“In a resignation letter from his post as New York’s Commissioner for Mental Health Retardation, Dr. Herbert Fill wrote, ‘I have become increasingly concerned with the fact that although we are spending hundreds of millions on better and more efficient programs, we still have more and more mental disturbances, alcoholism, drug abuse, vandalism, crime. The mental state of our population in general is steadily deteriorating and psychopathology now reaches epidemic proportions. We do not seem to gain on the problems by focusing solely on casualties, by increasing services. I have become convinced that it is our social attitudes and our social institutions that are now actively creating mental disturbances. It is becoming increasingly clear that the way we educate, use technology and exploit media engenders mental harm and disruption on a massive scale.’ Dr. Fill sees television as exploiting man’s need for lost imagery, the ‘electronic hallucinogens’ which it provides bringing to children’s open and trusting minds, precocious intellect, depersonalization, aggression, violence, indifference to suffering, cheap and degrading fantasies – all when they only seek humanity and self-assurance.’ (Long Island Press, August 1972, p. 76)
It would seem then, that young children who spend a large amount of time watching television [playing computer / video games] at a crucial developmental stage never learn the full extent of their language, and that this retarded language development produces adults whose personalities are likewise retarded. The available evidence suggests that the result is people who communicate less effectively, experience less satisfaction with their lives and have greater anti-social tendencies. I find it astonishing that the massive intrusion of television and other mass media into our lives should have occurred with so little comment, question or research.” (The IRG Solution: Hierarchical Incompetence and How to Overcome It by David Andrews, Souvenir Press, 1984; p. 76)
Alternatives to the rampant “electronic hallucinogens” are obvious:
- Substitute TV / computer / gamer time for reading good books. This includes reading to your very young children (even infants) and taking reading age children to the local library to obtain their own library card. Invest in a book shelf in your children’s bedrooms and fill it with quality, age-appropriate literature. Let your children see you reading enlightening literature. The physiological benefits are deep and enduring. Establishing a life-long love of reading opens the world to your child – the very definition of autodidactic.
- Put pictures on the walls of your home of landscapes, and other inspiring scenes.
- Insist your children play outside the house. Provide a safe environment and opportunities for them to use their imagination requiring physical exertion.
- Have them do chores. Yes! Work! A friend of one of my grown sons said he would never make his children poop scoop – or clean toilets. That child is in for a rude shock when he leaves home.
- One of the unspoken benefits of children being put in “time out” is it imposes a period of reflection– something all of us need to spend more time doing.
- Introduce your children to classical music, operas (there are fantastic stories in operas), concerts, and a musical instrument. Many studies have shown that doing so opens a whole other part of children’s brains, it disciplines the mind and makes for greater success in academics. Let them discover the magic of transforming ink into sound.
- “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, and flight to the imagination.” – Plato
- Parent! That’s a verb. Don’t be afraid of making your children angry at you. Just like the wolf pack, a family needs an alpha (or two) in charge. Letting children have their way for fear they might “hate you forever” is a recipe for disaster in so many ways. Even more than electronic hallucinogens, parents surrendering their responsibility to care for and discipline their children is the reason we’re seeing nonfunctioning adults go berserk toward their fellow human beings.
- Be on the same frequency with your spouse about diverting your children from the stultifying effects of electronic hallucinogens. Nothing damages a child’s self-esteem and chances of success in life than bickering parents.
“No other success can compensate for failure in the home.” – David O. McKay
