Radio Programming

We had a great discussion last night about radios and television. It was initiated by the fact that Grandpa bought each of the kids a small radio and headphones, which immediately became a problem. None of them could hear us, which made it impossible to follow our instructions. Also, Monet, at nine years old, has no idea what kind of garbage is rampant on radio and so doesn't know what to avoid.

Bohemian decided to sit down and discuss the issue. We talked about our television viewing, how we're selective about what we view because once you put garbage into your head, it's very difficult to get back out. The garbage can be in the form of unpleasant images, scary scenes, sexual images, or what seems as benign as materialistic commercials. This is why we don't have network television. Our TV is a receiver for DVDs only, and those are selected by us as a family to enhance our imaginations, inspire us, or educate us.

In the same way, we don't just play the radio. There is so much on the radio that's unfit for adult ears, let alone children. But, again, the materialistic bent of commercial broadcasting is just that, commercial.

To prove our point, we threw out a few random words which also happened to be keywords for local radio commercials. All it took was for me to say, "I met my husband," and they could finish, "on E-Harmony dot com!" Or I could say the word "gimmicks" and they could sing the jingle for the local car dealership.

This, children, is the point of radio programming. To program the minds of those who listen. To create in you a need you never knew you had, and then make you restless enough to sell you something to meet your need. Radio and television programming is designed to unsettle us, to make us selfish, to tell us that we're not good enough, pretty enough, smart enough, clean enough and to convince us that we need more more MORE!

It's important to make wise decisions about what you put into your head. Some things, no matter how benign they may seem, will never come back out.