As a child, I grew up with asthma. I would sit and watch TV for hours, literally drooling over every TV show, like a mindless zombie, not wanting to move because I might miss something. Yet, even today, I don't even remember the names of most of these TV shows. I don't know what made me so addicted to television, but I couldn't stop watching it. After reading Neil Postman's "The Ring Around the Collar" where he sarcastically defines a television commercial as "religious parables" (Postman 68), I found it to be an eye-opening experience. Postman shows how advertisers use media in a religious context to control the masses, where consumers are seen as sinners if they do not buy their products. Given that there are five million products on television, consumers sin a lot. Then, through this process, consumers are only redeemed by purchasing their product, and then you are immediately thrown into a heavenly environment. Fundamentally, this whole idea of ​​television persuasion is based and exploited on consumers' need or even fear of being socially accepted. Additionally, Marie Winn's essay, "Television: The Plug-IN Drug," describes how American family structures are becoming impoverished under the influence of television. Having a television in the home removes the complex interactions families need to maintain a healthy structure. Television disrupts bonding growth and an overall stimulating environment is detrimental to a family's self-esteem. By analyzing these two perspectives, I can recognize that television has had a tremendous impact on our social structure, but I believe that it is just another form of social manipulation. In general, most television advertisements give a false reality, deplete self-esteem and take... middle of paper ...... to see how television uses social acceptance to make people feel produce or buy things by instilling a lack of self-esteem, manipulation of advice and sales tricks, such as Postman's "religious parable". We are forever changed by television and television advertising. We talk about them, we feel connected to them, we are influenced by them, but we must not let them dictate our lives. The world is big. My advice to everyone is to turn off the television and go outside. See the world as it is, in all its complex beauty. Works CitedAT&T U-Verse, Advertising. ABC. January 31, 2011. Television. Cohen, Samuel. ed. 50 essays: a portable anthology. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's. 2007 Postman, Neil “The Parable of the Ring Around the Necklace.” » Conscientious objection: raising issues regarding language, technology and education. New York, Vintage Books. 199266-71