Watching television

Please remember, BoP lies solely on Pro, as they are affirming the positive. "Watching TV is good"My opponent has posted many "facts" about how watching television and has not provided any information about how these things are true or how they benefit us.I will refute them now:" It is a powerful media of mass communication. It can provide education and enlighten our illiterate and ignorant masses."I not only find this insulting to me, but to everyone. Please explain how the masses are ignorant and illiterate. . Because according to this sentence, TV helps enlighten and educate those people. The US has a 99% literacy rate. http://en.wikipedia.org... "In this crowded television environment, the key is to provide young children with a guided viewing experience and to model and teach them the critical thinking skills they need to be active, engaged viewers."To this I argue, there are many things on TV that are not child appropriate. Many shows (Law and Order SVU, Tosh.0, South Park, Family Guy, etc) Are not appropriate for children. We are arguing the benefits of watching television. Not the benefits of certain shows for certain age groups.TNT, USA, FX, MTV, Comedy Central are major cable networks providing entertainment television (usually suited for adults)Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel are the only two major cable networks that are tailored to children viewing.Therefore, TV is more tailored to adults than to children. Other benefits to kids you listed: "Because of its ability to create powerful touchstones, TV enables young people to share cultural experiences with others.TV can act as a catalyst to get kids reading—following up on TV programs by getting books on the same subjects or reading authors whose work was adapted for the programs.Television can teach kids important values and life lessons."You have not posted any information to how this happens. There is no proof that TV does this for children. Because I believe that TV is detrimental to a child's learning and health. Books are more engaging, as you have to read and picture the setting, characters, etc yourself. And going outside stimulates more parts of the brain than TV, and gives you the opportunity to be active and healthy.Please provide sources for the "facts" above, otherwise they do not stand."1) It tests your intelligence."How does a complex storyline make us smarter? I believe it can just be confusing and deter people from watching."2) It improves your knowledge of the world." Pro states we do not travel as much anymore. Isn't better to travel and see things in person? "3) It’s exciting."Those are only two types of shows. While yes they can create an emotional response in viewers, TV overall has more re-runs than anything else. Meaning the excitement is outweighed by everything else. Remember, we are arguing watching TV as a whole, not just picking out favorite shows. "4) It can be educational and informative.""Costumes, documentaries"... How do those educate us. Don't museums more accurately portray this? Dramas are television shows that need to hook viewers. Which means they do contain historical inaccuracies. They bend the truth to make it more exciting. Changing the timeline of history for the purposes of a show, is not educational."5) It makes you laugh."There are also many drama's and news shows. Not including non-comedic movies. Most shows on TV are not meant to induce laughter. Also, cooking shows take 30+ minutes to give you a recipe. Online searching it is much faster, and you're able to start your cooking immediately."7) It can be a comfort."First off.....Where is Number 6?.. Must have miscounted, or you are messing with me, lol. But, Taking your mind off of problems isn't the best answer. You are then putting off the problem by drowning your difficulties in nonsense. Face the problem, solve the problem, then enjoy a leisure activity of your choosing when you are down. "8) It makes exercise and tedious household jobs fly by." Treadmill is the only exercise you can do while watching TV. Lifting weights requires focus, most other calisthenics require much movement and focus. What household chores are you able to do while focusing on a TV? Dusting, vacuuming, cleaning floors, bathrooms. These all require movement around the house. This takes away from your focus on whatever TV show is currently on. "9) It can provide that “water cooler moment”."Talking about watching TV, is not watching TV. Which is the argument of this debate. This, like the others, is also not a benefit of watching tv. "10) It gives families and friends something to bond over."So now we are including sharing our feelings with watching TV? This is a change in the argument. Like the water coolers moments. If you and your family are watching TV, there is nothing to bond over. The TV is projecting the images you are all seeing. If you turn off the TV and talk about yourselves, your lives...this is when bonds begin to happen. Now, onto your only sourced material:"Science(research) says that watching television can be good for you." Your article briefly states how TV can take your mind off of certain addictive things, like checking facebook. The article also mentions "TV really isn’t the best way to boost self-control". "TV can be educational: in a large-scale survey, 55% of 18-24 year-olds said they learned about politics from legal and government-themed dramas. It can also raise awareness of health and social issues." Half of young adults, this is not a serious statistic. As well, dramas can contain false information. "Here some ways children can benefit from watching TV and movies." I have already discussed this point, TV overall is not conducive to a children. Most TV shows are tailored to adults."Here some ways children can benefit from watching TV and movies."This is your closing line. You have provided very little information to those benefits. You have merely made statements about how it seems that way, but haven't proven any of them.Here is why watching TV is bad for you."It's been estimated that once you're over 25, every hour of television you watch reduces your life expectancy by close to 22 minutes.""For most us, watching television means sprawling on the couch for extended periods. And extended inactivity is known to increase your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, some types of cancers and premature death.""When you are sitting down, particularly if you're sitting on the couch and really reclining, you're not actually engaging those [skeletal] muscle groups [in your core, legs and spine]. They are all relaxed."The sedentary lifestyle of watching TV can reduce your lifespan, put you at risk for diseases, and make your muscles weaker.Skeletal muscle groups play an important role in lipid(fat) regulation. So TV can make you fat.http://www.abc.net.au..." The first 2 years of life are considered a critical time for brain development. TV and other electronic media can get in the way of exploring, playing, and interacting with parents and others, which encourages learning and healthy physical and social development.""As kids get older, too much screen time can interfere with activities such as being physically active, reading, doing homework, playing with friends, and spending time with family."TV gets in the way of a child's' natural development. Constricts exploring, and socially interacting with the people around you. This is detrimental to a child.http://kidshealth.org...TV has its immediate benefits to engage a viewer, however long term benefits begin to decrease. Health and Social Interaction begin to decline rapidly, therefore it is proven better to NOT watch TV, than it is to watch TV.