A recent study details how children who watch Spongebob Squarepants actually damage their ability to learn and focus. Watching a television cartoon that essentially has ADHD itself is actually giving children ADHD-like symptoms. This has come as a shock to many people, but that’s a cop out, because although the empirical evidence may be new, it’s actually just a classic example of garbage in, garbage out.
If children are subjected to useless imagery and sounds, they are filling their developing minds with useless imagery and sounds – that’s pretty straightforward, and nobody should be surprised.
But children rely on adults to educate and teach them, and the problem is that adults are no better. Because although many adults may choose not to exercise their right to vote in elections, they probably don’t realize that their every action votes for their way of life.
If they like a particular product, every time they purchase it they’re voting for it. If a style appeals to them and they imitate it, they’re voting for it. And if they turn on their television and watch uneducated idiots living shallow, selfish lives, they’re voting for that as well.
By watching these shows not only are adults supporting them, they’re advocating on their behalf, telling the creators that it’s a product that people want – and to make more of it. The lack of substance on television and elsewhere is only there because that is what people have proven they want. And children follow along because they learn from adults and imitate what they do.
This cycle can be easily broken – and not just by turning off the TV – by being conscious of the choices we make.
Realize that when buying a poor product, eating unhealthy food, or watching junk television that we are actually contributing to those problems.
A growing awareness of the power people routinely exercise simply by making their choices is the first step towards getting rid of sub-par products and entertainment.
If everyone stopped buying non-organic food, those companies would go out of business or adapt and switch to organic food. If everyone stopped watching reality television, there would be no reality television.
If parents only let their children watch educational shows, there wouldn’t be shows like Spongebob Squarepants, and the world would genuinely be better for it.
The choice is ours.