Disconnecting in Order to Connect

I work outside of the home for a whopping ten hours per week. *GASP* I don't even really consider it "working" as I am helping out a good friend. While I am at work, I have a tendency to micro-organize things and demand orderliness; I just seem to be unable to sit still for more than five minutes while there. Last week, I spent a good deal of time pondering why that degree of orderliness does not spill over into my home. I love my home & family and consider being a homemaker one of the highest honors, but somehow my convictions about how our home should be had not materialized over the past few years. While my health has been poor, I do not believe that to be the only reason. It occurred to me that while I am at work, there is no cable TV, internet access, comfy couch to lounge upon, or means of escape....meaning I have to stay there and can't just pick up and leave whenever the mood hits. So to sum it up, my problem at home is that I'm too distracted.
To remedy this, I have deleted 99.9% of my facebook applications (no more farmville for me) and turned off my cell phone notifications from facebook as well. That will automatically eliminate a large chunk of my computer time. If I'm going to spend time on the computer, it really should be perusing encouraging blogs anyway.
As far as TV goes, that will take more discipline on my part. I will actually have to find the "off" button on the remote. To help, I'm going to move a radio/cd player into the den. We used to have a nice stereo, but we moved into a much smaller house where there is no place for an old stereo system with huge speakers. Music is a wonderful gift for setting moods and I am a fan classical music (as well as Jazz, some Broadway, and crooners). Music doesn't necessarily require that I stop what I'm doing to look at something the way TV does and will allow me to work while enjoying it. Not sitting down in front of the TV will also keep my mind more alert and not as groggy....hopefully eliminating the need for most naps.
I've also been considering being less available on my cell phone. I may actually turn it off some times *GASP!* We have unlimited texting and while texting can be a very useful tool, most texts could really wait. Such a large part of real communication is lost through texting or instant messaging or online chatting. There are no voice inflections or facial expressions that help convey meaning. I fear that most of our relationships are (as my dh loves to say) a mile wide and an inch deep. We know when each other is at a certain store or event or who they were with, but we fail to connect on a more intimate level that can only be attained through person to person contact.
Anyway, I'm doing some metaphoric house cleaning and hoping in the end to find more orderliness of home, mind and spirit.
Blessings to you all. :)

Do you hear what I hear?

There are so many distractions in life these days that did not exist when I was growing up. There was no facebook (gasp! oh, horrors!) or other social networking tools. There was no email, twitter, or blogs. There were video games, but they were exceedingly boring and not much of a distraction for me. There were no cell phones where you could not escape from texts or calls. There were no Mp3 players filled with 1,000 of your favorite songs; only radio, records, and live music (the best of the three). There was no cable TV with 100's of nonchoices, no VCR's or DVD players; there were 4 basic networks, and they didn't run 24 hours a day. When I was growing up, we didn't have five or more extra curricular activities....you were something special if you had just one. I would say that the family generally had only one or two cars in my day, but I can remember a time when there were more cars and trucks in our driveway than we had drivers for. But there didn't seem to be this insatiable need to be entertained; we were busy with work. I don't know; maybe your own experience was different. In our house, if you admitted to being bored, it was quickly remedied with extra work. What scares me the most about present day trends is not the prolonged adolescence or irresponsibilty so much as it is this culture's inability to listen to God's still, small voice because we're so busy drowning it out with noise and activities that have no value in eternity.

I Blame Barbie

Last night I bought a new book, which when considering the subject matter of the book, I find delightfully ironic that I made the purchase. Like most books I read, this one falls under the category of sociology. I have always been of the opinion that Madison Avenue tells more lies than politicians, but lately I have begun to catch a new glimpse at the magnitude of marketers' impact. It happened the day Barbie's 50th birthday was announced.
Before the advent of the Barbie doll, most little girls in America played with baby dolls. This type of play had little girls "practicing" to be adults with responsibilities. Along comes Barbie. She's young, beautiful, and envied by all. Everyone wants to be like Barbie; she has a convertible, a dream house, Ken, beautiful clothes galore, and no responsibilities. She is a spoiled adolescent, or as many have dubbed, a "kidult."
Never before in history has adulthood been delayed for so long; not that I want to go back to children working in factories, mind you, but we are seeing 20something and 30something kidults still living at home trying to find themselves. We have grown men playing video games to the point of ignoring their families and responsibilities, and women going to nightclubs while leaving their babies in the car, or becoming shopaholics, or desperately trying to cling to youthful looks.
I'm sure that as I dive into this book I will have much to share with you. :)

For the remainder of this week, I will be taking a break from reading blogs and posting in order to spiritually regroup and cloister. I found being without the interference of TV very soothing to my soul, and I now feel the need to contemplate how much time I spend with blogs and whether or not that time is beneficial to the Kingdom. I may take this time to weed out a few posts. During this time, I will still be able to read any comments you might have, but I will not be responding until May 8th. See you then. 

 

Television and Addiction

In 1997 700 Japanese children were rushed to a hospital for treatment after watching a television program. Japanese television had aired a souped up version of the Pokemon game, complete with flashing lights, bells and whistles. The children were admitted with optically stimulated epileptic seizures. Television can quite obviously affect people.

Advertisers have known for some time now that quick cuts, optical tricks and alike are likely to evoke a powerful results from the viewing audience. MTV taught us all a lesson in visual communication. But do these stimuli really work on the public or are they all too numb when watching television?

Couch potato measurements
The average person spends about three hours a day in front of the TV set. That's roughly half their leisure time. Forty percent of adults admit to watching too much television. The number increases to 70% among teenagers. A full 10% claims they are addicted, couch potatoes with roots.
Addictions of course, are not always confined to substances. Gambling or sex can become addictive and destructive behavior in certain circumstances. Some clinicians claim that television viewing can fall into the same category and it is far more ubiquitous.

People and the reader might nod at this, have often found themselves in conversation with someone in a room, with the TV tuned to nothing of interest in the background, yet their eyes will invariably wander to the set.

Heavy viewers watch nearly eight hours a day. They are pretty likely to be paying attention (65% full attention) and remember the last ad they saw (12% recall). Light viewers, on the other hand, pay less attention (56%) and have lower ad recall scores (6%) So statistics tell us that couch potatoes can be susceptible to the tricks of the commercial trade.

TV: an upper or a downer?
There is ample evidence that couch potatoes are not so easily affected by what they see. Since the 1960s, behaviorists have been testing people's brain functions while exposed to television messages. The findings after forty years of testing are pretty consistent. TV is not speed, it's a downer.
EEG (electroencephalograms) tests show that there is less mental stimulation to the brain with viewing that with reading. Given that reading necessitates mental engagement and active participation, while viewing does not so acutely, this is perfectly reasonable. Moments after sitting down with the set, people begin to relax and disengage from real life. They seem to generally watch longer than they had planned to and heavy viewers report that they enjoyed the programs less than they anticipated.

Viewers report and record a consistent rate of relaxation that exceeds actual viewing time. Drowsiness may linger beyond viewing time, even a depression. Television acts much the way a tranquilizer does. It is very unlike sports and other hobbies, where people generally walk away feeling refreshed.

So TV is numbing and while technical tricks may stimulate the brain in the short term, a heavy viewer is basically a man or woman on a down slope.

Something to think about the next time you allocate media money.

© Media Directors Ink : April 2002

"American children and adolescents spend 22 to 28 hours per week viewing television, more than any other activity except sleeping. By the age of 70 they will have spent 7 to 10 years of their lives watching TV."-- The Kaiser Family Foundation

Why Turn off the TV?

Television cuts into family time, harms our children's ability to read and succeed in school, and contributes to unhealthy lifestyles and obesity. Here are just a few of the facts:

On average, children in the US will spend more time in front of the television (1,023 hours) than in school this year (900 hours).

Forty percent of Americans frequently or always watch television during dinner.

As US Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher said at the Kick Off of TV-Turnoff Week 2001, "We are raising the most overweight generation of youngsters in American history...This week is about saving lives."

April 24 - 30: You Can Do It

 

  

THE 23RD CHANNEL (instead of the 23rd Psalm)

The TV is my shepherd, I shall want.
It makes me lie down on the sofa.
It leads me away from the Scriptures.
It destroys my soul.
It leads me in the path of sex and violence,
for the sponsor's sake.
Yea, though I walk in the shadow of my
Christian responsibilities,
there will be no interruption,
For the TV is with me.
It's cable and remote, they control me.
It prepares a commercial before me in
the presence of worldliness;
It anoints my head with Humanism,
My coveting runneth over.
Surely laziness and ignorance shall
Follow me all days of my life:
And I shall dwell in the house
Watching TV forever. ~Author Unknown

It's Coming...Are You Ready?

  

Coming Next Month

April 24 - 30 is TV Turn-Off Week. For those of us who have slipped into mindless TV watching (ahem, ahem - self included), now might be a good time to start paying attention to just how much of your time is media saturated. Notice that I didn't just mention TV. How much unnecessary time am I spending on the computer when I could be blessing my family? How often do I drown out the voice of God with my satellite radio in the car? Too often in today's world, we use the media as an emotional pain killer rather than laying everything at the feet of Jesus and doing things in His strength. Let us each ask God to search our hearts. 

Do you ever wonder what life would be like if no one had TV? Would cities and towns look more distinctive in architecture and style rather than the cookie-cutter fashions we see today? Would we have as many clothes or gadgets & toys? Would women feel the need to bring a second income into the family? Would we actually meet our neighbors because we weren't "friends" with TV characters? Would we be smarter or more well-read? Would we support the arts more? Would we be more sympathetic towards those in need that we see because we hadn't been desensitized by the media? Would we be happier with what we have - our families, our bodies, our income...? Just some thoughts. :) 

T'was the Night Before Christmas

‘T’was the night before Christmas and all through the
town Not a sign of Baby Jesus was anywhere to
be found.

The people were all busy with Christmas time chores
Like decorating, and baking, and shopping in
stores.

No one sang “Away in a manger, no crib for a bed”.
Instead, they sang of Santa dressed-up in
bright red.

Mama watched Martha Stewart, Papa drank beer from a
tap. As hour upon hour the presents they’d wrap
When what from the T.V. did they suddenly hear?
‘Cept an ad.. which told of a big sale at Sears.
So away to the mall they all flew like a flash…
Buying things on credit… and others with
cash!

And, as they made their way home from their trip to
the mall, Did they think about Jesus? Oh, no… not at all.
Their lives were so busy with their Christmas-time
thing No time to remember Christ Jesus, the King.

There were presents to wrap and cookies to bake. How
could they stop and remember who died for their
sake?

To pray to the Savior… they had no time to stop.
Because they needed more time to “Shop til they
dropped!”

On Wal-mart! On K-mart! On Target! On Penneys! On
Hallmark! On Zales! A quick lunch at Dennys. From
the big stores downtown to the stores at the
mall, they would dash away, dash away, and
visit them all!

And up on the roof, there arose such a clatter As
grandpa hung icicle lights up on his brand new
stepladder.

He hung lights that would flash. He hung lights that
would twirl. Yet, he never once prayed to
Jesus… Light of the World.

Christ’s eyes… how they twinkle! Christ’s
Spirit… how merry! Christ’s love… how
enormous! All our burdens… He’ll carry!

So instead of being busy, overworked, and uptight
Let’s put Christ back in Christmas and enjoy
some good nights!

Hat tip to Melody from the Fruit of Her Hands!

Are You Sure?

Do you look at pornography? Are you sure about that? According to Rosaleigh DeRossett of Moody Bible Institute, pornography is anything that airbrushes the truth. For men, that would be the visual images that we normally associate with pornography. But for women, this would be romance novels, including the all too popular Christian versions. But wait, you may say, what's wrong with them.

In particular, Christian romance novels paint an all too glitzy, unattainable, and romanticized picture of marriage and love complete with rose covered cottages and heroines that are young, thin, with dreamy skin with rose tinted cheeks that allude to the blush of innocence, lush hair, etc., and heroes that are strong, good looking, say the right thing and always wisk the heroine away for a happily ever after.

Sounds nice, but it causes young girls and women to have expectations that will never be realized. This, in turn, leads to discontent and frustration. Marriage is hard enough work without placing on your husband the expectation of living up to that type of heroism.

What do you think? Please comment and let me know your thoughts.

I realize that DeRossett's definition of porn is extreme, but it did give me much to think about in regards to what I allow into my life. Dare I carry this line of thought over into chick-flicks? Yikes! How would I get my ironing done? :) Heaven forbid that I might be forced to listen to a sermon or something. :)

Born to Shop

 


Branded from birth
Marketers use cartoon characters and familiar scents to build brand loyalty from Day One
BY BARBARA F. MELTZ
BOSTON GLOBE

Vanilla-scented diapers? Teddy bears that smell good enough to eat? Baby clothes infused with fragrance?

Expect to see, er, smell, them soon at your favorite retailer. Or maybe it will be so subtle that you don't notice. Marketers are betting your baby will, though.

The corporate world is always looking for the next big market, and right now babies are it.

With marketing research concluding that young children are up to 350 percent more responsive to the five senses than adults, and especially to smell, marketers are hoping to capture future consumers by putting signature smells in ordinary baby products that will later evoke positive memories. For a toy manufacturer, for instance, a scent on a stuffed animal could translate to a 7-year-old's preference for that brand of toys just because the toy has the scent.

"You won't be able to argue with your brain," says branding specialist Martin Lindstrom of Norway, who advises Fortune 500 companies.

Or with your child. Marketers are counting on that.

That marketers want our children is not new. That they are after even our babies and toddlers is an increasing challenge for parents and a concern to child-development specialists.

Try to find a disposable diaper, even for a newborn, that doesn't have a media character on it, from Barney and Blues Clues (Luvs), to Mickey Mouse, Finding Nemo (Huggies) or Sesame Street (Pampers). The characters aren't just on the strip along the top of the diaper, they are front and center, big and bold. Right there where a seated 6-month-old's drool dribbles.

That's no coincidence.

Long before "drool factor" became a hip way to refer to an item advertisers hoped consumers would covet, it had a more literal meaning. Ever notice how a 5- or 6-month-old sometimes watches to see where his drool lands? Discovering that was an "aha!" moment for former Texas A&M marketing professor James McNeal. He reasoned that if the drool dripped to a diaper or a bib imprinted with an image of a character that's linked to a brand, and if the baby sees the logo repeatedly...

Voila! Brand recognition in the crib! With cradle-to-grave brand loyalty worth an estimated $100,000 per consumer, babies are "the future market for ALL goods and services," e-mails McNeal from China, where he's researching youth consumerism. He is author of "Kids as Customers: A Handbook of Marketing to Children" (Free Press).

McNeal came up with the drool factor in 1993, but the industry was slower on the uptake than he expected. Only recently, he e-mails, "has it finally dipped down to 1-year-olds."

If you're wondering, "What's the big deal? We're just talking babies, for heaven's sake," McNeal will tell you: "Consumer behavior patterns begin officially at 16 weeks of age."

Child-development specialists might not pinpoint it so exactly, but few would argue the point. Research shows that the part of the brain responsible for cognitive learning comes on line gradually, over several years, but the right brain, responsible for emotions and relationships, is up and running from birth.

Here's how it can work to a marketer's advantage: The more an image is repeated on diapers, toys, clothes and food, the more familiar it becomes. What's familiar conveys a sense of comfort and security. That leads to an emotional attachment.

"Deep, subconscious connections are made," says psychologist Susan Linn of Judge Baker's Children Center, author of "Consuming Kids: The Hostile Takeover of Childhood" (The New Press).

Babies and toddlers are most vulnerable. Cognitively unable to filter, they also take in more than we realize. What's most visually dramatic tends to be what children notice first, says Dan S. Acuff, a marketing insider turned critic. But "the whole gestalt also imprints. If a brand is there, it's recorded at some level." He is co-author of "Kidnapped: How Irresponsible Marketers are Stealing the Minds of Your Children" (Dearborn Books), just out this month.

Marketers first recognized the value of visual repetition. Now they're on to sound and smell. A pacifier with a music chip? "Don't laugh," says Lindstrom. Smell is even more powerful "because it goes straight to the emotional register." Look for scented diapers on U.S. shelves within six months, he says. Expect a smell of vanilla to infuse your nursery not long thereafter.

Why vanilla? "Because the milk you are breast-feeding with has a twist of natural vanilla fragrance," says Lindstrom, who is author of "BRAND sense" (Free Press).

Boston College sociologist Juliet Schor doesn't tell parents to ban all branded items from the crib; as in so many arenas of parenting, moderation is key, she says. But extensive branding in a baby's life "socializes him into a world of corporate values. A toddler grows up thinking McDonald's is good because it gives her things she likes. But McDonald's isn't healthy food, it doesn't pay decent wages," says Schor, author of "Born to Buy" (Scribner). "By branding kids younger and younger, corporations count on creating the next generation to be more friendly to them. To the extent we are branding babies, we are bringing them up in a world that makes it harder for them to be critical of what they buy."

To be sure, you can find unbranded diapers, you can find unbranded anything. But it takes more effort and, often, more money.

Meanwhile, parents aren't as powerless as we may think:

• Resist screens of all kinds. Since the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time for children younger than 2, marketers have become more resourceful. The latest? Verizon offers "mobi-toons" on your cell: Pass the cellphone to your crying baby or toddler while you're driving and, for $15 a month, you have unlimited access to famililar, calming "Sesame Street" characters. There's a hidden cost, though. Linn cautions that children who learn to turn to a screen for comfort sooner or later are exposed to logos, branding, and commercials that further suck them into a materialistic culture.

• Buy generic. A baby will find as much fascination in an unbranded crib mirror as one with Elmo on the frame, as much comfort in any cuddly stuffed animal as the plush version of a beloved TV character. When a toy is generic and open-ended rather than linked to a character, there's more opportunity for creativity, which leads to more learning. What's more, Linn says character toys lead to consumerism because they become boring, encouraging a child to want the next toy.

• Acknowledge, don't purchase. You're at the grocery store and your 16-month-old gets excited as you pass a food item with her favorite character on it. If you say "No!" and try to move on, you're into a power struggle that marketers count on parents losing. Instead, "Diffuse the moment by thinking of this as a request for acknowledgment, not a demand for purchase. It's the fact of recognition that makes it pleasurable to them," says early childhood educator Ruth Anne Hammond: "'Look at that! You recognize Elmo!"' Hammond is director of the infant-toddler-parent program at Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena.

McNeal downplays the industry's role in creating materialistic children. "The danger is in what the parents do. All of it is funneled through parents in one way or another. They introduce the brands, the TV, the marketplace to their kids, starting at birth."

After all, he says, many parents are addicted to brands, too.

Contact Barbara Meltz at meltzglobe.com.

Silent Preparation

"In the period before the service we commend the keeping of silence. In the midst of our busy lives we have all too little time for silence. 'It is seldom.' writes one Christian, 'that God finds a soul quiet enough to speak to.' The silence before the service can be used as a time for quiet preparation. Read thoughtfully the words of the opening hymn, so that when you join in the singing of it, it may mean more to you. Think of the holiness and power of God into whose presence we should only with humility and reverence. 'Be still, and know that I am God.'"

All too often we have entered into worship lightly. We glibly slide into our favorite pew and chat about Sunday School with our family members. A friend comes over and asks how we are or whether or not we caught such and such on TV. And so it goes. We call it fellowshiping, but, in reality, it is our disrespect for the God of the universe whom we claim to have come to worship. Sometimes we attempt to properly prepare for worship, but, more often than not, our minds wander to the events of the week, things we forgot to do, and people we need to call. We have not entered a Sabbath rest. We have not prepared as we ought.

Sabbath preparation does not begin on Sunday morning or even Saturday evening. Traditional Sabbath begins on Saturday evening just as the Jewish day goes from evening to evening rather than morning to morning - meaning we need to have all preparations made beforehand. Our clothes and tithe should be ready before we retire for bed at a reasonable hour. We should allow enough time on Sunday morning for getting our hearts ready rather than just our bodies (preaching to self here) lest we be "whitened sepulchers." The Sabbath and the worship therein is a joyous occasion and a great gift from God that we should embrace. To not prepare for worship at home and in the sanctuary is to turn one's nose up at the gift of God. This weekend, take time to prepare for worship and receive what God has for you. If we do not quiet our hearts, how can we hear Him?

TV Statistics

TV BY THE NUMBERS
7 hours, 12 minutes: Amount of time each day that TV is on in an average U.S. household
66: Percentage of Americans who watch TV while eating dinner
200,000: Number of violent acts the average American child sees on TV by age 18
16,000: Number of murders witnessed by children on television by age 18
53.8: Percentage devoted to stories about crime, disaster and war
80: Percentage of Hollywood executives who believe that there is a link between TV violence and real-life violence
30,000: Number of TV commercials seen in a year by an average child
98: Percentage of U.S. households with at least one television

Turning Off and Tuning In

Turning off and tuning in
County families opt to keep the screen blank in celebration of TV Turnoff Week
Special for The Willits News
Households throughout Mendocino County opted to forgo a very familiar Am-erican pastime this week. Parents spent more time tal-king with their children, children spent more time reading or playing, and fam-ilies spent more quality time together. And they en-gaged in these activities without the distraction of television as they joined FIRST 5 Mendocino in celebrating TV Turnoff Week.
For the past four years, the annual event has encouraged parents and caregivers throughout the county to turn off the television and participate in screen-free activities with their young children.
"TV Turnoff Week is a great opportunity for families to spend more time connecting with each other," said Anne Molgaard, executive director of FIRST 5 Mendocino. "Parents and caregivers are encouraged to read, talk, play and participate in other activities with their children that help spark their imaginations. Positive early learning experiences like these can help prepare children to reach their greatest potential in school and in life."
Watching television may be America's most popular pastime, but the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends no television for children under age 2, and no more than one hour a day for preschool-aged children. Nevertheless children in the United States watch about four hours of television every daya level of viewing that can have damaging consequences to children, particularly during the early years when the brain is developing most dramatically.
Negative effects of excessive television viewing include hindered brain development, less family time, lower reading and academic performance and shorter attention spans.
Children who watch too much television are more likely to be overweight, as they are usually not getting the physical exercise they need. In addition, the American Psycho-logical Association has lin-ked excessive television viewing to violent behaviors in children.
"So many parents are busy and family time can be limited," said Jeremy Mann, M.D., chairman of FIRST 5 Men-docino. "We want families to use this week without television to make the most of their time together and to consider limiting television watching throughout the year. It's very simple - we can do more when we watch less."
FIRST 5 Mendocino hosted and promoted a variety of activities for families with children ages 0 to 5 throughout TV Turnoff Week, including reading and storytelling events at the Mendocino County Public Library. There also were simple projects parents and caregivers could do at home with their young children, like creating craft boxes by decorating old shoeboxes, playing make-believe, dressing up with old clothes and accessories, or enacting plays. Families with younger children went for walks, dug around in the garden, told stories or made music with kitchen utensils. These family activities, along with playing, talking and reading, can help stimulate a child's imagination and prepare them for a lifetime of learning.

Spiritual Starvation

No matter how busy you are, no man is too busy to eat; neither is any man too busy to feed his soul. And if we starve our souls, we will deprive our lives, busy though they may be, of their fruitfulness. -- George P. Vanier

What struck me about this quote is how much "junk food" we feed to our minds. TV shows are either bad or benign - OK, there may a few "good" ones, but they are a rarity. Most of what we watch falls into the benign category on the evil scale, and we feel pretty good about that. I believe we are thus deceiving ourselves. These benign shows are mental junk foods that are slowly starving our souls.

Statistics state that if we watch TV at our current rate until we die, we will have spent a full 10 years of our life watching TV! At the end of my life, I don't want to say, "Oh, if only I had watched Constantine get booted off American Idol during TV Turn-Off week, my life would be complete." Exaggerated? Yes, but this is how we act when faced with actually having to miss a show that we like. Imagine if we spent that 10 years reading, memorizing scripture, spending time with family, volunteering, or actually getting to know our neighbors. Sure, it's been a tough 4 days without TV, but during that time I've read 1 1/2 books, finished 2 sewing projects and started another, discussed ideas with my family, and played games - all of which feed your mind.

This is not an age where spiritual malnutrition and flabbiness can stand against the evil one. So, put down the remote. Feed your soul.