Today's Teatime with Jennifer discusses a very important subject in our modern society: refusing to be dumbed-down.
"Dumbing down is the deliberate oversimplification of intellectual content in education, literature, and cinema, news, video games and culture."
Today's video focuses on how we can detox from popular culture like television, sports and music and the impact that our conscious choices make in our life. I'm bringing on my husband, Ben, as a special guest. We have a lot to say on the subject. I hope you join us for today's Teatime discussion and contribute with your point of view in the comment section. (Your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog!)
Mentioned in today's video: The New York Times article which shares that the average American adult watches more than 5 hours of television a day.
Also mentioned in today's video, 10 benefits to listening to classical music. I mention my song of the summer, Adagio by Albinoni. Check out this rendition by cellist, Hauser, on YouTube. It gives me hope that this performance has seen over 15 million views.
I love listening to books on Audible.com Audible is a subscription service that gives you access to the world's best audio books. Did you know The Madame Chic books are on audible.com?
Right now I'm listening to Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick. I highly recommend this book!
I hope you enjoy the discussion in today's video. Please let us know what you think about all of the topics discussed. I love to hear from you.
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Comment of the Week
Regarding last week's Mapp and Lucia book club, Josephine writes, "Thank you for recommending these books. I thought the books were very entertaining and thought provoking about psychology of human behavior and nature. Personally I loved the character of Miss Mapp because she was clever in practical ways. Lucia was more polished socially but her vanity was off putting to me. I also enjoyed your commentary. I think you have brought up a good point when you mentioned when Lucia was upset she turned to practicing piano. I took it a little bit further and thought of our children how it is important to offer kids classical education where they can learn to play an instrument or paint so in their distress they have a great way to express and distract themselves. Your point of formal way to address someone is great too. I took it little bit personal and thought of my own husband and kids. When we talk and use formal manners everyone slows down , has time to react but not overreact. Our manners convey respect for each other. Thank you for doing this video. I really enjoyed it."
Hello Josephine, I enjoyed your insights into the books and commentary. Thank you for joining me for the book club and I hope you will continue with us for the next installment.
Thank you for us for today's video. I would love to hear from you. What do you think about the dumbing down of society? Your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog.
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Jennifer, I just love your videos! My husband and I both became students again last year. He works full time and is getting his MBA, and I’m working toward a Master’s degree in Dietetics. Since returning to school last year, we made the conscious decision to cut cable. We knew we’d have little time for tv, and also that we would save money on our budget as an added bonus. I have to say, I have not missed it. He still watches sports here and there with the local channels we can pick up, but it has been months since I have had time to watch a show. Your video really made me think about how I feel about that, and I have to say, I really don’t miss tv at all! With school, you really have to prioritize your time. I’m also a big fan of audible and love to listen to it while I clean. My husband and I like to listen to NPR when in the car. We both were just talking yesterday about how we feel like we are being more productive when we listen to something like NPR/Audible that makes us think, as opposed to traditional radio stations. I do listen to coffee table jazz or other similar Spotify stations sometimes when I feel like listening to music, but I’m still pretty new at learning who the artists are behind the music of earlier eras.
ReplyDeleteI just have to say, I love your blog so much and the conversations/thoughts that your topics provoke. In light of the fact that my husband and I just talked about this same subject yesterday, with regard to pop music vs NPR, I plan to forward your video to him and get his take! He complains about not having time to fit in books, but he has time to watch sports on tv. He may decide that he gets more joy out of sports, and I think that is ok, but I think your video will help him think about it being a conscience decision, as opposed to a lack of time.
Loved seeing your husband on again! You two are such a gorgeous couple and it’s fun to see you together on the videos.
Hi Jennifer! Thanks again for another wonderful conversation on an important topic. My husband and I got rid of our cable about 3 years ago and honestly we don’t miss it one bit. He and I are both pilots and we have a 7 year old daughter so we are very busy. Even when he is gone and I am home alone with our daughter, I don’t feel or want to watch TV. In the evenings after I get her to bed, I love to spend half hour or so reading. I also don’t want our daughter exposed to the TV or commercials as really none of it is any good.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I do which may sound crazy, is I drive in silence. I actually do not ever turn the radio on in my car. I do love classical music and I need to find a goid classical station in my area. But, I actually enjoy the quiet SO much. It also gives my daughter and I an opportunity to catch up and talk. Sometimes I have conversations with God, kind of like a prayer time, while driving. Either way, I find it so relaxing and soothing to just have the quiet. Our world is so loud nowadays that it is actually a luxury to have stillness and silence. Thanks again Jennifer!! Love seeing your husband as always!
Hello Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your chat! I love your new teatime logo~ I agree with you 100% on this topic. Our family has been without cable TV for 13 years now. TV is a waste of time and money. We never miss it. We select the movies and shows we want to watch on Netflix, and we have a limit of one show per day. We take extremely rare trips to the movie theater. As a result, my daughter is an excellent, avid reader. I am always amazed when other parents are puzzled that their children are not good readers. They offer their children TV and video games, and then they can't figure out why their child doesn't choose reading. The key is not to offer a choice because the child will always choose the easier task.
My classical radio station offers a history quiz question each morning. Several clues are offered as to what things happened (inventions, compositions) in a certain year, and you have to guess what year it was. I have started sharing the clues with my extended family members and my kids via text message. It is a fun and stimulating way to think about history a little bit each day. At the end of the guessing, I announce the winner for the day.
Keep up the good work!
Hugs from, Alexandra
Great video post, Jennifer! I whole-heartedly agree that popular culture is dumbing us down. It can be pretty disturbing when you actually pause and pay attention to what people are watching/listening to/talking about.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I now mostly listen to classical music (I am blessed to have an amazing classical public radio station in Portland, OR). It's the norm for All Classical Portland to be on in the background throughout the day at home, and my husband and I often listen to it in the car and at work too. It's funny when we have friends and family over and they comment on the music. We listen to classical all the time, but clearly many people do not!
For anyone not wishing to spend money on an Audible subscription, many libraries use apps such as Libby and Overdrive through which you can borrow audiobooks as you would hard copy library materials. I personally use Libby quite often, although I believe far more books are available on Audible.
I did give up TV years ago when my husband was in law school. He was busy studying all the time, and I felt lazy sitting watching TV while he studied, so I quit TV and enthusiastically threw myself into ambitious scratch cooking projects and a house cleaning rotation. I loved feeling so productive and having such a clean home. Since my son was born a couple of years ago, however, I sometimes find myself so exhausted at the end of the day that I feel like I can't possibly do one more thing. My husband puts our son to bed, so I've gotten in the habit of watching a show while they are doing the bedtime routine. It's a guilty pleasure, but it often feels more guilty than pleasurable. Thanks for motivating me to identify a different form of relaxation.
I agree with all the comments above. We have never had cable, just what we can get locally and that is PBSkids which I do let the kids watch, but not more than a couple of hours or when I need a shower.
ReplyDeleteYour post is right on topic with what I was thinking about today: not limiting your knowledge. I just finished the first (Euthyphro) of five dialogues by Plato and I surprisingly loved it. I cannot wait to read more of his work. If I hadn’t started on our Classical Homeschooling Education journey with our kids, I don’t know that I would’ve ever considered this a possibility! I’m so thankful I have. Also, on that vein. I was feeling urged to keep the Sabbath holy in our house. My husband usually has to work most Sundays so we started doing it on one of his days off and it has been so eye-opening to our addictions to social media and how much time it sucks up in a day, week, etc. and how wonderful and completely rested we feel after we take a break from the world. We prepare make ahead meals for the day and just reheat them to reduce time in the kitchen so we can play games, read Bible stories, read, draw, paint, look at the clouds, nap, nature walks, etc. I was worried it would make the rest of the work stack up but it has done the opposite, because I get this time with myself, friends and family, I have more energy through out the week to tackle what I need to get done. At the beginning of the year I also have taken on the challenge to read 100 chapter books by the end of the year to challenge my brain. I just finished #62 and I have three kids under 5. So, if I can do it, anyone can. I also listen to a bunch of audiobooks doing housework. I listen to Overdrive and Hoopla which you can listen to free through your library. Between the two they have a pretty expansive audio library.
Thanks again for inspiring us to be our best selves!
Enjoyed the topic today. My husband and I also do not watch television. We do own a television but it is relegated to the back room and used for movies every so often. It does not hold a focal point in our living room. Television is trash for the most part...always pushing forth an agenda through programming.
ReplyDeleteWe also listen to classical music and are advid readers. As a retired teacher and grandmother, I am concerned with the culture today. Elementary schools through university have been dumbing down for the past two decades. I think like minded people will have to encourage each other and stick together, remaining countercultural.
We need more beauty in the world and so glad for the work you do in promoting it!
Hi ladies, thank you for watching!
ReplyDeleteElizabeth- That's so great! I hope your husband enjoys the video and also the insights from my husband. It's fun to get the male take on these topics.
Christine- Driving in silence is a revolutionary concept these days. I love that! I do it every now and then, but only usually when my brain feels like it is on overload. But silence really is so nice. Thank you for your comment.
Alexandra- I totally agree. I was just talking about this the other day with regard to tablets/ iPads. We have them but our children never use them. We save them for airplanes and emergencies. As a result, I have some avid readers. It's wonderful.
Maureen- That's a great suggestion about the library audio books. A wonderful resource that is affordable too.
Summer- I love how you challenge yourself in this way. It's wonderful!
Mominapocket- I agree that this topic and way of living is counterculture. It's nice to be around like-minded people on this topic. Thank you for watching!
Dear Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteYou and Ben hit the nail on the head today! Thanks so much for bringing this important topic to the forefront. I am a scientist (a biochemist) and I find that learning and educating yourself just for the fun of it is a rare hobby for many, especially younger kids. I can't imaging life without learning something new each day -reading, listening to beautiful classical music, and teaching my three children new things. Tuning one's mind to the important events today such as politics and climate change, to arts in its many forms, to using our minds to understand the beauty of God's universe is not only more fun but will enrich one's mind to no end. Furthermore, it's the only way that every member of society will be able to really contribute! Did you know that your brain is the most complex thing in the universe? What a shame to bombard it with pop culture, social media, and mind-numbing television. I don't think God created our brains to be numbed and dumbed! Thanks again for shining the spotlight on this very important topic!
Wonderful video! So very true and such a good reminder that we must resist! Recently, my teen daughter overheard some unsavory conversation while getting her hair done, and you know what? I politely reported it to the store manager. I did not reveal who the stylists were as my aim was not to get anyone in trouble. The manager thanked me profusely and said he had warned the employees about this very thing, but it meant so much more coming from a client. He even had a staff meeting about it! I think it caused a bit of a stir, but I felt I had to speak up.
ReplyDeleteWhen I am at a casual restaurant, nail salon, or any other public place with a TV on, I frequently ask for the station to be changed if their is something awful like a gossip show on or anything violent or coarse. I have even asked young adults to please watch their language in public places. I say, with a smile, " Excuse me, would y'all mind watching your language a bit?" And they almost always apologize and say "Oh yes ma'am, I'm sorry."
I truly think these are all good people, they have just become desensitized, as you point out. Maybe our job is to help people regain some of their sensitivity, curiosity, and love of quality in entertainment, conversation, and politeness. Thank you, Jennifer, for all you do in aid of this very worthy endeavor!
Kind regards,
A lady from Texas
I wholeheartedly agree! We decided to put our television in the spare room where it is not hooked up and I can honestly say I do not miss it a bit. It is shocking to realise that my tv watching was just habitual and really I wasn't enjoying it. I am reading a lot more and loving it, and the whole family is spending more time together.
ReplyDeleteThe other huge dumbing down that is going on is on facebook and social media. The number of times I have watched people scrolling through and watching absolute drivel is shocking. Sometimes people are offended when I don't want to have a look. Life is really too short to watch video footage of people doing silly things, being abusive to one another etc...It really is a mindless drug that so many are getting sucked into.
I think our schools and even music exam syllabi are also being dumbed down. I had a beautiful book of school craft projects for Australian schools in the 1950s. The standard of work expected from kids was so much higher then. As for music syllabi, the diplomas have now had aural testing and sight reading removed and there is a whole 'Leisure' syllabus that omits most of the technical work and focuses on more popular music. If a student becomes more serious about music down the track they have effectively been disabled by the dumbed-down work they have been doing and will have a really hard time catching up.
A lot of dumbing down seems to be happening we have 'outsourced' almost our entire lives. Someone else educates our kids, mows our lawn, fixes things in our home and entertains us via tv and social media. If we go back to entertaining ourselves by reading, painting, learning an instrument etc... we take back our brains and our power.
Madeleine
PS could you please tell me the name and make of your teacup. I used to have the same one but our little dog got onto the table and broke it (after drinking the tea!) and I would love to replace it.
ReplyDeleteMadeleine
I agree with you, Jennifer! We haven't had a television set in our home for many years, though we do watch carefully chosen videos and Netflix shows on our computer. People have asked us from time to time where our TV is and are so surprised when I say we don't have one. There just wasn't anything on network TV we wanted to watch and we've never had cable. Our children are grown now, but when they were little my husband and I spent lots of time reading aloud to them instead of letting them watch too much television. Some recent-ish movies we have really enjoyed (and that I think you would like, too) include Saving Mr. Banks, Miss Potter, and Far from the Madding Crowd. We watched The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society last night and enjoyed it very much. We also like quite a few BBC shows. So we aren't against watching television, period; we just like to be selective and limit our time. :)
ReplyDeleteI've been a music teacher for more than thirty years and I have a few suggestions for beautiful classical pieces that you might enjoy. I hope you don't mind. :) The first is Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland. He was a twentieth-century American composer who wrote lots of music that is accessible for general audiences. He forged what we think of as the quintessential American sound. Also try his Hoedown and Saturday Night Waltz from his ballet, Rodeo. A stunning piece by an English composer is Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis by Ralph Vaughan Williams, another twentieth-century composer. His Fantasia on Greensleeves is lovely too. Also try anything by Renaissance composer Palestrina, but I suggest starting with his Missa Papae Marcelli. Also, the brass music and choral works by Giovanni Gabrieli are wonderful. The Cambridge Singers is my favorite choir and have many breathtaking recordings available. I also quite enjoy the soundtracks to some movies. Far from the Madding Crowd (the version with Carey Mulligan), Saving Mr. Banks, and the 1995 Little Women come to mind.
I have strong opinions about children and pop music. We do not do them any musical favors by submerging them in that style and genre. It ruins their voices when they try to imitate what they hear and it takes time away from learning the music they should be learning, such as traditional children's songs and folk songs. It also develops their taste for pop styles and it's hard to cultivate in them a taste for good music. This quotation from J.S. Bach sums it up well: "The best method of instructing youth, therefore, is to accustom them to what is good. The right understanding of it follows in time, and can then still further confirm their attachment to none but genuine works of art."
This is an excellent topic, Jennifer and Ben, and you provided so much thoughtful information to consider.
ReplyDeleteOn television: What? No more Benedict Cumberbatch in “Sherlock Holmes” in the future? I love this PBS show and it is a worthwhile one, so that may stay when it appears with its four episodes once every few years. I really don’t watch a lot of television, however, my husband and I do watch “Jeopardy” together, with our cats, as it offers an educational component. Sadly, my husband is addicted to television and actually keeps two on at the same time and no matter how often I “mute” the sound of one, he likes both on at the same time and I find it so very distracting. Suffice it to say, this is an issue that needs some resolution.
On Audible: I’m so glad you brought this up. A former classmate of mine lives in the Midwest and has been an Audible user for a long time and she is such a gifted and kind-hearted soul, active with knitting, her church and baking delicious-looking pies, cobblers, etc. She’s using her time wisely and I admire that as I do with you, Jennifer.
Here are my questions about Audible, because I want to know how to best use it, although you did touch on a few: Do you listen on a laptop or your mobile phone? Does listening to a book on Audible shorten the time it takes to “read” or “listen” to a book? I ask, because I’m somewhat of a slow reader and always seem to have several books going at once (“The Boys in the Boat” (Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics) by Daniel James Brown, is one I’ve just started and one I highly recommend.) You mentioned that you have five books a month on your list. May I ask how you find certain book titles to add to your list? Where do you listen so you won’t be distracted or are you multi-tasking (cleaning, picking up, washing dishes, etc.) as you listen and do you use ear buds or listen with the speaker on? I’m sorry for all these questions; I’d just like to get a practical “how to” since this is new to me and I may be ready to get an Audible account. I did buy one audio book on Amazon Prime and I still haven’t been able to access it or find it!
I know of several people who stopped watching television and their lives are so much richer, interesting and more complex in wonderful ways. They seem serene, full of life and have greater comprehension of the world around them, as your husband noted. They have a larger view of the world. I recall the late comedian, Steve Allen, wrote a book called, “Dumbth: The Lost Art of Thinking With 101 Ways to Reason Better & Improve Your Mind,” and although I’ve not read it, the book talks about how text and language are “dumbed down” by society.
You've been such an inspiration in listening to classical music. We wake up to KUSC every morning and I listen to classical in the car and at home. It's lovely.
I love the globe game you play with your children and what a fun way to learn and practice geography.
May I say your video’s production values seem to get better and better and the clarity and sound are picture perfect. Thank you for always sharing such relevant and timely topics. I love your Blog and YouTube Channel.
Hello again, Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about this topic all day and just wanted to add a few points - I would love to know what you think!
A few more ways we are dumbed down: spellcheck, open book exams (yes, this happens in Australian universities, not sure it it's happening in the rest of the world), GPS (can anyone still read a map?), books and blogs that are almost entirely written in bullet points - is no one capable of reading a sentence any more? The decline in good writing and reading probably depresses me most out of all the changes we are undergoing.
As well there is serious de-skilling going on. Due to the proliferation of pre-prepared and fast-foods many can no longer prepare a healthy meal. Due to the availability of cheap clothing most people no longer know how to repair or make their own clothing. Many people don't know how to grow a vegetable garden or prune fruit trees. Everything has been made so 'convenient' for us that we are de-skilled and no longer required to use our intelligence and creativity the way we used to be. Perhaps our intelligence began to decline when the 'mend and make do' mentality of the second world war was no longer needed.
Great topic Jennifer, I am looking forward to the next Teatime topic.
Madeleine
Jennifer, I know you make your living by selling books, but I have to add a plug for the public library. We don't spend money on subscription services -- audio or e-books or video streaming. Our small city library is part of several networks and offers downloadable audio books, e-books, online magazines, and films, documentaries, and TV series on DVD ... all FREE! It couldn't be easier. Sit down at the computer, search for what I want, place a request. If it's a physical item, a book or DVD or audio book on CD, I get an email when it arrives at my local library, I get at least a week to pick it up. It may come from several states away, from a university or public library. Sometimes you may wait a few weeks; sometimes it's there in a day or two. Instant gratification is over rated, I think, so waiting is not a problem for me! Some people are surprised I still listen to books on CD, but it's one of two ways to listen in my car -- CD and cassette tape -- no jack to plug in my iPhone. It's an old car but it all still works and I don't want a new one laden with electronic everything. Yes, we watch DVDs. Our TV is too old to stream and, yes, it still works,so I don't want or need a new one. There are always lots of people at the library checking out CDs and DVDs. We are not alone!! Some people my age (65) tell me we are old fashioned, falling behind, not remaining "relevant." But I'm living MY reality!
ReplyDeleteYour "listen to us, young people; we're older, more experienced" message made me smile. Yes, we may reach some, but it's the "job" of youth to rebel, be different from their parents, until they become their own version of older and wiser. I'm not saying we should stop spreading our message. Just don't be surprised when it's ignored by many. Even small victories are victories.
Check out your local library for downloadable audio books! They are FREE! And the selection is huge! Utilize this great community resource and use your library instead of Audible.
ReplyDeleteJennifer,
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post! While we do watch some TV, that time is pretty balanced out with reading and active pursuits as well. I don't think the TV should be the center of our family time together nor our living space. I do have a somewhat funny story on this topic. Last year we hosted a party at our house for some of my husband's friends from college. Many of the guests had never been to our home before and I must say they were visibly distraught and grew very anxious when they could not locate a TV in the living room! (We do have one in the basement, but the TV set in the living room is smallish and stashed away in an armoire). I actually noticed them looking in cabinets for the TV--not to watch it--but just for the piece of mind (I guess??) that there was one. It was as if they were greatly disturbed and shocked that a living space has any purpose other than tv! It was pretty comical listening to the fuss and disbelief over "no tv"!!!!
Great message about consciously refusing to be dumbed down! You and Ben are adorable as you encourage others to be salt and light. He that watereth shall be watered. Prov. 11:25
ReplyDeleteMadeleine makes a good point about the "de-skilling" that is also taking place. No one can do even the easiest task anymore. Everything is outsourced to someone who does it for a living. It is considered menial labor. Cutting the grass, cleaning one's home, even making a meal is all done by someone else. As a result, people have to work longer hours to pay for all this "convenience". So what are they really gaining? Personally, I love being a homemaker and doing all this "menial labor" myself. I am VERY efficient, and I manage to do things that others would not even attempt (like growing vegetables and canning them... let alone actually cooking them.) And I still have plenty of time to exercise and read voraciously.
ReplyDeleteWhich brings me to how I have all this free time despite doing a lot of work around the home. We cut the cable long ago, when we realized we were paying for something that we weren't using. We just have better things to do than watch TV. When we actively want to watch a show or movie, we have Netflix, but this is something we do maybe once or twice a week, not passively on a nightly basis. We also don't use social media. We don't even have smart phones -- just flip phones which we only use for actual phone calls (remember those?)
Granted, not everyone would enjoy this lifestyle. But they really shouldn't say that they "don't have time" to cook meals or exercise. They have time, they just choose to make TV and social media a priority instead.
Ladies, thank you for continuing the discussion here in the comments. You have so many valuable insights and I appreciate your input. I really enjoyed this topic and hope to explore it further in the future!
ReplyDeleteWith love,
Jennifer
Surely you must realize this is not an either/or proposition.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I have season tickets to the opera, yet we enjoy watching college and professional football.
I read in excess of 120 books per year yet I also occasionally indulge in Real Housewives viewing.
Relax!
Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteJust another quick note to thank you for your recommendation of the book "The Mayflower". I think I will read that! I love reading about early American history. Here are a couple of book recommendations for you! Most recently, I read "The Cooking Gene" by Michael Twitty~ It's about the history of slavery in America, and it includes recipes. The recipe for "West African Brisket" is especially good. Now I am reading "And a Bottle of Rum: a History of the New World in Ten Cocktails" by Wayne Curtis. It includes recipes for rum cocktails and recommendations for good brands of rum. I am not saying that anyone should drink many of these cocktails or drink them often. Just one on occasion as a special treat!
Cheers and Bon Appetit!
Alexandra
Dear Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteI am very glad that you have opened the conversation on this topic again. Indeed it is something that has been happening very subtly and infiltrates all areas of our lives.
We have not been actively watching tv for about 15 years, we do have a tv in the living room but most of the time, it is never on. If there are programs we wanted to watch, we used to video tape them, and since about 15 years, we have them recorded on the digital hard disk, so that we can zap over the plenty and most irritating commercials and selectively watch only the programs themselves. It saves so much more time when you don't have to sit thru an hour on live tv when the actual program is about 40 mins tops! So much so that our children who are now 8 and 11, have been trained to ignore commercials and when occasionally they do get to watch a bit of Nickelodeon or some other kids channels, they recognize the profusion of commercials are aimed at getting kids excited about the newest toys and totally not beneficial!
Having said that, I must add that not only popular culture among young people is a problem, what do you think about online games? As mentioned above, my children are still in elementary school and they have just been peer pressured on all sides when they do not play games online (the ones beginning with m and the other with f). These kids spend all their free time gaming, they talk and compare about nothing else. You are nothing/stupid if you are not part of that "reality". That is for me all so sad, these kids don't play outside, don't go out and get dirty, play in the woods (we live in an area where you are 10 mins away). Time is spent apping and gaming. Fortunately, we are able to keep our 2 away from this culture, but there is a lot of peer pressure and lack of understanding in this area of dumbing down.
Mitch from the Netherlands