I Knew There Was a Reason I Don’t Watch TV

According to a recent study from the Culture and Media Institute, heavy viewers of television (four or more hours per day) are more liberal in their political, cultural, and moral outlook than those who watch little or no television. Film critic and commentator Michael Medved goes through the details, then offers some theories why this strong coorelation exists:

People who see themselves as alone in the world, with no network of spouses or fellow congregants, frequently turn to government as a source of support and comfort—just as they’d turn to television as a source of phony companionship. It makes sense that loneliness and helplessness and disconnection would breed both liberalism and heavy TV viewing; just as a vibrant family life, and communal participation, would produce less television and more conservative self-reliance.

This observation certainly holds true in our case. Through most of the years that we were raising our children, we did not have a television in our home. Even now that we have a TV, we rarely watch it. And we’re about as conservative as they come.