I Love Lucy

I didn't watch a color TV until I was ten years old when I watched "The Wizard of OZ" at a friend's house. At our home, we had three channels in black and white. I remember watching the Kennedy/Nixon debate because it was being broadcast on all three channels. I didn't realize I was watching history in the making. Standards back then were laughable compared to what we see today. I mean, Ricky and Lucy had twin beds on their TV show and she was the first pregnant woman to appear on the airwaves. When I compare the television options of my youth, it pales to what we have today with hundreds of channels providing hundreds of options. It's amazing to sit and watch the Olympics take place right in our own family room. While there is some redeeming value to the television programming we watch, there is way too much garbage pouring into our homes. When our children were teenagers, I finally put a sign on top of the TV that said, "Is there anything virtuous, lovely, of good report or praiseworthy?" to remind them to avoid being desensitized to the downward spiral of decency on the screen. Television can provide us with a live satellite broadcast from Salt Lake City, but it can also drag us into programming that will drive away the spirit and turn us into a robotic audience. We have to glean out the best, turn off the trash and be very careful who we invite into our homes.