Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board

A R C H I V E S

TV - Good or Bad? Y?

Madina Archives


Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board

TV - Good or Bad? Y?
ft
04/05/04 at 16:56:14
[slm]

TV - Good or Bad? Y?
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
sal
04/05/04 at 17:11:15
YOU MEAN WATCHING ?
BUt  IT DEPEDNDS ON  HOW ONE USES IT  :)
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
nida
04/05/04 at 19:48:05
[slm]
yeh...if one uses it for the right puposes, then its fine.
But, it can also lead to sin if its used for watching something haram.
I would just stay away from it

[wlm]
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
theOriginal
04/05/04 at 20:57:52
[slm]

good.  in fact, ingenius.  much like the internet.  it is such an effective method to reach to the masses.  

now, okay, if we get into the social effects of the whole technology thing, then i can't argue, but the only way it can be changed is if we revolutionize what TV means to us, not the other way around.  

did i make sense? am i playing devil's advocate? am i being obstinate and arrogant?

sigh, apologies in effect...my thesis is getting to me.

wasalaam.
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
ft
04/05/04 at 22:27:46
YOU MEAN WATCHING ? <---No ;)

yeh...if one uses it for the right puposes, then its fine. <---what are the right purpoposes?

did i make sense? <----No
am i playing devil's advocate? <---whats a devils advocate?
am i being obstinate and arrogant <---I dont know what obstinate means and No


Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
timbuktu
04/05/04 at 22:51:08
[slm] TV to the masses has meant entertainment. In fact, it has meant the same to the elite, too.

and to parents, it is an effective way to keep children out of their way.

both are bad uses.

One needs entertainment, but a lifestyle geared to entertainment isn't healthy.

A good use would be educational. and that includes education about society, about nature, about sciences, about whatever we need to learn and think about.
04/06/04 at 03:07:42
timbuktu
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
ltcorpest2
04/05/04 at 23:00:52
i just use it to watch the Wiggles and the 3 Stooges.  I guess that is about nature science and society isn't it?
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
nida
04/06/04 at 01:59:42
[slm]
to answer ur question ft, right purposes can be anything that isn't haraam. Anything from discovery channel to cartoons for kids.
can learn a lot from it, i would say.
Actually, once i watched this whole biography on Prophet Muhammad [saw] and they were showing it on regular cable.I really learnt A LOT. Really nice stuff.
[wlm]
:-)
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
ft
04/06/04 at 23:04:48
Bad, this is one reason why. ---> http://entertainment.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=154672
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
jannah
04/07/04 at 05:53:00
[wlm]

you ask a question, then answer it?? odd

i think you can't declare tv bad in itself. there is alot of bad on it true. but imagine if it was used for good. the study on children 1-3 years old when their brains are developing is really a different thing than adults.
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
sal
04/07/04 at 11:31:35
[center]everything   misued is bad  
even  food  if  you  eat  too  much or food  not not  recommended  for  health reasons  [/center]

Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
ft
04/08/04 at 17:34:18
you ask a question, then answer it?? odd <---- I read the article after I posted.

I should've been more clear with my question. I thought I was saving some BYTES by posting as much less as possible.  :-[  Any ways, What I wanted to know or get your opinions on was that, is having a TV at home more beneficial than not having one. Imagine your life without a TV and then consider your life with one. Do you think your life would be better in the first scenario or the second? May be people who don't have TVs at home could contribute. I am sure there are a few who don't own one.

regards,
ft
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
superFOB
04/10/04 at 07:04:00
[slm]

superFOB <-- TV free since Mar 2000 8)
04/10/04 at 07:04:45
superFOB
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
yumna
04/10/04 at 07:15:43
wow superFOB thats really something admirable...um specially in  the present age ..tv can be good and bad ....Good in the sense of gaining knowledge and bad if excess as bro saleem said excess of everythin is bad
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
al-ajnabia
04/10/04 at 09:44:56
[slm]
TV can desensitize us to the real suffering of our brothers and sisters and distract us from considering real solutions to real problems.  it slants our understaning of the world, but if we dont keep track of that slant we loose the ability to communicate effectively with the reat of the tv adicted world. I polishes amd markets its ideas in such a way that onlythose ideas that it markets have the apearance of valididty to us. but if it does bring up a previously over looked issue insociety, those who then realize they are in those kinds of situations are labeld as attention hounds or publicity seekers, or are acused of mimicking tv because of some mental illness.
But trading spaces is kinda cool 8)
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
veiled
04/12/04 at 00:41:26
Television plays an important role in most ppl's lives.However,we never had a tv in our house........courtesy:my parents.From the very begining they made sure that their children are raised in a tv free environment.Many ppl thought that we were being deprived of ......the entertainer,the baby sitter,the educator and the newsteller.
Sure as kids we hated it too when our friends used to talk about the "cool n exciting stuff" we were missing in our lives.Alhamdulilah,but now as an adult,I truely appreciate the choice of having no tv in the house,our parents made for us.

By watching many of the programs many young ppl in Islam are having their beliefs altered without knowing it.All of a sudden,foregin ideas and behaviors have become  apparent in the households.A bad dose of poison can do its work only once but poisoning by media is far more detrimental and can go on poisoning ppl's mind for any length of time.It affects our family life and has the potential to cause serious health problems, and above all,works against our religion.
The controversy I guess will continue and I'm sure most of you will agree to disagree with me but seriously as muslims, we must constantly be aware of what we are letting into our homes and our minds.Entertainment......yes, but at what cost?
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
Nadeem
04/12/04 at 12:50:22
[slm]

I don't know ANYONE that doesnt have a TV, so superFOb...wow! thats all i can say. :)

As others have already said TV can be good or bad, depends how you use it.  The point Brother/sister veiled made about the effect of the media through the TV is a good one.  
There are a few news channels here in the UK on cable and digital TV, I normally watch BBC or Sky News.  I guess there must be a kind of biased slant, but anyway.... today I just decided to flick on Fox News.  I think it is the direct link up to the Fox News played in the U.S. In the words of Janice from Friends, O.M.G!  :) There's biased and theres biased, but Fox news is so incredible its laughable.  Everything was :
"and so-and-so Shia cleric, this guys is bad news, he's backed by Iran, and has access to a whole lotta arms"  
Errrr... brilliant grammar?  ???The guy is "bad news"? That doesnt sound subjective does it?

Then the  woman newscaster says "And the money he spent on arms and satellite phones was $80 million! Can you believe it? Think if $80million had been spent on helping the poor or reconstructing Iraq"  
What? I have almost no comment except for... pot. kettle. black.

"And his followers are the poor, the young, y'know the dead-enders"
Is this news reporting ????

I have no words. I dont even know how I wrote this.  How do you guys in the U.S. get any decent news off your TVs?  Perhaps there's other more balanced news channels?

[wlm]
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
Maliha
04/12/04 at 12:59:04
[slm]
hahahahaha...Nadeem..that was sooo funny :-/ :-/

no we don't have any better news channels..I wait for the BBC hour on PBS, twice a day..and read everything else on line. Sometimes PBS has other "specials"..like frontline, they do really good reporting Mashaallah. but PBS is not mainstream and I doubt the average american watches it, as much as lets say fox...or its sister site, CNN   ::)

I remember how frustrated i was watching cnn, especially leading up to the war...I can't watch fox...sorry, the TV and anyone around me would be in a real perilious situation. I went to work and overheard two people talking about the war etc.

guy: hey i was watching cnn last time, you know saddam has all these weapons etc.. i mean we need to do something!

lady: oh no...i don't watch cnn is too biased. Them lefters, slant everything in their direction. watch FOX man, that's the only *real* news channel out there.

Me: *passes out*

it was the most depressing conversation i overheard. And this is coming from college educated professionals....twas a very sad day in my life.

anywayz, i thought it was funny that you got thru' watching a show on fox...wow! that's a lot of stomaching you did :P

take care,
[wlm]
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
AyeshaZ
04/12/04 at 18:23:30
[quote author=Nur_al_Layl link=board=madrasa;num=1081198575;start=10#17 date=04/12/04 at 12:59:04] [slm]

guy: hey i was watching cnn last time, you know saddam has all these weapons etc.. i mean we need to do something!

lady: oh no...i don't watch cnn is too biased. Them lefters, slant everything in their direction. watch FOX man, that's the only *real* news channel out there.

Me: *passes out*

it was the most depressing conversation i overheard. And this is coming from college educated professionals....twas a very sad day in my life.

take care,
[wlm][/quote]

Sighhhhh...
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
umm_ibby
04/18/04 at 21:35:47
[slm]

We don't have a tv, alhamdulilah.  i find that now, after not having a tv for so long, if i watch it elsewhere  i always feel, whats the word... icky, like i wish i didn't just do that    ::) .  Just flipping through the channels you notice how much worse things have become.  
I've realized for me it was really a huge waste of time.  and to me personally the negatives outweigh the benefits.
If we had one i'm sure i would be tempted to let it babysit my son sometimes.  so alhamdulilah he reallly enjoys his books.      

Oh, but I do watch the news on the computer and an occasional documentary to keep up to date.

umm ibby
04/18/04 at 21:37:09
umm_ibby
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
Nadeem
04/19/04 at 05:13:40
[slm]

I probably watch a lot of TV, mostly news channels (Fox, just once or twice was enough for me!), and as most of you with TVs probably know, the news is very depressing these days. :(

I have been inspired by all the people who have said they dont have TVs or dont watch TVs.  This may sound silly, but what do people do if they don't watch TV?  I'd like to know so I can engage myself more in these sort of activities.

I can start off the list: I've noticed since joining the Madinat Al-Muslimeen message board, I watch little less TV.

The other day sister Jannah mentioned about going to a park.  P-p-park? What is this strange and magical place? :o

:P

Jazakallah

[wlm]
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
Maliha
04/19/04 at 08:58:51
[slm]
Nadeem you can read more:) I looooveee reading whether its poring thru' hard texts and trying to decipher them,  ::), or holding an enchanting novel and getting lost in the midst of its pages 8)

we have the shenandoah (sp?) mountains, about an hour from here...amazing place. Where you can drive thousands of feet above ground and stare mesmerized at the scenic beauty ahead of you. There are trails, waterfalls, camping sites... we go there sometimes to just get away from the madness of this chaotic world.

You can pick up hobbies, martial arts, work out, running etc.

you can explore your area...you know how we live in one spot and we don't even know why tourists flock there? So go check out the museums, the artsy cafes, poetry readings, parks, etc:)

and the number one alternative TV life is...


drum roll plllleaaaaaaaseee....



spend more time at the Masjid ;) Volunteer for after school activities with the youth, go to halaqas, etc.

If you are a student then you have a flexible schedule to do all the above. If not, then plan out each evenings so that when you come back you are too tired to even want to look at the TV :)

i have been off and on the wagon for a while:( consistency is *not* my strong point...sigh...duah's anyone?  :'(

aight bro..hopefully i can inspire myself too:)
[wlm]
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
Nadeem
04/19/04 at 11:48:18
[slm]

Thank you sister for the suggestions.... :)
But...
You mean...
I would have to step outside of this room....?
:o

[wlm]

P.S. You forgot to mention writing poetry.  ;)  Very deep, mashallah  8)
04/19/04 at 11:54:27
Nadeem
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
Makki
04/19/04 at 12:04:45
[slm]

i think most of you discussing tv have failed to mention just how awful the quality of most of it is nowadays. There are only occasional televisual feasts, that get me interested but the continued popping up of such utter garbage as im a celbrity get me out of here, and big brother, the games and the like, just compounds my opinion that tv has very little to offer me. what a moaner  ::). give me the interweb any day where i can choose specifically what i view instead of what the media wants me to! :)
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
Maliha
04/20/04 at 08:58:20
[slm]
I know i am being majorly hypocritical by saying this ::) *but* replacing the Tv with the internet is not much of a change for real.

Both of them do whittle your time away, and you always end up seeing things online that you would rather not see. How many times do images of half clad women prop up on your face, while you are innocently checking emails or browsing?

both of them contribute to the fattening of the average westerner. Sitting home all day whether on the couch or virtually "conversing" and connecting with others online..its the same.

both of them keeps the average Muslim placid and apathetic..especially those who spend *hours* online doing "dawah" or learning all their Islam online..scary to say the least.

both of them are placebos, and at the end act as a veil between our hearts and Allah (SWT)..on a sub conscious level.

having said that..."hi, my name is Nur and I am an internet Junkie"  ::)

anywho, so yeah bro..to make a difference, a real one, you actually have to step outside the door...step awayyyyyyy from the couch....the sheer horror :o...muahahhahahhahaha.... 8)
[wlm]



Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
Nadeem
04/20/04 at 09:40:41
[quote author=Nur_al_Layl link=board=madrasa;num=1081198575;start=20#24 date=04/20/04 at 08:58:20] [slm]
Both of them do whittle your time away, and you always end up seeing things online that you would rather not see. How many times do images of half clad women prop up on your face, while you are innocently checking emails or browsing? [/quote]
:o What email account do YOU have that shows that?!

[quote]both of them contribute to the fattening of the average westerner. Sitting home all day whether on the couch or virtually "conversing" and connecting with others online..its the same.[/quote]
:o Sister, you calling me a fat westerner?!

[quote]both of them keeps the average Muslim placid and apathetic..especially those who spend *hours* online doing "dawah" or learning all their Islam online..scary to say the least..[/quote]
:o This is just one big "expose Nadeem" session isnt it?!

[quote]having said that..."hi, my name is Nur and I am an internet Junkie"  ::).[/quote]
:oYou saying I'm in denial?! No way, man. I do not have a problem! I repeat... I do not.... (hold on just got to read this webpage) have.... a .... what was I saying? .... oh yeah I do NOT have a problem.... *hiccup*

[quote author=Nur_al_Layl link=board=madrasa;num=1081198575;start=20#24 date=04/20/04 at 08:58:20] the sheer horror :o...muahahhahahhahaha.... 8)
[/quote] You are one scary lady  :'(

[wlm]
04/20/04 at 12:28:22
Nadeem
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
Trustworthy
04/20/04 at 10:59:27
[slm]...

TV.  TV?  TV!  ...sigh....

When I was younger, I loved watching TV.  I watched it when I wasn’t climbing trees.  I watched it while doing homework, studying for a test, talking to my mom, beating up my cousins, TV was my stimulant to learn more.  I LOVED TV.  I learned to speak, write, and read English.  Discovered the Universe, learned how to sing songs, learned how to dance, understood other cultures, and laughed.  Proved to my mom that the world was round and that fish the size of sky scrapers exists and dinosaurs were huge snakes that roamed the earth millions of years ago.  TV inspired me to go to museums and play with snakes, and wonder off into the woods all by myself so that I could go exploring.  I mean this was the time when the girls shyed away from boys and every smurf were such gentlemen to smurfette.  

But then I was not glued to it.  I HATE TV now.  Cause all you see is disrespect of every nature there is.  It’s like they encourage the younger generation to dress or not to dress, to open up your …you know…that forbidden side you’re suppose to keep chaste.  I mean the other day, I turned the TV on at about 6 PM and this commercial of some kind of cologne, deodorant spray comes on right?  Then you see this young teenage like female …excuse my French…groping, a FREAKIN’ mannequin.  I mean, how @#$#* is that!!!!  I also learned cuss words from watching tv and so did my daughter.  She learned her lesson not to cuss anymore at an early age because she was punished for it.

TV now a days is the BAD, the BOLD, and the BIASED.  Even news isn’t real anymore.  So I turned off the TV for a while, and my daughter was like,
“Ma? When are we going to have the TV back?”  
Me, “When you realize that TV is not important.”  
“But Ma, pleeeaaase?”
“Why?”
“Because it’s so boring without TV.”
“Why don’t we read together again?”  
“I already did my 100 minutes a week reading.  I don’t want to read anymore, it’s 5 o’clock and it’s still sunshine.  I’ll read more after I watch TV?”
“No TV.”
“Video?”
“No.”
“DVD?”
“No.”
“Can we go rent?”
“No.”
“Fine.  I’m going to play outside.”
“Ok.  Be back before Maghrib.”
“I know.”

AND what is up with these REALITY TV shows.  TV is no longer safe unless you can control it.

So now my brother moved in and turned the TV back on.  I come home one day and here’s a conversation with my girl:

“What are you watching?”
“Friends.”
“Oh…”  I sit and watch with her.  “Ya Rubbi.  No more Friends for you!”
I’ve now become the TV Nazi.
“But Ma, I turn away when there’s kissing and stuff.”
“There’s stuff?”
“Ok.  No more Friends for me.”
So I flip through the channels and find Fear Factor.  Now that’s TV!  So my daughter and I can sit and watch Fear Factor together.

She knows what she can watch and what she can’t watch.  Hopefully, she’ll follow through when I’m not around, insha-Allah.

..sigh...

Ma-assalamah....
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
Nadeem
04/20/04 at 12:35:22
:-/

[slm]

Kids, eh? They say the darndest things dont they? :D

;D

 :D

04/20/04 at 12:36:58
Nadeem
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
Makki
04/20/04 at 13:34:15
:D

[slm]

having taken sister Nur_al_Layl advice Makki grabs a quick Qibla Bebzi  [] to give hime the energy to get off his fattening western posterior, throws the tv out of the window as "richard and judy" comes on and goes for a jog.... zoom!  :)

kudafis!
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
ft
04/21/04 at 18:43:11
Ok, so most of you agree that there is lots of bad on TV. Now here is my next dilemma. Lets say you have decided to get rid of it for good. How would you go about doing that? keeping in mind that you also have some teenage siblings who would not like this idea at all. What can you offer them instead? How would you convince your parents?

ft
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
superFOB
04/22/04 at 02:52:06
[slm]
[quote author=ft link=board=madrasa;num=1081198575;start=20#29 date=04/21/04 at 18:43:11]Lets say you have decided to get rid of it for good. How would you go about doing that? keeping in mind that you also have some teenage siblings who would not like this idea at all. What can you offer them instead? How would you convince your parents?[/quote]
Don't force your decision on your siblings or on your parents, don't do anything drastic, like smashing the tube and stuff. Worry about yourself first, and wean yourself off of it.
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
Nadeem
04/22/04 at 06:05:55
[slm]

[quote author=ft link=board=madrasa;num=1081198575;start=20#29 date=04/21/04 at 18:43:11] Lets say you have decided to get rid of it for good. How would you go about doing that? keeping in mind that you also have some teenage siblings who would not like this idea at all. What can you offer them instead? How would you convince your parents?[/quote]


Brother/Sister(?) ft, as you've identified, its difficult to impose something like removing the TV, especially since it forms a major past time for most people.

Often TV becomes a convenient form of entertainment and source of news.  Some people even use it for "background noise" in the house when they're by themselves so they dont feel so alone.

Rather than banning the TV, or even talking about banning the TV to them, you could try and encourage other activities the family could do together away from the TV.  The more people engage in other activities that they find enjoyable, the less they will find the TV a viable past time.

These days I've noticed, even parents use TV as a makeshift "babysitter".  
"Oh, just put their cartoons on, that'll keep them quiet."
Maybe its because working hours are getting longer and longer and everyones tired all the time. ??? I don't know.

It depends how old your teenage siblings are, but just for example when I was teenager, the last thing we wanted to do was watch TV.  We wanted to go out and play in the park, see our friends, or go to the mall (or shopping centre for UK readers).  Maybe its just me, but we used to go out and play in the sun and the rain (and believe me theres a lot of rain in England!), TV was boring and only something to do when the weather was too bad to go out to play.

This might sound silly, but board games are a great way to enjoy a fun activity away from the TV.  Monopoly is a great one, and it teaches you about trading.  Scrabble is another one, its fun, and it helps increase your word knowledge and vocabulary.  Chess and draughts(I think you call them checkers in America?) are also good but they are only two player.  Perhaps better to get one the whole family can play. There are many games like this.  

Also, people might laugh at this one, but dont people tell stories anymore? :(  When I was little, I used to love listening to long stories from older family members life experiences.  They were funny, and enjoyable and you learn about each other, and theres no TV!  Maybe you could come up with a story telling time, and each time a family member (even the young ones), can tell a story or something that happened to them in their day.

So in short: play outside, play board games, and tell stories!  :)

Hope that helps...

[wlm]


Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
lala
04/22/04 at 14:30:05
[slm]
Ok i watch tv so wont tell anyone not to watch it. Im just saying if I had kids of my own I would definatly limit how much they watch it and what they watch. Growing up I didnt watch a lot just because we didnt have cable and just because I played a lot  ;D

But nowadays we have lots of other distractions for the youth..THe internet second after TV ..Instant messenging...et et et. We are old enough to know that one can spend hours upon hours just surfing the net and chit chatting via some sort of instant messenging tool.. Now this is just as wasteful as watching tv..Both can lead to severe obesity, problems socializing, difficulty carrying out tasks (too busy looking everything up on the internet) et et et ..

not sure where i'm goin with this....

salaam

Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
ft
04/22/04 at 20:02:22
[slm]
don't do anything drastic, like smashing the tube and stuff <-----SuperFOB, you know what, I actually thought about that, not smashing anything, but doing something in the back of the tv or pouring a bit of water on top.

Inshallah it wont get to that. I have actually got myself out of most of the stuff. There is nothing I can't walk away from Alhamdulillah. I just think that it is more beneficial for us not to have tv. Why? because when my brother wakesup before he goes to school, or brush his teeth or wash his face, he turns the tv on. He comes from school, first thing he does is turns the tv on. he eats, does his homework infront of the tv. Even sleeps on the weekends infront of the tv. Unless someone drags him to his bed. and this is just one of them.

JazakAllah khairan brother Nadeem for all these suggestions BUT trust me they are not gonna work as long as that tv is hooked up. Once our cable was disconnected for a few days and we did all these things you mentioned and then the tv came back on and everything vanished. So Inshallah TV has to go.

ft  ;-)
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
jannah
04/23/04 at 00:40:57
[wlm]

uh bro are you the father of the family? maybe you should discuss this with your parents and ask them to put some limits on the TV for your brother. it seems like they should be the one's who should be the authoritarians. something coming from you and forced upon the family isn't quite a good idea.  that's not really how you do dawah...and its not how you enjoin good if the end result is alot more harm.. imagine if they start to hate islam because of your harsh actions... maybe u can go about it gradually and explain to them why tv is bad.. start limiting it as a family, give them alternatives etc.
04/23/04 at 00:41:45
jannah
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
al-ajnabia
04/23/04 at 12:55:03
[slm]
There is also another alternative, try siting with your brother while he is watching tv and when the tv shows things that are questionable point them out softly and explain the consequences to individuals and society of such things, or after watching you can bring these things up if he gets anoyed that you interrupt his shows.  My grandpa and I used to do this a lot and we still discuss current events or shows if we have both watched them.
Re: TV - Good or Bad? Y?
tripplea
04/25/04 at 21:33:12
[slm]

I remember Hamza Yusuf saying that having a TV in the house is like having the devil as a babysitter. He said this in "Dajjal and the New World Order. He said that the messages of the "Pharonic State" is put forward through the TV. Then he pointed out consequences of the TV.


Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
A R C H I V E S

Individual posts do not necessarily reflect the views of Jannah.org, Islam, or all Muslims. All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective owners. Comments are owned by the poster and may not be used without consent of the author.
The rest © Jannah.Org