I totally agree with the article. The television is not evil, but it is a passive activity. People who watch tv are frequently subjected to what is on the screen. The only way to combat that is to watch selectively, but very few people in my experience do that. How many times has someone told you that they are watching something because"there's nothing else on." That the television can be turned off is a startling concept to many, including me.

Combine this with the thought of children having unlimited access to television. They are the consumers that have had no chance to develop self discipline. If they are not checked, they will not ever learn to turn the tv off. In the special ed field, one of the most important life skills is the use of leasure time. This is a "make or break" once a person becomes an adult, so we'd better be teaching it to them now.