Beware of The Pied Piper

Beware of The Pied Piper
By Shakeel Syed

During a typical in-flight neighborly conversation, a Frenchman sitting next to me protested, “Too many American made programs are being shown on French television.” To a casual observer this may sound strange. After all, what is the difference between French and American television? True, the French consider the Americans ‘uncultured’, but the matter goes beyond culture.

The Frenchman argued that American television series were undermining their values and that the effect of American programs, which depict and glorify violence, would impact French society. Even when sharing common philosophical roots, people are concerned about preserving their own values. Imagine the situation when people approach life from very different perspectives.

The Islamic value system is rooted in the belief in One God, Allah, and the belief that the Qur’an is the revelation of Allah communicated through Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). Muslims, also, believe in family values. This means no premarital sex; an abhorrence of violence and waste; no drugs, including alcohol; love for honesty and justice; respect for the rights of all; respect and caring for elders; and love for young ones.

Often, what has come to be popularly identified as the “Western value system” stands at odds with Islamic, and other faith-based, values. Popular culture in North America, including television, is overwhelmingly produced and controlled by those who believe and indeed enjoy popularizing what they believe is the “Western value system.” This raises the question: are Muslim parents in North America aware of the challenge facing them?

Like all youth, Muslim children are, also, subliminally assimilated into the American society through one of the most powerful tools, television. Television with its overwhelming presence offers “processed thinking.”

A parent’s worst nightmare is a six year old to thirteen year old television addict who watches television in the morning before going to school; fixes himself/herself in front of the box as soon as he/she gets home in the afternoon; and has another dose in the evening. Today, electronic gadgets like DVD players have turned favorite shows and movies into an endlessly repeatable pastime. Computer and video games have added to the home box’s allure. The popular ‘Sesame Street’ ©, nothing more than a highly amusing business filled with cute critters and special effects, offers a type of learning that consists solely of watching. A child may learn the alphabet, but will never learn to think. As a result of the indoctrination by television, children have little patience to pursue anything that requires a steady stream of thought or the linking of one thought with another. Television is potentially so addictive that it can undermine the child’s imagination.

The passive experience, also, crowds out other, more active endeavors, such as congregational prayers at home, playing indoors and outdoors with family members, reading, etc. These traditional forms of interaction are most definitely not passive. They are all physically, mentally and spiritually active. A child watching television cannot simultaneously build a model or let his/her imagination soar with a good book. Instead, they are cut off from participation, imagination and the rest of the family. The child’s facial expression is transformed; the jaw is relaxed and hangs open slightly, the tongue rests on the front teeth (if there are any) and eyes develop a glazed, vacuous look.
Television, also, reveals to children the “backstage” activities of adults, exposing them to behavior that adults have spent centuries trying to hide. The average child who watches television routinely sees adults hitting or killing each other or breaking down and crying. Revealing the “secrets” of adulthood has virtually destroyed the notion of childhood as a discrete period of innocence. There are now more adult-like children and more childlike adults!

RealVision, an initiative to raise awareness about television’s impact on America, is a project of the Washington, DC TV-Turnoff Network. This year, its 11th annual TV-Turnoff Week was observed April 18-24, 2005. According to RealVision, an average child will have watched over 2,000 hours of television by the time he/she enters first grade and over 20,000 hours by the end of high school. This is more time than he/she will spend in a classroom. They will spend 28 hours a week watching television, more time than they spend doing any other single activity except sleeping. These 28 hours do not include time spent watching DVDs, videotapes, playing video games, or listening to records, audiotapes or CDs.

Research by RealVision has shown that prolonged television viewing by children is associated with more aggressive behavior (a.k.a. violence); excessive commercialism; sedentary lifestyles; and lack of creativity, patience, imagination, participation, and physical, mental and spiritual development. So who will correct it and how?

No institution plays a bigger role in shaping the attitudes of children than the family. The ultimate responsibility rests with the parents. It is necessary to strictly limit TV watching time and other electronic amusements and to continually monitor children’s behavior. At the same time, the influence and impact of the short time they spend watching television should be counterbalanced with other healthy activities such as Qur’an, seerah, lessons in Islamic history, Islamic board games and other indoor/outdoor activities with the family. In this way, TV can be put into proper focus, if not completely out of the picture, Insha’Allah.

Talking with children, also, helps: ‘Not to them, but with them’. Encourage them to share their thoughts and ideas and to think things through. Let them know that both logical reasoning and creative thought are wonderful accomplishments. Encourage children to read books and to consider their significance in the larger scheme of things. Avoid ‘drilling’ your children or forcing them to ‘listen’ to you. Rather, you should listen to them!!

Shakeel Syed, a freelance writer on sociopolitical issues, lives in California with his 4 pre-teen children in a TV-free home.