Speech:The television has done more harm than good

     "A Speech Delivered By Femi Kumuyi On The Proposition That The Television Has Done More Harm Than Good At A Public Symposium Organized By Amodu Youths Club Of Itire On The 26th December,2008,at Itire Community Hall At 10:00am"

    Mr.Chairman,President and members of Amodu Youths Club,distinguished ladies and gentlemen.I welcome you all to this symposium and at the same time thanking everybody for sparing your time at this yuletide to attend the activities of greater citizens of this town in years to come who have thought it wise and rightly too to have chosen the topic;"The Television Has Done More Harm Than Good".
      Some years back, I read in a national newspaper about the story of a woman, she is a civil servant.Every morning, she leaves early enough for work, leaving behind her 7-year old daughter.She usually ask her to keep herself company with their television set.At the point of discovering that the mother had gone for work, hoping to return later in evening, the little girl will switch on the television and tune in to movies basically meant for married couples.She continued this until at a point, she decided to experiment.She did a couple of times by inviting a male neighbour almost the same age with her, until on one unfortunate day, the mother had gone for work.The little girl had systematically invited the boy over again when luck ran out from her.The mum came back when she discovered that she had forgotten the key to her office on the table in her room, only for her to berge into the parlour and discover her daughter messing up with a boy.On thorough questioning, the little girl opened up that they had been practising that for weeks each time they finish watching the said popular tv programme that is adult oriented.


      The television is a powerful medium that combines both the visual and audio functions into one system of communication.Many years back,it was the black and white television set with programmes that teach and entertain such as the cow-boy films and historical theatres on stage.But today,the colour television is even more attractive than its black and white type.It is beautiful,sleek,attractive and so powerful that its visual lend credence to its weaknes,you will agree with me.
     The youths are more focused,they are no more themselves,they can't think deeply again so far it is shown on television.The television has assumed the role of teacher.They learnt all sorts of things from the television.In this regard,it is doing more harm than good.For example,the kind of dresses put on for shows on stage only are now the new thing in vogue exposing sensitive parts of their body leading to many exposed to sexual harassment,in this wise it has done more harm than good.
      Materials not meant for them are openly shown to them unrestricted such as blue films,kidnappings,hooliganism and drugs.In a way of advert,they have learnt bad habits.For example;"cigarette is good for you","Beer brings out the beast in you".Considering the various choice of words of the advertisers,the television had done more harm than good.
      I agree the television is a medium of education but where a student leaves home in the morning and branches at a friend's house or sneaks out of school to visit a friend that has video films and only selects pornographic ones via the television because the video can't show on its own,there they learnt various sexual acts with a resultant effect of a girl of fourteen years giving birth today-the one we call baby-mother.You'll agree with me that the television had done more harm than good to our youths in the society today.
     I am not saying that the television is bad,I have it at home,it is educative and informative but when it lost its credence to destructive tendencies,many of our youths become drop-outs,drug addicts,bullies and hooligans.These are bad effects of television.That is why I said that the television has done more harm than good when we compare the behaviours of the youths in the society today than what it was in the past.Thank you for your attention.