Counter Dictionary


TELEVISION: The transmission of dynamic or sometimes static images, generally with accompanying sound, via electric or electromagnetic signals.

 

TV is a fairly new technology on the timeline of human existence, but has molded and shaped generations in ways that no other technology (except maybe the computer) has done in the past. My antidefinition of televsion finds its roots in my childhood. A staple of the prepubescent's lifestyle, TV was always the anticipated after-school thing to do. The networks must have talked to all the schools across the nation and came to a consensus that we start airing GOOD shows no later than 3:00. The golden era of Nickelodeon, Ninja Turtles, and The Simpsons were all part of my life as a kid.

 

A weird habit of mine as a kid (and still is to this day) was putting the captions on while I watched TV. Needless to say, this drove my family NUTS, but i felt like I could better grasp a movie or television show if I understood every word that was being said. I'm the type of person who needs to have every detail included in what he's watching. It may just be the fact that I'm losing my hearing, but I feel that if I catch each little thing a character says, I can better understand the plot. This, I believe, expanded my vocabulary and spelling skills past most kids my age and has served me well to this day.

 

So as a counter definition of television, it was, and still is a teacher to me. It expands my vocabulary, teaches me about the world, and gives me a model, a paradigm for what is expected in the world of TV/Film. I'm no couch potato, but I do respect and revere the power that I storytelling.