i found this on an Indian news site. i didn't pay much attention to it as it wasn't too badminton related. until i noticed the author.....

http://www.newindpress.com/sunday/sundayitems.asp?id=SEC20021115052833&eTitle=Columns&rLink=0

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Why television can harm

Pullela Gopi Chand

The best thing about sports, or for that matter any other profession that involves travelling, is that you get to interact with many people with different backgrounds, opinions and outlook.

At the World Badminton Championship in Seville (Spain) last year I met a girl from Canada who introduced herself as a member of an anti-TV group. I was surprised to know that such groups actually existed and enquired about what it actually meant. She believed many of the problems we face today are due to excessive exposure to violence through various mediums.

India, when compared to other countries, has the most number of people who watch television. One reason for this is that elsewhere, there are not many TV channels. The scope for entertainment in India is more and to many it’s the cheapest form of entertainment.

Also, unlike in developed countries, travel in India is time consuming and inconvenient. People are ready to pay a huge amount to watch a movie but they may not be ready to play a sport. But the infrastructure in sports needs to be increased.

As a child I spent some of my summer vacations in my village, playing ball badminton, a game which was popular in the rural areas in South India. I also played a ball badminton tournament when I was very young. I remember seeing a large crowd that had come to watch the match. It was entertainment at its best.

However, this sport doesn’t enjoy the same kind of popularity anymore. And one of the main reasons for this is television. People are now loaded with different kinds of entertainment and are hooked on to the idiot box. This is especially true in villages where the roads look lifeless when it’s time for the television serials.

Nowadays, we hear about some accident or the other involving kids who try to imitate something that they have seen on TV. The violence in serials and in movies has had a bad impact on the younger generation. In the West, we have had instances of young children shooting their classmates. This is horrendous. It has a negative influence on the kids. These are few instances where the effects of TV are evident. Television and movies have influenced adults in a subtle way. The language and mannerisms used in TV serials and movies have become a part of their daily life!

Why do we have to use television solely as a means of entertainment. There’s so much news and information that one can get from the medium. Even I find the National Geographic or Discovery channels to be very interesting. These channels are definitely more useful than some of the popular serials. But then, seems like we in India prefer to watch the Indian soap operas. It is for no reason that the Bollywood stars have also made their entry into these soap operas.

We also need to censor the excessive violence and vulgarity shown on TV and in movies. They could, instead, be excellent mediums to develop national spirit and educate the masses given their vast reach.

There is a need for the community as a whole to move towards a more active means of entertainment so that we can have a more active and youthful society. Television has a big role to play in the 21st century India.

Untrue Untrue

From the other point of view,

Imagine a person who has not seen any television in his or her life

Imagine a person who has never been exposed to any type of trama, blood, or violence (More likey this person would be at a young age)

Then one day, he/she sees the bloody murder of someone or discovers a dead corpse or finally sees violence for the first time, but brutally.

This person will go into shock, because this person has not seen anything like this before in his/her life. By seeing violence, it can actually prepare you for anything that is just as bad or worse.

It's just like the example of a person who is always clean and dares to go out, because she is afraid of germs. A person who lives more cautiously will more likely be sick in the future, because that person's immune system does not get exposed to the environment as much and does not develop enough resistance for what is later on to come.

Same goes for internet and pc, it depend how they are being used. The TV and pc is just a messenger, it is the content/software that influence people. Killing the messenger won't solve the problem.

Computer games, bloody movies, TV-all get blamed for everything........I would like to think I am a sentient intelligent person who can make my own decisions......

agreed Sheldon. the world makes cold blooded killers. There was no tv in Hitler's day, or during the Japanese invasion of China.

well damn. i posted that purely because of the fact that it is an article written by a top professional player in the world. and esp when gopi wrote about something non-badminton and something reveals his own thought on society. i think that is something that is un-usual but also intriguing. my intention wasn't to spark discussions on TV and society as i think that would be off topic.. oh well. :)

we're "Natural Born Badminton-Players"

lol ( a lame joke referring to Natural Born Killers - the movie)

lol, just cuz he didn't have TV when he was a kid, doesn't mean he has to ruin it for the rest of the world! if it werent' for TV, he couldn't watch his enemies play badminton and analyze!

I think Gopichand, like all the intelligent users of this forum, was trying to say that television may be harmful but may be harnessed for positive effects as well???

..(saw on the news last night, but not sure where to post or share this minor news. But since it's somewhat related to badminton, i thought i'd share it here)...Note that the people they're targeting were young high school badminton players; as a side note, the area has quite a decent size of Asian community..:( :mad:

http://cbs2.com/local/Glen.A.Wilson.2.702408.html
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Apr 18, 2008 11:50 pm US/Pacific
Student Arrested For Alleged Threat Against School
Authorities Searching Glen A. Wilson High School

HACIENDA HEIGHTS Authorities say a student has been arrested for allegedly making online threats against students at Glen A. Wilson High School in Hacienda Heights.

District officials decided to shut down the school Friday and Saturday as authorities investigate the threat against students.

The threat, posted on Wikipedia, was discovered late Wednesday by Los Angeles County sheriff's officials, who immediately notified school district officials. The school remained open Thursday with extra security and student's backpacks were checked before entering the school, a student told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

School district police Chief Al Vasquez said the threat did not target the entire student body. Students said the threat named several names, most of whom were members of the badminton team and are Asian American.

All after-school activities were canceled Thursday, including a track meet against cross-town rival Los Altos High School, the Tribune reported.

School officials took the threat especially seriously because the ninth anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre is on Sunday.

Um, what's the connection to television? :confused:

...in parentheses; don't really want to create a special thread...;)..
Off topic:Btw, Oldhand, are you still in the U.S.? Or back home already??..:confused:

...in parentheses; don't really want to create a special thread...;)..
Off topic:Btw, Oldhand, are you still in the U.S.? Or back home already??..:confused:
I thought you were hinting that the arrested student was influenced by television.

If TV programming is spurring acts of violence, I wonder what was responsible before television was invented :rolleyes:

Also, if television is indeed a precipitous influence, then those who watch comedy shows should be walking the streets laughing loud and hard ;)

PS: Las Vegas is now 9,000 miles away :(

..the news was broadcasted on tv. I caught it and searched for the above article. In a way, it just so happened that it was broadcasted on the telly; if it wasn't, i probably wouldn't know about it (since it's such a minor news)...:p..anyway..

Off topic: Ah well, guess not this time; hope we can meet up next time..;)

i think anyone who believes that TV, the internet, computer and video games are doing us more harm than good should read this book. unbelievers will be skeptical, believers will nod in agreement, but both parties should be entertained nonetheless.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everything_Bad_Is_Good_For_You