IPSecure]

Since when did a choice not to watch their propaganda become extremism?

[amy31416]

Since when did a choice not to watch their propaganda become extremism?

Since they said so.

[Liberty Star]

Because watching too much TV numbs down all mental faculties (including any extreme beliefs) LOL

Not sure if the bargain is worth it, much of our TV programming content with exception of some PBS programming seems to dumb down public while trying to sell this or that.

[Highland]

we are cruchy granola conservative....new one for the records!

[Highland]

Since when did a choice not to watch their propaganda become extremism?

here here!

[Highland]

here is the question, does cable or satellite run to your house...that is the definition of having no tv...not just, I only watch it sometimes. You gotta be like the Amish...can't even have it running to their homes...I really think it helps not to even have the line. Only the TRUTH LINE...the INTERNETS! ONE MAJOR TUBE!

[countrykidz4freedom]

I grew up without a TV, and find it a frustrating annoyance. I only have one now because the rest of my family likes watching it. I hate it, and I think the people who do not have TVs generally tend to work harder, interact more with their families, are more alert, accomplish more, and usually read more. I rarely ever watch it, always finding there is something else I would rather be doing. I cannot even sit still to watch the occasional family movie unless I am also doing another task at the same time. To me, TV is a total waste of time.

[constituent]

here is the question, does cable or satellite run to your house...that is the definition of having no tv...not just, I only watch it sometimes. You gotta be like the Amish...can't even have it running to their homes...I really think it helps not to even have the line. Only the TRUTH LINE...the INTERNETS! ONE MAJOR TUBE!

i've been looking for this faulkner quote i read a long time ago about the evil nature of lines (w/ illusion to snakes, the devil, etc.), i believe it was in reference to the construction of roads or maybe the hanging of powerlines... i don't remember.

any help would be appreciated.

[Primbs]

Is there a study that shows less numbers of TV hours watched, the more political extreme people will be?

Next thing you know the government is going to be giving everyone free tvs and cable so that they can calm people down.

[ChickenHawk]

no, that proves that extremism is "mainstream."

Technically it's not extreme then. I understand what you are saying though and I tend to agree.

[Highland]

i've been looking for this faulkner quote i read a long time ago about the evil nature of lines (w/ illusion to snakes, the devil, etc.), i believe it was in reference to the construction of roads or maybe the hanging of powerlines... i don't remember.

any help would be appreciated.

"Ride the snake" lol...that was Morrison.. sorry!

[porcupine]

They have it backwards:

'Political extremists' (i.e. smart people) are more likely to scrap their televisions.

This

[constituent]

"Ride the snake" lol...that was Morrison.. sorry!

http://streetknowledge.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/austin_danger_powers_mike_myers.jpg

Do I? Do I?

</kidding>

[Lovecraftian4Paul]

I've almost totally stopped watching television for about the past five years. Gaining higher speed internet had a lot to do with it. I find myself much more interested in getting educated and entertained online rather than watching highly controlled, mainstream stuff on TV.

[kathy88]

I've lived with and without it. I can always catch Colbert and Stewart on the internet. I have little time for it, and when I do it's politics. I feel the need to see what they are brainwashing people with so I know what we are up against.

[Standing Like A Rock]

They have it backwards:

'Political extremists' (i.e. smart people) are more likely to scrap their televisions.

just as i was thinking

[TheEvilDetector]

I grew up without a TV, and find it a frustrating annoyance. I only have one now because the rest of my family likes watching it. I hate it, and I think the people who do not have TVs generally tend to work harder, interact more with their families, are more alert, accomplish more, and usually read more. I rarely ever watch it, always finding there is something else I would rather be doing. I cannot even sit still to watch the occasional family movie unless I am also doing another task at the same time. To me, TV is a total waste of time.

I would have to agree with your views nearly 100%.

A few extra points:

1. I find TV useful as an extra outlet from my computer to watch stuff like movies/series which I like (Computer monitor being too small for some things).
2. I find TV useful when there is a big event (like olympics) where its easier to watch than searching the web for content (although I did both this year).
3. I find TV useful, so that whenever I want to remind myself how boring, commercial and pathetic it is, I can. Especially, the absolutely asinine commercials.
4. On rare occasions, I find interesting things on TV, so I may watch those.

I think over time, TV will become less prevalent, as younger generations are becoming used to spending ever increasing amounts of time watching media on fixed (eg. home pc) and mobile internet (eg. cell phone/pda).

This leads me to believe, that it wont be too long, before government begins to make coordinated efforts to lock down the variety and distribution of content under the guise of making things fair.

[humanic]

I'm going on a year of TV abstinence, although I didn't watch much to begin with.

[porcupine]

I caught a glimpse of CNN today while I was out. "Who has the momentum?"

Person 1: 'McCain has "the momentum" but that might change. The Convention gives "momentum"... bla bla blah.

Person 2: "Obama has so much momentum. Obama cares, blah blah blah.

Person 3: they both have momentum. It's "going to be an interesting race" (wow, glad I watched CNN to tell me that).



That left me with the question, wtf is "momentum" except a contrivance of pollsters, why should I give a shit and why am I standing here watching this crap? So glad I killed my TV.