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Part of the reason young kids these days are, for lack of a better word, stupider and socially awkward than previous generations of kids is due to the increased popularity of television and poor quality shows.  Especially in America, where I see little kids who have been brainwashed by the media and are drowned in technology.  Moreover, is it me or do kids these days seem to have no respect for their elders?  For this, I solely blame the television, but it is the parents responsibility to limit the type of programs a child takes in.

Over at LGenius, a website where people can submit their ideas for changes/improvements in television sponsored by LG, the winning idea was a rather interesting one.  At first, I thought it would actually work, but then I realized how stupid of an idea it truly was.  The winning idea contained three parts to it: a profanity filter, a “happy time” feature, and a cartooner.  Let’s see how practical, or stupid each idea is and why I hope each idea never comes to fruition. 

Baby Laughter is the new Bleep

If you take a look at the YouTube video embedded below, the first item the speaker announces is their profanity filter.  Whenever curse words such as f*** are mentioned, it is instantaneously blocked out and replaced with what they claim to be most innocent sound, baby laughter.  I agree wholeheartedly that kids these days take in a heck of a lot of profanity from the television.  Part of me thinks that swear words are good because they toughen you up as a person, as long as you know the true meaning of each word.  I don’t see anything wrong with the occasional “hell” or “damn,” but when a five year old flipped me off the other day, something is wrong. 

Now, do I believe all swear words should be replaced with baby laughter?  Absolutely not, it is the parents’ responsibility to dictate what their children are allowed to watch and what is off limits.  In case something does come on, the parent should change the channel or something along those lines.  If a parent feels the need to enable this setting when their child is watching TV, perhaps said child shouldn’t even be watching that show in the first place.

Hey LG, while you are at it, maybe you should try to replace swear words in rap songs with baby laughter also.  Seriously…maybe you can limit swear words on LG brand TVs, but kids will find other ways to hear these profane words such as the radio or maybe other people.

Who doesn’t love seeing kittens to cheer them up?  Me.

LG’s next item in their keynote is something called “Happy Time.”  Basically, whenever something depressing is taking place on the show, the viewer has the option to display kittens in a basket with cheerful music playing in the background.  The presenter adds also available in puppies to the crowd’s delight.  I don’t know about you, but this feature might be even more stupid than the last one.  I mean kittens or puppies in a basket is not going to cheer me up when I am depressed from something on the television.  (Insert baby laughter), the only thing depressing these days on the television is the news and the economy, maybe then would I consider using this feature.  But if I’m watching a movie or a TV show and the point of it is to have a sad moment, then why would I want to feel happiness if the producer intended for their audience to feel sad? 

Although, I do see this feature being useful if you have babies at home who you want to entertain with kittens in a basket.  Sorry LG, but when watching TV, people want to feel a certain way and what’s the point in trying to change that emotion? 

Cartoon adult scenes instead of normal adult scenes?

The last item noted by the LG presenter is one that I could see being a little useful, but I can think of many substitutes and would, therefore, not buy a LG TV just to receive this feature.  If you aren’t a teenager, think back to when you were one, and whenever there would be a kissing/makeout scene on the TV and your parents were right there.  Wasn’t it a little bit awkward?  The presenter wanted to stress the fact that not many TV shows are suited for families these days due to the occasional vulgar scene.  The solution, you ask?  LG says why not cartoon-ify the scene to make it all age appropriate?

Interesting concept, but if you would only use this feature to protect your child’s innocent eyes, then why not simply change the channel?  If you are a parent and you are watching cartooner-appropriate content, then maybe your child shouldn’t be in the same room in the first place. 

Final Thoughts

I applaud whoever sent this idea to LG for trying to make the TV safer for all of us, but I mean with a little common sense, there is no need for these features.  Most TV sets these days come with v-chips and other parental controls, so parents can easily pick and choose what their children can and can’t watch.  If I found two TVs with the same specs, one from LG coming with these features for a slightly higher cost, and the other TV without these features for a slightly lower price, I would definitely choose the lower priced TV just because there is no point for these extra features. 

I hope LG doesn’t actually manufacture TVs with these added settings, because I don’t really see the purpose.  I hope this is not in store for the future of television.  Am I crazy?  That’s up for you to decide, just thought I’d share my two cents. 

Read [LGenius]

Check out the keynote presentation: