One of the modern inventions I enjoy is how with my Direct TV I can fast forward past commercials on the television programs. It has gotten to the point where Peggy and I avoid live TV shows since it means that we’ll have to sit through commercials.
Although you can fast forward through unwanted commercials, there are some commercials that you can’t bypass so easily. Those are the commercials buried in the shows themselves. They remind me of a lesson I learned back in college from a professor named Jib Fowles.
Jib had some unique views on television and its effects on people. He examined the parts of you it appeals to and why it works so powerfully.
One item he stressed was that television shows are designed to deliver an audience to an advertiser. They are not about enriching our lives or seriously entertain us, they are designed to deliver your attention to an advertiser.
Today there are the overt ads for various products ranging from pharmaceuticals to automobile dealers. The ones I want to bring to your attention are the covert or sneaky ads. While you are watching the show, the show itself is designed for selling you something.
What the shows often sell you is a value system or lifestyle. The shows are designed to shape and mold the audience’s thinking, including yours. They are working you and your emotions over. They shape what you want, when you want it and how you want it delivered.
Since I deal with relationships, I often pick up on the relationship messages being shaped. Make no mistake, the shows are selling you something as much as the commercials, only the format is different. Your mind thinks you can block out the products and just enjoy the show.
The danger is that you often let down your guard and don’t consciously reject products you don’t want. You end up passively consuming the lifestyle and relationship products they are promoting. When you don’t resist them, you end up accepting them. This is how a mindset that accepts affairs often sneaks into your life and your thinking.
Hearing the message that affairs are fun again and again over long enough period of time, it sinks in. Typically it sinks into the sub-conscious parts of your mind.
The new year is a good time to start some good habits in your marriage. Any behavior you continue doing over long enough time can become a habit, including good things. The “30 Days to a Better Marriage” gives you ideas to use that improve your marriage and communication habits. Wouldn’t you like starting the year with a better marriage rather than wrestling with the role modeling and behavior shaping provided by television programming?
Best Regards,
Jeff
