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<title> Should we blame it on the "telly"? </title>
It's hard to say exactly how violence on TV affects us. This is one of the problems with censorship. Some people claim that it doesn't matter how many violent shows a child watches while others say it's dangerous to allow a young person to watch those kind of programs. We've heard of 4-year-olds that have knocked their friends down as a result of exposition to violent media. On the other hand, is this a problem due only to television? Couldn't there be some other aspect that has failed in our society?

There's a lot to be learned from television. Think about all those nature-shows, which give both young and old viewers valuable knowledge about for example distant countries and continents. My nephew's favourite program is a documentary about foreign animals such as lions and zebras. He's only eight years old but that doesn't stop him from ignoring every other thing in life when this show starts running. Naturally he also watches other programs as well, some more intimidating than others. 

However when there's so much to chose from it's almost impossible for parents to control and decide what their children can and cannot watch. I once met a mother who told me that her two young boys weren't allowed to watch the coloured cartoon "Tom and Jerry" anymore. When I asked her why she said it was because of how they reacted afterwards. The two boys who seemed to be calm as angels under normal circumstances became violent and noisy directly and almost only as a result of watching this show. I don't know what to make of that. It's obviously possible for some people to watch certain programs on TV while others react in a very strong way when doing the same thing.

Another problem with censorship is the question about children's imagination. There are very strong opinions about whether or not television interferes with the normal dose of fantasy that every child should have. Some people are convinced that children of today haven't got the same imagination as yesterday's children, who didn't have access to any TV, had. These people argue that in a time without television (a product that gives already made information to its audience) children would be more active and more creative. This is what you usually hear when it comes to television verses playing children's games. Most adults prefer that their child reads a book or draws a painting instead of watching TV. Is this because of the fact that this phenomena actually harm children's imagination and makes them stupid or is it simply due to the fact that TV is part of the new technology? Would it be a bit true to say that mankind has always been afraid of new things? We're not really sure how it eventually will affect us and this could be one reason as to why we blame it all on the "telly".

The TV has been accused of making baby's and grown-ups into passive spectators. It stops children from playing with their friends. It also prevents them from turning into good social citizens and makes them stupid. Many people think that there is nothing to be gained from watching TV and their probably right. If a person feels that something isn't good for him he's probably better off without it. 

But what about all those humans out there who want to enrich their lives in some way and do so by using television as a complement to their own boring surroundings?

We have clear reasons as to why a censorship is needed. On the other hand; who is to decide what kind of shows should be censured? Is it fair to deny everybody the right to watch violent shows when it has been proven that some can handle it while others can't?
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